Understanding Microsoft’s Terraform Providers for Azure: AzureRM vs AzAPI

Managing Azure resources effectively requires powerful and flexible tools. This is where Infrastructure as Code (IaC) comes into play. IaC enables you to define and manage your resources through code, ensuring consistency, scalability, and reliability across your environment.

Among the many IaC tools available, Terraform stands out as a popular choice, offering a robust framework for provisioning and managing infrastructure.

Two primary providers are available when working with Azure: Azure Resource Manager (AzureRM) and AzAPI. Choosing the right provider depends on your use case, whether you need production-grade stability or cutting-edge feature adoption.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the concept of Terraform providers, explore the AzureRM and AzAPI providers in detail, and compare the two to help you make informed decisions for your Azure infrastructure needs.

What are Terraform providers?

In Terraform, providers are plugins that enable Terraform to interact with different infrastructure platforms, services, or APIs. They serve as the bridge between Terraform and the systems it manages, translating Terraform's declarative configurations into API calls to the targeted platform.

Each provider focuses on a specific set of resources and services, allowing you to define and manage infrastructure as code consistently and efficiently.

The AzureRM provider

Microsoft developed and maintains the Azure Resource Manager (AzureRM) provider, which provides a reliable and structured way to define, deploy, and manage Azure resources using Terraform.

The AzureRM provider offers a high level of stability, making it the go-to choice for a production environment where consistency and predictability are key values.

Each provider release undergoes extensive validation, providing users with confidence that their configurations will function as expected.

Below is an example of how you would call the provider within your Terraform code:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    azurerm = {
      source = "hashicorp/azurerm"
      version = "4.12.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "azurerm" {
  # Configuration options
}

The AzAPI provider

The AzAPI provider is also developed and maintained by Microsoft. This provider is designed for users who need early access to the latest Azure features and services, providing flexibility in defining, deploying, and managing Azure resources.

The AzAPI provider keeps up with rapid changes, ensuring compatibility with new Azure services as soon as they become available.

While it may not offer the same stability as AzureRM, it is useful for those who want to experiment and adopt the latest features quickly. This makes it a preferred choice for testing and proof-of-concept environments.

For a rich authoring experience, users are strongly recommended to install the AzAPI VSCode Extension. This extension enhances usability by providing features such as syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and other tools tailored to streamline AzAPI provider configurations.

Below is an example of how you would call the provider within your Terraform code:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    azapi = {
      source = "Azure/azapi"
      version = "2.1.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "azapi" {
  # Configuration options
}

AzureRM v AzAPI: Key differences

Here’s a comparison table highlighting the key differences between the AzureRM and AzAPI Terraform providers:

AzureRM vs AzAPI: Key differences

Aspect	AzureRM	AzAPI
Stability	High stability; well-tested and mature.	Moderate stability; newer and less tested.
API Coverage	Focuses on widely adopted Azure services.	Covers all Azure APIs, including the latest.
Speed of updates	Slower to adopt new features due to stability focus.	Rapid updates to support new Azure features.
Complexity	Simplified resource management with abstractions.	Requires deeper knowledge of Azure APIs.
Use cases	Ideal for production environments and stable workloads.	Best for experimental setups and testing cutting-edge features.

Conclusion

Selecting the right Terraform provider for your Azure environment is crucial for managing your infrastructure effectively.

Whether you need a provider that delivers a consistent, production-ready experience or one that offers early access to the latest Azure features, Terraform gives you the flexibility to choose the solution that best fits your needs.