Streamlining Azure Marketplace Deployments

Streamlining Azure Marketplace Deployments

Navigating the complexity of deploying solutions to the Azure Marketplace is a common challenge faced by many of our partners at Microsoft. Recognizing this, our Global Partner Services team has developed a powerful tool to simplify this process: the Commercial Marketplace Offer Deployment Manager, or MODM.

Introducing MODM

MODM is a dedicated, first-party installer designed to streamline the deployment of intricate solutions in the Azure Marketplace. It is especially crafted to support deployments using HashiCorp's Terraform and Azure Bicep, enhancing the versatility and efficiency of the deployment process.

How MODM Simplifies Deployment

The deployment process with MODM is straightforward, involving two main steps:

Step 1: Create Your Application Package

The initial phase involves packaging your solution into an application package using the Azure CLI Partnercenter Extension. MODM accommodates two types of solutions for packaging:

1. HashiCorp's Terraform: This popular open-source infrastructure as code tool is now seamlessly supported for Azure Marketplace deployments. Previously, Terraform-based solutions needed conversion to Azure Resource Manager templates, a process that demanded significant development and testing efforts. MODM eliminates this requirement.

2. Azure Bicep: Azure Bicep offers a more readable and concise syntax compared to the JSON of Azure Resource Manager templates. With MODM, converting your Azure Bicep templates to ARM templates is a thing of the past.

Both Terraform and Bicep solutions require minimal prerequisites to be compatible with MODM. Place your solution in a directory with a main entry point file (main.tf for Terraform, main.bicep for Bicep), install the Azure CLI extension for Partnercenter, and execute a single command to create an application package ready for Azure Marketplace. 

Simply execute:

az partnercenter marketplace offer package build --id simpleterraform --src $src_dir --package-type AppInstaller

Step 2: Publish Your Application Package

Publishing your application package follows the same protocol as any other Marketplace solution. Utilize the Azure CLI Extension for Partnercenter or the Partnercenter Portal for this purpose.

Post-Deployment: Installing Your Published Package

Installing a marketplace offer deployed with MODM is as straightforward as installing any other managed app. A unique aspect of MODM is the inclusion of a user-friendly front-end experience that allows you to monitor the installation progress and troubleshoot any issues that arise. Detailed documentation and a helpful video tutorial on this process are available for further guidance.

MODM's Architecture Overview

MODM's architecture is anchored by the App Installer, a virtual machine that plays a pivotal role in the deployment process. This component takes the packaged app.zip from the Partnercenter CLI command and oversees the installation, managing aspects like retries and machine restarts. A detailed breakdown of MODM's architecture is available in our GitHub documentation.

Educational Resources and Tutorials

To assist you further, we have prepared video tutorials covering various aspects of using MODM:

• Packaging Terraform Solutions 
• Installing the Published Offer

Source Code Repositories

• MODM Installer 
• Azure CLI Partnercenter Extension