Azure Cloud Architect
End-to-end Azure-specific architecture: service selection, Well-Architected Framework assessment, identity and networking patterns, cost optimization, and operational defaults. Provider-specific complement to our generic senior-cloud-architect skill — that one covers cross-cloud patterns; this one knows AKS pricing tiers, when to pick Cosmos over SQL DB, and how Front Door differs from Application Gateway.
Core Capabilities
- Compute selection — decision tree across AKS, App Service, Container Apps, Functions, VMs/VMSS, Batch, Static Web Apps, and API gateways.
- Data store selection — relational, NoSQL/document, cache, blob, time-series, search, vector, and warehouse decision trees.
- Networking design — VNets, Private/Service Endpoints, gateways (App Gateway, Front Door, Firewall, NAT, VPN/ER), hub-and-spoke and Private Link patterns.
- Identity design — Entra ID, Managed Identity (system/user-assigned), Workload Identity, Service Principals, and least-privilege RBAC scoping.
- WAF assessment — score workloads across Reliability, Security, Cost, Operational Excellence, and Performance Efficiency pillars.
- Cost optimization — right-sizing, reservations, autoscaling, spot, storage tiering, and egress-reduction levers with anti-pattern detection.
When to Use
| Situation | Skill applies |
|---|---|
| Designing an Azure architecture from scratch | Yes — start with the compute decision tree |
| Reviewing an existing Azure architecture | Yes — run WAF assessment via scripts/azure_waf_scorer.py |
| Validating an ARM/Bicep/Terraform plan | Yes — scripts/azure_architecture_validator.py |
| Estimating Azure cost for a workload | Yes — scripts/azure_cost_estimator.py |
| Picking compute, data store, networking, or identity | Yes — see the decision-trees reference |
| Going to production without WAF review | Don't — run the WAF scorer first |
Clarify First
Before designing or assessing, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:
- Task — design from scratch, review an existing architecture, validate IaC, or estimate cost (selects
azure_architecture_validator.pyvsazure_cost_estimator.pyvsazure_waf_scorer.py) - Workload spec — the YAML workload config, or the Bicep/ARM/Terraform files (the input the scripts parse)
- Priority pillar — reliability, security, cost, operational excellence, or performance (weights the WAF assessment and which recommendations lead)
Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.
Tools
| Tool | Purpose | Command |
|---|---|---|
azure_architecture_validator.py | Validate a Bicep/ARM/YAML workload for anti-patterns and missing best-practice settings | python scripts/azure_architecture_validator.py --bicep ./infra/*.bicep |
azure_cost_estimator.py | Estimate monthly Azure cost from a YAML workload spec | python scripts/azure_cost_estimator.py --workload-config workload.yaml |
azure_waf_scorer.py | Score a workload against the five Well-Architected pillars | python scripts/azure_waf_scorer.py --workload-config workload.yaml |
All scripts: stdlib only, argparse CLI, JSON or markdown output (--format).
References
Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:
- references/azure-decision-trees.md — full compute, data store, networking, and identity decision trees with building-block, gateway, and RBAC tables. Read when selecting services or designing topology.
- references/azure-workflows-and-antipatterns.md — the five WAF pillars, cost levers and anti-patterns, the design/review/migrate workflows, Azure-specific anti-patterns, and tooling outputs. Read when running a design or review.
- references/azure-services-reference.md — per-service depth: tiers, SLAs, limits, when to upgrade. Read when choosing a specific SKU or tier.
- references/azure-well-architected.md — 5-pillar WAF assessment with the 10-question checklist per pillar, common findings, and remediations. Read during a WAF review.
- references/azure-cost-optimization.md — full cost lever catalog, anti-patterns, and detection heuristics. Read when optimizing spend.
Related skills
engineering/senior-cloud-architect— generic multi-cloud architecture patternsengineering/aws-solution-architect— AWS counterpartengineering/gcp-cloud-architect— GCP counterpartengineering/kubernetes-operator— for AKS operator-pattern workloadsra-qm-team/information-security-manager-iso27001— for compliance-mapped controls (Azure has built-in Defender / Compliance Manager)ra-qm-team/soc2-compliance-expert— Azure-specific SOC 2 evidence collection