Comprehensive Azure Well-Architected Framework knowledge covering the five pillars: Reliability, Security, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, and Performance Efficiency. Provides design principles, best practices, and implementation guidance for building robust Azure solutions.
/plugin marketplace add JosiahSiegel/claude-plugin-marketplace/plugin install azure-master@claude-plugin-marketplaceThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths
When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (\) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (/).
Examples:
D:/repos/project/file.tsxD:\repos\project\file.tsxThis applies to:
NEVER create new documentation files unless explicitly requested by the user.
The Azure Well-Architected Framework is a set of guiding tenets for building high-quality cloud solutions. It consists of five pillars of architectural excellence.
Purpose: Help architects and engineers build secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure for applications.
The Five Pillars:
Definition: The ability of a system to recover from failures and continue to function.
Key Principles:
Best Practices:
Availability Zones:
# Deploy VM across availability zones
az vm create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--name MyVM \
--zone 1 \
--image Ubuntu2204 \
--size Standard_D2s_v3
# Availability SLAs:
# - Single VM (Premium SSD): 99.9%
# - Availability Set: 99.95%
# - Availability Zones: 99.99%
Backup and Disaster Recovery:
# Enable Azure Backup
az backup protection enable-for-vm \
--resource-group MyRG \
--vault-name MyVault \
--vm MyVM \
--policy-name DefaultPolicy
# Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data loss is acceptable
# Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How long can system be down
Health Probes:
Definition: Protecting applications and data from threats.
Key Principles:
Best Practices:
Identity and Access:
# Use managed identities (no credentials in code)
az vm identity assign \
--resource-group MyRG \
--name MyVM
# RBAC assignment
az role assignment create \
--assignee <principal-id> \
--role "Contributor" \
--scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourceGroups/MyRG
Network Security:
Data Protection:
# Enable encryption at rest (automatic for most services)
# Enable TLS 1.2+ for data in transit
# Azure Storage encryption
az storage account update \
--name mystorageaccount \
--resource-group MyRG \
--min-tls-version TLS1_2 \
--https-only true
Security Monitoring:
# Enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud
az security pricing create \
--name VirtualMachines \
--tier Standard
# Enable Azure Sentinel
az sentinel onboard \
--resource-group MyRG \
--workspace-name MyWorkspace
Definition: Managing costs to maximize the value delivered.
Key Principles:
Best Practices:
Right-Sizing:
# Use Azure Advisor recommendations
az advisor recommendation list \
--category Cost \
--output table
# Common optimizations:
# 1. Shutdown dev/test VMs when not in use
# 2. Use Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows/SQL
# 3. Purchase reservations for consistent workloads
# 4. Use autoscaling to match demand
Reserved Instances:
Azure Hybrid Benefit:
# Apply Windows license to VM
az vm update \
--resource-group MyRG \
--name MyVM \
--license-type Windows_Server
# SQL Server Hybrid Benefit
az sql vm create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--name MySQLVM \
--license-type AHUB
Cost Management:
# Create budget
az consumption budget create \
--budget-name MyBudget \
--category cost \
--amount 1000 \
--time-grain monthly \
--start-date 2025-01-01 \
--end-date 2025-12-31
# Set up alerts at 80%, 100%, 120% of budget
Definition: Operations processes that keep a system running in production.
Key Principles:
Best Practices:
Infrastructure as Code:
# Use ARM, Bicep, or Terraform
# Version control all infrastructure
# Implement CI/CD for infrastructure
# Example: Bicep deployment
az deployment group create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--template-file main.bicep \
--parameters @parameters.json
Monitoring and Alerting:
# Application Insights for apps
az monitor app-insights component create \
--app MyApp \
--location eastus \
--resource-group MyRG
# Log Analytics for infrastructure
az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--workspace-name MyWorkspace
# Create alerts
az monitor metrics alert create \
--name HighCPU \
--resource-group MyRG \
--scopes <vm-id> \
--condition "avg Percentage CPU > 80" \
--description "CPU usage is above 80%"
DevOps Practices:
Definition: The ability of a system to adapt to changes in load.
Key Principles:
Best Practices:
Scaling:
# Horizontal scaling (preferred)
# VM Scale Sets
az vmss create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--name MyVMSS \
--image Ubuntu2204 \
--instance-count 3 \
--vm-sku Standard_D2s_v3
# Autoscaling
az monitor autoscale create \
--resource-group MyRG \
--resource MyVMSS \
--resource-type Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachineScaleSets \
--name MyAutoscale \
--min-count 2 \
--max-count 10
Caching:
Data Access:
Networking:
# Use Azure Front Door for global apps
az afd profile create \
--profile-name MyFrontDoor \
--resource-group MyRG \
--sku Premium_AzureFrontDoor
# Features:
# - Global load balancing
# - CDN capabilities
# - Web Application Firewall
# - SSL offloading
# - Caching
Azure Well-Architected Review:
# Self-assessment tool in Azure Portal
# Generates recommendations per pillar
# Provides actionable guidance
Azure Advisor:
# Get recommendations
az advisor recommendation list --output table
# Categories:
# - Reliability (High Availability)
# - Security
# - Performance
# - Cost
# - Operational Excellence
Reliability:
Security:
Cost Optimization:
Operational Excellence:
Performance Efficiency:
Highly Available Web Application:
Mission-Critical Application:
Cost-Optimized Dev/Test:
The Well-Architected Framework provides a consistent approach to evaluating architectures and implementing designs that scale over time.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a slash command", "add a command", "write a custom command", "define command arguments", "use command frontmatter", "organize commands", "create command with file references", "interactive command", "use AskUserQuestion in command", or needs guidance on slash command structure, YAML frontmatter fields, dynamic arguments, bash execution in commands, user interaction patterns, or command development best practices for Claude Code.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "create an agent", "add an agent", "write a subagent", "agent frontmatter", "when to use description", "agent examples", "agent tools", "agent colors", "autonomous agent", or needs guidance on agent structure, system prompts, triggering conditions, or agent development best practices for Claude Code plugins.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a hook", "add a PreToolUse/PostToolUse/Stop hook", "validate tool use", "implement prompt-based hooks", "use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}", "set up event-driven automation", "block dangerous commands", or mentions hook events (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Stop, SubagentStop, SessionStart, SessionEnd, UserPromptSubmit, PreCompact, Notification). Provides comprehensive guidance for creating and implementing Claude Code plugin hooks with focus on advanced prompt-based hooks API.