ARM template complete mode not deleting existing resources in azure

Question

I have a blank arm template and I created a release pipeline to deploy it to an existing resource group in complete mode. The resource group had 2 resources in it (key vault and sql server).

When I run the release pipeline, it runs successfully but the 2 resources are still there. Does this prove that complete mode does not work ? I can of course manually delete the resources (they are not locked or anything).

Given below are arm template

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2015-01-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {},
    "variables": {},
    "resources": []
}

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 05 '20 at 15:47

I would suspect that the template needs to deploy at least a single resource to be effective.

You are not really supposed to use ARM Templates to delete stuff from the resource groups (well, unless you actually add something to it). I've used complete mode deployments many times, they work fine (even work with nested deployments correctly) and they do clean up stuff that they didn't deploy (and that's the beauty of complete mode deployments).

Blue Clouds · Accepted Answer · 2020-02-05T19:27:40.637

0

First use a task as shown below. After this use the same task you mentioned. Make sure to use the same RG name in pipeline.

edited Feb 05 '20 at 19:27

answered Feb 05 '20 at 18:37

Blue Clouds

7,295
4
71
112

how is this an answer to the initial question?? – 4c74356b41 Feb 12 '20 at 10:56
well the questioner ..err me :P , feels to have found an easy solution with arm templates itself. – Blue Clouds Feb 12 '20 at 11:41
I know, but this is a workaround, not an answer, whereas my answer actually answers how arm templates work, compared to your workaround – 4c74356b41 Feb 12 '20 at 11:44

ARM template complete mode not deleting existing resources in azure

2 Answers2