azure-architecture

What this skill does

# Azure Architecture Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for designing Azure solutions using Azure Architecture. Covers reference architectures, solution ideas, design patterns, technology choices, architecture styles, best practices, anti-patterns, example workloads, and migration guides. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

## How to Use This Skill

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: Use the **Category Index** below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., `L35-L120`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)

This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:
- **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
- **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown`. Returns Markdown.

## Category Index

| Category | Lines | Description |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Reference Architectures | L37-L91 | End-to-end Azure reference solutions for mission-critical, secure, and hybrid architectures: AKS, App Service, data platforms, MLOps, networking, DR, SAP, AVD, and multi-cloud identity. |
| Solution Ideas | L92-L125 | End-to-end solution patterns for AI, data, security, and migration on Azure, including MLOps, analytics, IoT, mainframe/SAP integration, and multilayer defense architectures. |
| Design Patterns | L126-L177 | Patterns and reference architectures for resilient, scalable Azure apps: messaging, transactions, gateways, caching, sharding, auth, monitoring, and integration of distributed/cloud-native systems. |
| Technology Choices | L178-L211 | Guides for choosing the right Azure/Fabric services (compute, storage, data, AI/ML, analytics, networking, messaging, search, vector) for specific workloads and architectures. |
| Architecture Styles | L212-L223 | Guidance on choosing and designing Azure app architectures (big compute, big data, event-driven, microservices, N-tier, web-queue-worker) with patterns, components, and best practices. |
| Best Practices | L224-L275 | Best practices for designing, securing, scaling, monitoring, and operating Azure apps and networks, including REST APIs, AKS, IoT, SAP, Event Hubs, App Service, MLOps/GenAI, DR, and multitenant RAG. |
| Anti-patterns | L276-L290 | Diagnosing and fixing common Azure performance and scalability anti-patterns (busy DB/front end, chatty I/O, no caching, noisy neighbors, retry storms, sync I/O, monolithic persistence). |
| Example Workloads | L291-L369 | End-to-end reference architectures and patterns for real-world Azure workloads, covering data/AI pipelines, AKS and networking, hybrid/Arc, mainframe migration, security, and enterprise app platforms. |
| Migration Guides | L370-L405 | Guides for migrating from AWS, GCP, on-prem, and Oracle to Azure, including service mapping, AKS vs EKS, networking/identity, security, data sync, and web app modernization patterns. |

### Reference Architectures
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Deploy a baseline Microsoft Foundry chat architecture on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/ai-ml/architecture/baseline-microsoft-foundry-chat |
| Run baseline Foundry chat in Azure landing zones | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/ai-ml/architecture/baseline-microsoft-foundry-landing-zone |
| Design secure research environments for regulated data | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/ai-ml/architecture/secure-compute-for-research |
| Deploy MLOps v2 CI/CD and retraining architectures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/ai-ml/guide/machine-learning-operations-v2 |
| Design Azure data platform architecture with DR capabilities | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/data-guide/disaster-recovery/dr-for-azure-data-platform-architecture |
| Enterprise-hardened Azure Data Factory lakehouse architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/databases/architecture/azure-data-factory-enterprise-hardened |
| Mission-critical Azure Data Factory analytics architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/databases/architecture/azure-data-factory-mission-critical |
| Baseline medallion lakehouse with Azure Data Factory | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/databases/architecture/azure-data-factory-on-azure-landing-zones-baseline |
| Deploy MongoDB Atlas securely on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/databases/architecture/mongodb-atlas-baseline |
| Move archive data from mainframes to Azure storage | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/example-scenario/mainframe/move-archive-data-mainframes |
| Secure private AKS clusters with Azure Firewall and hub-spoke | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/guide/aks/aks-firewall |
| Architect mission-critical global content delivery on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/guide/networking/global-web-applications/mission-critical-content-delivery |
| Implement mission-critical global HTTP ingress on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/guide/networking/global-web-applications/mission-critical-global-http-ingress |
| Design global routing redundancy for mission-critical web apps | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/guide/networking/global-web-applications/overview |
| Implement multiregion load balancing with Traffic Manager and Application Gateway | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/high-availability/traffic-manager-application-gateway |
| Implement enterprise cloud file shares with Azure Files | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/hybrid/azure-files-private |
| Design Azure Local baseline infrastructure architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/hybrid/azure-local-baseline |
| Implement Azure Local storage switchless architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/hybrid/azure-local-switchless |
| Design Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Local | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/hybrid/azure-local-workload-virtual-desktop |
| Extend file services with Azure File Sync in hybrid setups | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/hybrid/hybrid-file-services |
| Implement a hub-spoke network topology in Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/networking/architecture/hub-spoke |
| Implement hub-spoke networking with Azure Virtual WAN | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/networking/architecture/hub-spoke-virtual-wan-architecture |
| Implement TIC 3.0-compliant internet access on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/networking/architecture/trusted-internet-connections |
| Deploy Microsoft Entra security for AWS identities | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/aws/aws-azure-ad-security |
| Host GPU-based ML and HPC workloads on AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-gpu/gpu-aks |
| Deploy microservices architecture on AKS with DevOps | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-microservices/aks-microservices |
| Deploy advanced AKS microservices with secure networking | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-microservices/aks-microservices-advanced |
| Apply application design