Welcome to our new series exploring must-have tools for mastering Azure! We’re kicking things off with the Azure Naming Tool, a game-changer for anyone wrestling with the complexity (or chaos) of naming Azure resources. Whether you’re getting started or you’re a seasoned architect, this tool—born from a Microsoft Hackathon and now thriving as an indispensable open-source tool—is here to bring order to your Azure universe. Check out the GitHub repo at https://github.com/mspnp/AzureNamingTool to dive into its code and community.
So, why is this tool indispensable? Imagine this: you’re deploying Azure resources—AKS Clusters, Web Apps, SQL Servers, Storage Accounts —across an ever expanding Azure environment. Without a solid naming plan, it’s going to be a mess: tracking costs might feel impossible, governance turns into a wild goose chase, and figuring out what’s what during an escalation is a headache.
The Azure Naming Tool helps to sort that out. It’s a lifesaver for teams managing multiple subscriptions, engineers juggling client projects, or enterprises tying into the Well-Architected Framework’s push for operational excellence and reliability (check out Microsoft’s naming best practices at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/ready/azure-best-practices/naming-and-tagging).
From small setups to global infrastructures, it makes your resource names clear, meaningful, and linked to what your business needs. Azure naming rules will vary depending on the resource type. It’s important to understand naming rules for each resource type to avoid confusion. An example of an Azure SQL Server for an Application called Cortex running in West Europe is shown below.
sqldb-cortex-prod-westeurope-042
{type}-{workload}-{environment}-{region}-{instance}
Here’s the breakdown:
- Resource type: sqldb (indicating an {Azure} SQL database)
- Workload, application, or project: cortex (the specific application or project name)
- Environment: prod (specify the environment such as prod/test/dev/acc/etc.)
- Azure region: westeurope (the actual Azure region the resource has been deployed)
- Instance: 042 (a specific instance or version number)
So what makes The Azure Naming Tool stand out besides its easy of use? The API. Beyond the web UI—where you set up prefixes, regions, and delimiters—the API lets you weave naming logic right into your workflows. Imagine automating resource creation in Bicep scripts or PowerShell, pulling consistent names without a hitch. Luke.geek.nz has a handy guide on using this API with Bicep resources ( https://luke.geek.nz/azure/azure-naming-tool-api-bicep-resources/), showing how it fits into Infrastructure-as-Code like a charm.
Both Ops and Devs teams I talked to love how it cuts down busywork, letting them focus on building rather than naming headaches.
“A good name for a resource helps you to quickly identify its type, its associated workload, its environment, and the Azure region where it runs.“
Built on .NET, this tool is lightweight yet powerful, deployable as a container or standalone app. It logs every name it generates, supports JSON config backups, and ties into the Well-Architected Framework by enforcing naming that keeps an eye on things and optimizes costs. Want to see it in action? Play with a live demo at https://flcdrg.github.io/azure-resource-namer/ and watch it whip up names that actually make sense. Using the Github repo provided above you can deploy the latest and greatest version to your own environment.
Stay tuned as we roll out more indispensable tools to power up your Azure cloud journey!