deploying-on-azure

# Azure Patterns

Design and implement Azure cloud architectures following Microsoft's Well-Architected Framework and best practices for service selection, cost optimization, and security.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:
- Designing new applications for Azure cloud
- Selecting Azure compute services (Container Apps, AKS, Functions, App Service)
- Architecting storage solutions (Blob Storage, Files, Cosmos DB)
- Integrating Azure OpenAI or Cognitive Services
- Implementing messaging patterns (Service Bus, Event Grid, Event Hubs)
- Designing secure networks with Private Endpoints
- Applying Azure governance and compliance policies
- Optimizing Azure costs and performance

## Core Concepts

### Service Selection Philosophy

Azure offers 200+ services. Choose based on:
1. **Managed vs. IaaS** - Prefer fully managed services (lower operational burden)
2. **Cost Model** - Consumption vs. dedicated capacity
3. **Integration Requirements** - Microsoft 365, Active Directory, hybrid cloud
4. **Control vs. Simplicity** - More control = more operational overhead

### Azure Well-Architected Framework (Five Pillars)

| Pillar | Focus | Key Practices |
|--------|-------|---------------|
| **Cost Optimization** | Maximize value within budget | Reserved Instances, auto-scaling, lifecycle management |
| **Operational Excellence** | Run reliable systems | Azure Policy, automation, monitoring |
| **Performance Efficiency** | Scale to meet demand | Autoscaling, caching, CDN |
| **Reliability** | Recover from failures | Availability Zones, multi-region, backup |
| **Security** | Protect data and assets | Managed Identity, Private Endpoints, Key Vault |

Reference `references/well-architected.md` for detailed pillar implementation patterns.

## Compute Service Selection

### Decision Framework

```
Container-based workload?
  YES → Need Kubernetes control plane?
          YES → Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
          NO → Azure Container Apps (recommended)
  NO → Event-driven funct