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Module 13: Infrastructure as Code - Prerequisites

📋 Required Knowledge

Before starting this module, you should have:

From Previous Modules

  • ✅ Module 11: Understanding of microservices architecture
  • ✅ Module 12: Experience with containers and cloud-native concepts
  • ✅ Module 14: Basic CI/CD knowledge (can be done concurrently)

Technical Skills

  • 🐍 Python: Intermediate level (for automation scripts)
  • ☁️ Azure Fundamentals: Resource groups, subscriptions, basic services
  • 🔧 Command Line: Comfortable with bash/PowerShell
  • 📝 YAML/JSON: Understanding of configuration formats
  • 🌿 Git: Branching, merging, pull requests

💻 Required Software

Core Tools

# Azure CLI (latest version)
az --version  # Should be 2.55.0 or higher

# Terraform
terraform --version  # Should be 1.6.0 or higher

# Azure Bicep
az bicep version  # Should be 0.24.0 or higher

# GitHub CLI (optional but recommended)
gh --version  # Should be 2.40.0 or higher

VS Code Extensions

Ensure these extensions are installed and updated:

  • Bicep: Official Bicep language support
  • HashiCorp Terraform: Terraform language support
  • Azure Resource Manager Tools: ARM template support
  • GitHub Copilot: AI assistance (required)
  • GitHub Actions: Workflow authoring support

Installation Commands

Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)

# Install Chocolatey if not present
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

# Install required tools
choco install azure-cli terraform gh -y

# Install Bicep
az bicep install

macOS

# Install Homebrew if not present
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install required tools
brew install azure-cli terraform gh

# Install Bicep
az bicep install

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Azure CLI
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

# Terraform
wget -O- https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | \
    gpg --dearmor | \
    sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg] \
    https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main" | \
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hashicorp.list

sudo apt update && sudo apt install terraform

# GitHub CLI
type -p curl >/dev/null || sudo apt install curl -y
curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | \
    sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] \
    https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | \
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null

sudo apt update && sudo apt install gh

# Install Bicep
az bicep install

🔑 Required Access

Azure Subscription

  • Active Azure Subscription: Free tier is sufficient
  • Permissions: Contributor role on resource group
  • Resource Providers: Ensure these are registered: 
    az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Web
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Storage
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Sql
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Network
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.KeyVault

GitHub Account

  • GitHub Account: With Copilot access enabled
  • Repository Access: Ability to create repos and workflows
  • GitHub Actions: Should be enabled (default for public repos)

Service Principal (for automation)

Create a service principal for GitHub Actions:

# Create service principal
az ad sp create-for-rbac --name "GitHub-Actions-IaC" \
    --role contributor \
    --scopes /subscriptions/{subscription-id} \
    --sdk-auth > github-actions-creds.json

# Save the output securely - you'll need it for GitHub secrets

📁 Module Structure

Ensure you have the following directory structure:

module-13-infrastructure-as-code/
├── README.md
├── prerequisites.md
├── best-practices.md
├── troubleshooting.md
├── exercises/
│   ├── exercise1-bicep-basics/
│   ├── exercise2-terraform-environments/
│   └── exercise3-gitops-pipeline/
├── scripts/
│   ├── check-prerequisites.sh
│   ├── setup-module.sh
│   └── cleanup-resources.sh
├── infrastructure/
│   ├── bicep/
│   ├── terraform/
│   └── github-actions/
└── docs/
    ├── concepts.md
    └── architecture.md

🔍 Verification Script

Run this script to verify all prerequisites:

#!/bin/bash
# Save as scripts/check-prerequisites.sh

echo "🔍 Checking Module 13 Prerequisites..."
echo "===================================="

# Function to check command
check_command() {
    if command -v $1 &> /dev/null; then
        echo "✅ $1 is installed: $($1 --version 2>&1 | head -n1)"
        return 0
    else
        echo "❌ $1 is not installed"
        return 1
    fi
}

# Function to check VS Code extension
check_vscode_ext() {
    if code --list-extensions | grep -q "$1"; then
        echo "✅ VS Code extension '$2' is installed"
    else
        echo "❌ VS Code extension '$2' is not installed"
    fi
}

# Check required commands
MISSING=0
check_command "az" || ((MISSING++))
check_command "terraform" || ((MISSING++))
check_command "git" || ((MISSING++))
check_command "code" || ((MISSING++))

# Check Bicep
if az bicep version &> /dev/null; then
    echo "✅ Bicep is installed: $(az bicep version)"
else
    echo "❌ Bicep is not installed"
    ((MISSING++))
fi

# Check Azure login
if az account show &> /dev/null; then
    echo "✅ Logged into Azure"
else
    echo "❌ Not logged into Azure (run 'az login')"
    ((MISSING++))
fi

# Check VS Code extensions
echo -e "\n📦 Checking VS Code Extensions..."
check_vscode_ext "ms-azuretools.vscode-bicep" "Bicep"
check_vscode_ext "hashicorp.terraform" "Terraform"
check_vscode_ext "github.copilot" "GitHub Copilot"

# Summary
echo -e "\n📊 Summary"
echo "=========="
if [ $MISSING -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "✅ All prerequisites met! You're ready to start Module 13."
else
    echo "❌ Missing $MISSING prerequisites. Please install them before continuing."
    exit 1
fi

🚀 Quick Setup

If you're missing any prerequisites, run:

./scripts/setup-module.sh

This script will attempt to install missing components and configure your environment.

💡 Recommended Preparation

Before starting the exercises:

  1. Review Azure Resource Manager concepts

  2. Familiarize yourself with declarative syntax

    • Think about infrastructure as configuration, not scripts

  3. Understand state management

    • Why state matters in IaC
    • How Terraform and Bicep handle state differently

  4. Practice with GitHub Actions

    • Review basic workflow syntax if unfamiliar

⚠️ Common Issues

Azure CLI not found

  • Ensure you've restarted your terminal after installation
  • Add Azure CLI to your PATH if needed

Bicep installation fails

  • Update Azure CLI first: az upgrade
  • Try manual installation from Bicep releases

Terraform version conflicts

  • Use tfenv for version management
  • Ensure you're using a compatible provider version

🎯 Ready Check

You're ready for Module 13 when:

  • All software is installed and verified
  • You can run az, terraform, and bicep commands
  • You're logged into Azure CLI
  • VS Code has all required extensions
  • You understand basic IaC concepts

Next Step: Once prerequisites are met, start with Exercise 1: Bicep Basics