Azure Quickstart Templates: A Community Template Library With a Strict No-External-Links Policy

What This Repository Actually Provides

Azure Quickstart Templates is a collection of Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and Bicep files contributed by the community. The README states that it contains 'all currently available Azure Resource Manager templates contributed by the community.' The primary language is now Bicep, though the repo has existed since before Bicep was introduced, so you will find older ARM JSON templates alongside newer Bicep files. The target user is an Azure engineer who needs a starting point for deploying a specific service or a reference architecture. It is not a product or a tool; it is a library of examples. The value is in the range of scenarios covered, not in any single template's polish.

The No-External-Links Policy and Its Consequences

The most distinctive rule in this repo is the 'Policy: No External Links.' The README says the project will reject PRs or remove samples that contain links to non-Microsoft controlled assets, to avoid domain spoofing or hostile takeover. Examples given include S3 buckets, non-Microsoft owned Azure storage accounts, and non-Azure git repositories. This policy has a direct effect on how you use the templates. If a template needs to download a binary or a config file, the link must point to a Microsoft-controlled location. In practice, many templates will either avoid such downloads or use Azure-specific services like a storage account that Microsoft owns. For a user, this means you cannot assume a template will work with third-party artifacts. You must check every external reference and replace it with your own parameterized link. The README suggests two fixes: use Bicep with modules and file functions, or parameterize links to external content. That second fix is the one you will likely need.

How the Repository Is Organized and How to Contribute

The repo has a contribution guide at the top level, specifically at /1-CONTRIBUTION-GUIDE/README.md. That guide is the entry point for both using and contributing. The README itself is thin on usage instructions; it points to a searchable index at azure.com for finding templates. The structure is a flat collection of sample folders, each typically containing a template file (azuredeploy.json or a .bicep file) and a parameters file. To use a template, you would download the folder, review the files, and deploy with Azure CLI, PowerShell, or the portal. The contribution guide likely explains the required file structure and the testing process, but the README does not repeat that. One notable detail is the release history: the repo has a release named '0.0.0.4' from 2019, which suggests that the project treats releases as markers for internal testing tools (TTK, the Template Toolkit) rather than as versioned template releases.

Getting Started: Commands and Configuration You Will Actually Use

The README does not provide a single command to run a template. You must go to the specific sample folder and read its own README if present. In general, for an ARM template, you would deploy with az deployment group create --resource-group myResourceGroup --template-file azuredeploy.json --parameters azuredeploy.parameters.json. For a Bicep file, you would use az deployment group create --resource-group myResourceGroup --template-file main.bicep. The parameters file is the key configuration point. Many templates require you to provide values for admin username, password, and unique resource names. The repo's own policy forces you to parameterize external links, so you should expect to edit parameters for any URL that fetches content. The contribution guide is the place to learn the exact validation steps, but the README does not list them. This is a gap: you cannot fully understand the deployment workflow without reading the guide or inspecting a sample folder.

A Genuine Limitation: Age and Maintenance

The last push to the repository was on 2019-10-31, and the most recent release is dated the same day. The repo is not archived, but it has not received updates in years. This is a serious limitation for production use. Azure services change, and a template written in 2019 may use APIs that are deprecated or removed. The README now recommends Bicep, but Bicep itself was in early stages in 2019. Many templates in the repo are likely ARM JSON, not Bicep. If you adopt a template, you must verify that its referenced resource types and API versions are still valid. The no-external-links policy also means that some templates may have been removed or modified over time, but without ongoing maintenance, those changes are not reflected. This repo is best treated as a historical archive or a source of ideas, not as a live, maintained set of blueprints.

The Wrong Tool for Certain Scenarios

This repository is the wrong tool if you need a template that pulls assets from a non-Microsoft source. The policy rejects those links, so any template you find will not include them. If your deployment requires a third-party installer or a config file from a GitHub repository, you will have to modify the template to point to your own storage. That modification is doable, but it adds work and defeats the 'quickstart' purpose. The repo is also wrong for teams that want a consistent, versioned module library with semantic versioning and release notes. The release tags here are not tied to template versions; they are for the TTK validation scripts. For a production environment, you are better off with a private module registry or a forked copy of the repo where you control updates.

A Real Alternative: Bicep Registry and Your Own Modules

The alternative to using this repo directly is to build your own Bicep modules and publish them to a private or public registry. The Azure Bicep documentation describes how to create modules and publish them to a registry. This approach gives you control over the code, allows you to test and version modules, and lets you include external links if you manage the resources properly. The difference in approach is fundamental: Azure Quickstart Templates is a flat collection of examples, while a module registry is a structured, versioned set of reusable components. The trade-off is effort. Using the quickstart repo is faster for a one-off deployment, but for repeatable infrastructure, a module registry is more maintainable. The README itself points to Bicep modules as the fix for external links, which signals that Microsoft expects users to move toward modules rather than relying on the repo's samples.

Licensing and Maintenance Cost

The repository is licensed under the MIT License. That means you can copy, modify, and distribute the templates, even for commercial use, as long as you include the copyright notice and the permission notice. This is permissive and low-risk for adoption. The maintenance cost is on you, not on the project. Since the repo is not actively updated, you must budget time to update API versions, test deployments, and fix any broken references. The README mentions the Template Toolkit (TTK) in release names, which is a set of validation scripts, but the README does not explain how to run it. You would need to look at the release contents or the contribution guide to use TTK. That is an extra step. In short, the license is easy, but the lack of updates means you are responsible for keeping any adopted template current.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt Azure Quickstart Templates if you need a broad, community-maintained set of ARM and Bicep examples for learning or rapid prototyping on Azure. Do not adopt it as a production-grade module library: samples may contain deprecated patterns, and the no-external-links policy means many will reference Microsoft-owned assets only, which can break if your deployment needs third-party binaries or configs. Before using any template, verify its age, check for external links that violate the policy, and test it in a separate resource group. The repo's own fix for external links, using Bicep modules and file functions, is the first thing to check in any template you plan to reuse.

Official sources

1. Official documentation
2. Official README
3. Project repository
4. Release notes