azure-resource-visualizer

Overview

What is azure-resource-visualizer?

azure-resource-visualizer is an Azure-focused visualization skill designed to examine your Azure resource groups and turn them into clear, human-readable architecture documentation. It inspects the resources, their configurations, and their relationships, then produces detailed Mermaid diagrams and markdown files that describe your cloud topology.

Instead of manually piecing together how virtual networks, subnets, app services, databases, and security components fit, azure-resource-visualizer automates the discovery and diagram creation so you get an up-to-date view of your environment.

Key capabilities

• Resource group discovery – Lists and helps you select Azure resource groups when one is not specified.
• Deep resource analysis – Examines resources, their configurations, and interdependencies within a resource group.
• Relationship mapping – Identifies and documents connections between compute, network, data, and security resources.
• Mermaid diagram generation – Outputs comprehensive, syntax-correct Mermaid diagrams ready for markdown, docs sites, or wikis.
• Architecture documentation – Generates markdown pages that can include inventories, high-level summaries, and embedded diagrams.

Who is this skill for?

Use azure-resource-visualizer if you are:

• A cloud architect who needs fast, visual architecture diagrams for reviews and design documents.
• A developer or DevOps engineer who wants to understand how services in a resource group are wired together.
• A platform/infra engineer standardizing documentation across subscriptions and teams.
• A security or operations engineer needing a clear picture of network flows and dependencies.

It fits best when you already have Azure resources deployed and need insight, documentation, or onboarding material—not when you are only planning a design on paper.

Problems it solves

• Spending hours manually drawing Azure diagrams in diagramming tools.
• Difficulty understanding how resources in a large resource group relate to each other.
• Out-of-date architecture documentation that doesn’t match what is actually deployed.
• Lack of consistent, reviewable markdown documentation for each resource group.

When azure-resource-visualizer is (and isn’t) a good fit

Good fit when:

• You want data visualization and reporting over existing Azure infrastructure.
• You need Mermaid diagrams integrated into markdown, repos, or internal docs portals.
• You are working with Azure Resource Graph or az to query resource metadata.

Not ideal when:

• You need a tool to provision or change Azure resources (this skill is about analysis and visualization, not deployment).
• You want cost analysis, performance monitoring, or security scanning—those are out of scope.
• You don’t have access to Azure subscription metadata or cannot run az/Azure Resource Graph queries.

How to Use

Prerequisites

Before using azure-resource-visualizer, ensure you have:

• An active Azure subscription with one or more resource groups.
• Access and permissions to query resources in those subscriptions.
• The Azure CLI (az) installed and logged in, if your setup relies on CLI-based discovery.
• The Resource Graph CLI extension if you intend to use Azure Resource Graph queries:
  • az extension add --name resource-graph

These prerequisites allow the skill (or the agent using it) to list resource groups and inspect resources and their relationships.

Installing the azure-resource-visualizer skill

To add azure-resource-visualizer from the microsoft/azure-skills repository, use the skills CLI:

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-resource-visualizer

This pulls the skill definition and related assets (examples, templates, and references) into your local skills setup so your agent or workflow can invoke it.

Understanding the included files

After installation, review these key files and folders under skills/azure-resource-visualizer:

• SKILL.md – Core definition of the skill, its responsibilities, and workflow guidance.
• assets/example-diagram.md – A complete sample Mermaid diagram that demonstrates how typical Azure resources and layers are represented.
• assets/template-architecture.md – A markdown template for a full architecture report, including resource inventory and diagram section placeholders.
• references/azure-resource-graph.md – Guidance and KQL examples for using Azure Resource Graph to discover resources at scale.

These files show what “good” output looks like and how to structure your own architecture documentation.

Typical workflow: from resource group to diagram

Step 1: Select or discover a resource group

If the user has not specified a resource group name, the skill’s workflow is designed to:

1. Use available tools (commonly az or Azure Resource Graph) to list resource groups.
2. Present a numbered list with names and locations.
3. Ask the user which resource group should be analyzed.

If a resource group is already known, the skill can skip discovery and move directly to analysis.

Step 2: Discover resources and relationships

Once a resource group is selected, azure-resource-visualizer focuses on:

• Listing all resources in the group (type, name, location, and relevant configuration such as SKUs).
• Identifying how resources connect—for example, which app services use which subnets, which function apps talk to which databases, or how identities access Key Vault.

This can be done using tools like:

• az commands filtered by --resource-group.
• az graph query with KQL patterns similar to those in references/azure-resource-graph.md.

Step 3: Generate a Mermaid architecture diagram

The skill then turns its findings into a Mermaid diagram. The example in assets/example-diagram.md illustrates the overall style:

• Layered grouping using subgraph blocks such as:
  • Network Layer (VNets, subnets, NSGs)
  • Compute Layer (App Service plans, App Services, Functions)
  • Data Layer (databases, storage)
  • Security & Identity (Key Vault, managed identities)
• Detailed node labels showing key configuration details like address ranges, SKUs, or runtime versions.
• Descriptive edges that label relationships, such as "HTTPS requests", "SQL connection", or "Blob/Queue access".

The generated diagram is standard Mermaid syntax, so it works in GitHub markdown, documentation generators, and many diagram preview tools.

Step 4: Build the architecture report in markdown

Use assets/template-architecture.md as a starting point to create a structured report for each resource group:

• Fill in the header with subscription, region, resource count, and generation date.
• Write a short overview describing the solution, its purpose, and critical components.
• Populate the Resource Inventory table with resource names, types, SKUs, locations, and notes.
• Paste the generated Mermaid diagram into the Architecture Diagram section.
• Add Network Architecture, Data Flow, Identity & Access, and Dependencies descriptions based on the relationships discovered.
• Capture Notes & Recommendations for future improvements or risks.

This creates a repeatable reporting pattern that can be used across multiple teams or subscriptions.

Example usage scenarios

• Onboarding a new team member – Run azure-resource-visualizer on core production resource groups and share the generated markdown so newcomers can quickly understand the system layout.
• Pre-change review – Diagram a resource group before making infrastructure changes to see dependencies and potential blast radius.
• Architecture documentation refresh – Periodically re-run the skill, update diagrams and inventories, and keep your docs aligned with the live environment.

FAQ

Does azure-resource-visualizer deploy or modify any Azure resources?

No. azure-resource-visualizer is focused on analysis, visualization, and documentation. It examines your existing Azure resources using query tools like az and Azure Resource Graph, then outputs Mermaid diagrams and markdown. It does not create, update, or delete resources.

What tools does azure-resource-visualizer depend on?

The skill is designed to work alongside existing Azure tooling rather than replace it. In typical use, it relies on:

• Azure CLI (az) to list resource groups and resources.
• Optionally, Azure Resource Graph (az graph query) for fast, cross-subscription queries, as illustrated in references/azure-resource-graph.md.

Your exact setup may vary depending on how your agent or workflow is wired, but you should expect to have az installed and authenticated.

Can azure-resource-visualizer work across multiple subscriptions?

Yes, if your environment and queries are set up for cross-subscription discovery. Using Azure Resource Graph, you can query resources across multiple subscriptions and then constrain the analysis to a specific resource group or set of groups. The skill’s responsibilities focus on the resource groups you choose, regardless of subscription.

What kind of diagrams does azure-resource-visualizer produce?

azure-resource-visualizer produces Mermaid-based architecture diagrams. These diagrams:

• Use layered subgraph sections (Network, Compute, Data, Security & Identity).
• Include labeled nodes with key properties (such as VNet address spaces, SKUs, runtimes).
• Show directional edges with text describing how components interact.

The output is regular Mermaid code that you can embed directly into markdown files, GitHub READMEs, or documentation sites that support Mermaid.

Can I customize the generated documentation?

Yes. The assets/template-architecture.md file is intentionally written as a template. You can:

• Tailor the sections (add or remove tables, headings, or notes sections).
• Standardize language and formats for your organization.
• Use the template as a base for automated generation by your agent or scripts.

The skill’s goal is to provide a consistent structure; how you adapt it for your processes is up to you.

Is azure-resource-visualizer suitable for very small test environments?

It can be used for any size resource group, but it delivers the most value when there are enough resources and relationships that manual diagramming becomes tedious. For a single test VM or a minimal demo, the overhead may not be necessary. For multi-layered applications, shared services, and complex network setups, it becomes significantly more helpful.

How often should I run azure-resource-visualizer?

Run it whenever you need a reliable view of your environment:

• After notable infrastructure changes.
• Before architecture reviews or audits.
• On a schedule (for example, monthly or quarterly) to keep documentation in sync.

Because the skill is read-only and uses query-based discovery, it’s safe to rerun as often as needed.

Where can I see concrete examples of the output?

Within the skill directory:

• assets/example-diagram.md contains a fully worked example of a Mermaid architecture diagram with layers and annotated relationships.
• assets/template-architecture.md shows how to structure a complete architecture report around that diagram.

Reviewing these files is the fastest way to understand what azure-resource-visualizer can produce for your own Azure resource groups.