Azure Resource Group (RG)

Overview

• A Resource Group (RG) is a logical container for Azure resources.
• It helps manage and organize resources like VMs, VNets, Storage Accounts, Databases, etc.
• Every Azure resource must belong to exactly one Resource Group.
• Acts as a lifecycle boundary – you can create, update, and delete resources as a group.

Key Features

• Logical Organization: Group related resources together.
• Lifecycle Management: Delete the group → all resources inside are deleted.
• Access Control: Apply RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) at the group level.
• Tagging: Add metadata (like env=dev, project=xyz) for cost and management.
• Deployment Scope: Resource Manager templates (ARM/Bicep) target a Resource Group.

Workflow

    +-----------------+
    |   User / DevOps |
    +-----------------+
            |
            v
    +-------------------------------+
    | Azure CLI / Portal / Powershell|
    +-------------------------------+
            |
            v
    +-----------------------+
    |   Azure Subscription  |
    +-----------------------+
            |
            v
    +-----------------------+
    |    Resource Group     |
    +-----------------------+
            |
            v
    +------------------------------------------+
    |  Resources: VM, VNet, Storage, DB, etc.  |
    +------------------------------------------+

Common Use Cases

• Grouping all resources of a project/application.
• Applying common policies (RBAC, tags) across resources.
• Simplifying billing by grouping related services.
• Easier cleanup (delete RG → delete all inside).

Steps to Manage Resource Groups using Azure CLI

1. Login to Azure

az login

2. List All Resource Groups

az group list -o table

3. Create a Resource Group

az group create \
  --name MyResourceGroup \
  --location eastus

4. Get Details of a Resource Group

az group show --name MyResourceGroup -o json

5. Tag a Resource Group

az group update \
  --name MyResourceGroup \
  --set tags.Project=Demo tags.Environment=Dev

6. Delete a Resource Group

az group delete --name MyResourceGroup --yes --no-wait

Notes

• Resource Groups are regional → all resources inside must be in the same region (with some exceptions like DNS).
• Best practice: One RG per application lifecycle stage (e.g., App1-Dev-RG, App1-Prod-RG).
• Use naming conventions for better clarity.
• Deleting a Resource Group deletes all associated resources permanently.