Understanding and Managing Azure Locks

Azure locks are a crucial security feature that can prevent unauthorized changes to your Azure resources. They work by placing a lock on a resource or a scope, which can be a subscription, resource group, or even a single resource.

A lock can be either read-only or read-write, and it can be applied by an Azure subscription administrator or a user with the necessary permissions. There are two types of locks: CanNotDelete and ReadOnly.

A CanNotDelete lock prevents a resource from being deleted, but allows for modifications to the resource. On the other hand, a ReadOnly lock prevents any changes to a resource, including modifications and deletions.

Azure locks are not enforced by Azure itself, but rather by the users and applications that interact with the resources. This means that locks are only as effective as the users and applications that adhere to them.

Azure locks are designed to protect Azure resources from unwanted changes. They only apply to control plane operations, which are the management operations that go to https://management.azure.com.

Locks don't restrict how a resource performs its functions, they only protect it from deletions or modifications. A ReadOnly lock, for example, allows you to create, update, or delete data in the server database.

Data plane operations, on the other hand, allow data transactions and don't go to https://management.azure.com. This means locks won't restrict how a resource performs its functions, but they will prevent unwanted changes.

Lock inheritance is a powerful feature in Azure that ensures consistency and prevents accidental deletion of resources.

All resources within a scope inherit the same lock applied at the parent scope.

If you apply a lock at a parent scope, even resources you add later inherit the same lock.

The most restrictive lock in the inheritance takes precedence, which means if you have multiple locks with different levels of restriction, the most restrictive one will be applied.

Extension resources, like Microsoft.Insights/diagnosticSettings, inherit locks from the resource they're applied to.

For example, if you apply a diagnostic setting to a storage blob and lock the storage account, you won't be able to delete the diagnostic setting.

The full resource ID of the diagnostic setting matches the scope of the resource ID of the resource that is locked, which is why the lock is inherited.

Attempting to delete a resource group with a Delete lock on a resource within it will block the whole delete operation, even if the resource group or other resources are unlocked.

You can see this in action when you check the locks configured on a Storage Account, where you'll notice an entry that originates from the resource group.

Locks only apply to control plane Azure operations, not to data plane operations. This means that locks protect a resource from changes, but they don't restrict how a resource performs its functions.

Azure control plane operations go to https://management.azure.com, while data plane operations go to your service instance, such as https://myaccount.blob.core.windows.net/. You can discover which operations use the control plane URL by looking at the Azure REST API.

A ReadOnly lock on an SQL Database logical server, for example, protects it from deletions or modifications, but allows you to create, update, or delete data in the server database. This is because data plane operations allow data transactions, which don't go to https://management.azure.com.

Here's a summary of the difference between control plane and data plane operations:

For example, if you have a Delete lock on a resource and attempt to delete its resource group, the feature will block the whole delete operation. Even if the resource group or other resources in the resource group are unlocked, the deletion won't happen.

To create a resource lock, you can use various Azure tools, including ARM Templates, Bicep, PowerShell, AZ CLI, and the REST API.

To lock a resource, you need to provide the name of the resource, its resource type, and its resource group name.

You can also lock a resource group by providing its name.

Azure PowerShell provides the New-AzResourceLock command to lock deployed resources.

With Azure PowerShell, you can get information about a lock using Get-AzResourceLock, or get all the locks in your subscription.

To delete a lock, use the command to delete a lock for a resource or a resource group.

Here is a summary of the management lock properties:

If you apply a lock at a parent scope, all resources within that scope inherit the same lock.

Before you start applying locks, make sure you have the necessary tools and materials, such as a drill, screws, and a lock of the right size.

It's also essential to choose the right type of lock for your needs, whether it's a deadbolt, a doorknob lock, or a smart lock.

Consider the strength and durability of the lock, as well as its ease of use and maintenance requirements.

You'll also want to think about the locking mechanism, such as a key-in-knob lock or a keyless entry system.

Don't forget to check local building codes and regulations before making any changes to your locks or doors.

The cost and installation time of the lock are also important factors to consider.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is different from management locks in that it applies to specific users and roles, whereas locks restrict operations across all users and roles.

Users assigned to the Owner and User Access Administrator roles have the required access to create or delete management locks.

Management locks don't apply to all types of operations, but rather to specific categories of Azure operations.

Locks can prevent accidental deletions or modifications, even for users with the highest privileges available.

Managed applications can create two resource groups, one unlocked and one locked, to implement the service.

The locked resource group contains the service infrastructure and cannot be deleted directly.

Deleting the service will also delete the locked infrastructure resource group.

Managed applications include a link to a Managed Resource Group that holds the infrastructure and is locked.

You can only delete the locked infrastructure resource group indirectly by deleting the service.

Resource locks can be created using various Azure tools, including ARM Templates, Bicep, and PowerShell.

Using PowerShell, you can try to remove the resource group, but you won't be able to do so.

Management Lock Properties are a crucial aspect of managing locks in Azure. They determine the level of restriction applied to a resource.

The level of the lock is specified using the 'level' property, which can have one of three values: 'NotSpecified', 'CanNotDelete', or 'ReadOnly'. 'CanNotDelete' means authorized users can read and modify resources, but not delete them, while 'ReadOnly' means users can only read from a resource, but can't modify or delete it.

The 'notes' property allows you to add a description of up to 512 characters to explain the purpose of the lock.

The 'owners' property specifies the owners of the lock, which is an array of ManagementLockOwner objects.

To lock a resource, you can use Azure PowerShell with the New-AzResourceLock command. This command requires the name of the resource, its resource type, and its resource group name.

You can lock a resource group by simply providing its name. I've found this to be a useful feature when managing multiple resources together.

To get information about a lock, use the Get-AzResourceLock command. This will give you detailed information about the lock.

To get all the locks in your subscription, you can use the same command. However, the article doesn't specify the exact syntax.

To get all locks for a resource, use the Get-AzResourceLock command with the resource's name.

To lock deployed resources with Python, you use the ManagementLockClient.management_locks.create_or_update_at_resource_group_level command.

The ManagementLockClient.management_locks.get command is used to get information about all locks in your subscription.

You can get all the locks in your subscription by using ManagementLockClient.management_locks.get.

Locking deployed resources with Python provides a way to secure your resources and prevent accidental changes.

When you apply or manage locks, you'll want to know what information is returned to you. The return values can give you a clear picture of the lock's status.

The ID of the lock is a crucial piece of information, and it's always returned. This ID is a string that uniquely identifies the lock.

Here's a breakdown of the return values you can expect:

The level of the lock is also always returned, and it's a string that indicates the type of lock. This can be useful for understanding the scope of the lock.

The notes field is also always returned, and it's a string that contains any additional information added by the creator of the lock. This can be helpful for understanding the purpose or context of the lock.