> azure-well-architected
Expert guidance for designing, assessing, and optimizing Azure workloads using Azure Well Architected. Covers design review checklists, recommendations, design principles, tradeoffs, service guides, workload patterns, and assessment questions. Use when architecting new solutions, reviewing existing workloads, or applying Well-Architected principles.
curl "https://skillshub.wtf/MicrosoftDocs/Agent-Skills/azure-well-architected?format=md"Azure Well Architected Skill
This skill provides expert guidance for designing, assessing, and optimizing Azure workloads using Azure Well Architected. Covers design review checklists, recommendations, design principles, tradeoffs, service guides, workload patterns, and assessment questions. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.
How to Use This Skill
IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g.,
L35-L120), useread_filewith the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g.,[security.md](security.md)), useread_fileon the linked reference file
IMPORTANT for Agent: If
metadata.generated_atis more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. Ifmcp_microsoftdocstools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide
This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:
- Preferred: Use
mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetchwith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown. - Fallback: Use
fetch_webpagewith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.
Category Index
| Category | Lines | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Design Review Checklists | L35-L43 | Checklists to review Azure architectures for cost, operations, performance, reliability, and security best practices and identify design gaps or improvements. |
| Recommendations | L44-L117 | Prescriptive best practices for Azure workloads: cost optimization, reliability, performance, security, DevOps/automation, DR, observability, and sustainable design across services and environments |
| Design Principles | L118-L137 | Design principles and patterns for cost, reliability, security, performance, ops, and sustainability across Azure workloads like AI, SAP, Oracle, AVS, AVD, SaaS, HPC, and mission‑critical systems. |
| Tradeoffs | L138-L147 | Guidance on balancing cost, reliability, performance, security, and operations in Azure designs, including region/AZ choices and cross-pillar tradeoff analysis for architecture decisions |
| Service Guides | L148-L199 | End-to-end design, security, networking, operations, monitoring, and optimization guidance for Azure Virtual Desktop, Azure VMware Solution, and core Azure services using Well-Architected best practices. |
| Workload Patterns | L200-L267 | End-to-end design, platform selection, operations, security, and optimization patterns for specific Azure workloads (AI, HPC, mission-critical, Oracle, SaaS, SAP, sustainability). |
| Assessment Questions | L268-L281 | Guided assessments and maturity reviews for Azure workloads (AI, SaaS, AVD, AVS) across cost, reliability, performance, security, operations, and mission‑critical readiness. |
Design Review Checklists
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Use Cost Optimization design review checklist for Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/cost-optimization/checklist |
| Use Operational Excellence design review checklist | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/operational-excellence/checklist |
| Use the Performance Efficiency design review checklist | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/performance-efficiency/checklist |
| Use reliability design review checklist for Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/reliability/checklist |
| Use security design review checklist for Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/security/checklist |
Recommendations
Design Principles
Tradeoffs
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Evaluate Cost Optimization tradeoffs across WAF pillars | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/cost-optimization/tradeoffs |
| Balance regions and availability zones for reliability and cost | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/design-guides/regions-availability-zones |
| Analyze Operational Excellence tradeoffs across WAF pillars | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/operational-excellence/tradeoffs |
| Evaluate Performance Efficiency tradeoffs across WAF pillars | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/performance-efficiency/tradeoffs |
| Evaluate cross-pillar tradeoffs for reliability designs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/reliability/tradeoffs |
| Analyze security tradeoffs across WAF pillars | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/security/tradeoffs |
Service Guides
Workload Patterns
Assessment Questions
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