Generate Azure Diagrams with the Help of Cloudockit
Cloudockit allows you to automatically generate your Azure Architecture Diagrams in editable formats like Visio and draw.io. Stop wasting time trying to generate your diagrams manually and continually update them, Cloudockit will do the work for you!
How does it work?
Once you linked your Microsoft Azure environment with the tool, Cloudockit can scan all your cloud architecture and summarize it automatically into a complete and editable diagram.
The steps are simple: You log into your Azure Subscription and then Cloudockit is leveraging the Azure native API to retrieve all your resources and all the links between the resources.
No installation required, just easy as plug and play, Cloudockit brings your diagramming game into the next level.
Quickly understand the dependencies between your Microsoft Azure components
A global overview of all the dependencies of your Azure subscription can be very useful for:
- Having an overview of all the dependencies
- Easily narrow down the vision for a more detailed look
- Allowing to view the Virtual Network and the Subnet used by a specific Virtual Machine
- It immediately displays all the information you are looking for
Cloudockit generates Azure Diagrams targeted for specific audiences
Cloudockit has been working on creating diagramming software since 2013 and has been collecting feedback ever since. The team is learning every day and improving their understanding of what you need.
Nowadays, diagrams need to be built for specific audiences: there is no single diagram that will be perfect for everyone. For that reason, Cloudockit does not generate a single generic diagram. Instead, different types of diagrams will be used by individuals with different needs. To illustrate this, see below for the top 5 most popular diagrams.
Virtual Machine Azure Diagram
In the diagram below, you can see the Virtual Machines and the dependencies with Networking components (Virtual Network, Network Interface Cards, etc) and storage (Storage Account, Managed Disks, etc). You are also able to see all your Virtual Machines and the dependencies with Networking components and storage.
App Services Diagram
This diagram is very useful for developers that work with App Services. They can see the dependencies with components like SQL Databases, Storages, Event Hubs, Service Bus, Cosmo DB, etc.
Resource Groups Diagrams
Compared to the previous diagrams, which are organized per type of Workload, this one uses the logical grouping provided by Resource Groups. You simply generate a tab per resource group.
Global Diagrams
Cloudockit also generates a global diagram that contains everything in your Azure Subscription. The global diagram enables you to see an overview of all the resources you have in your Azure subscription. It is also a good starting point if you have a messy environment you want to clean-up. Cloudockit automatically generates two types of Global diagrams: one with all the details and one with a high-level overview.
Cloudockit’s Azure diagram generator will save you time and money
Compatible with Visio and Draw.io
Cloudockit is compatible with both Draw.io and Visio. We choose this path as we strongly believe you should not waste time to learn new diagraming tools. Draw.io and Visio are one of the most popular diagramming software on the market. Existing tools like draw.io and Visio have plenty of built-in features that are leveraged by Cloudockit.
Leverage Azure Diagrams Advanced Features
Use Shapes Data
Cloudockit automatically embeds data into the Shapes that it generates. You can use this data to see the details of each component and to generate rules in Visio.
A good example would be to create a rule where you show a Red icon for Virtual Machines that are in the Stopped state and a Green icon for Virtual Machines that are in the Running state.
We are currently working to integrate these new rules directly in the product.
Use layering
Cloudockit gives you flexibility regarding the information you want to display: you can group elements and select the layers you would like to show. For example, if you find the diagrams are too difficult to read because of the NSG icons, you can hide the layer and improve your workflow.
Use Scheduling
You probably do not want to manually start a diagram generation every single time you change something in your Azure environment.
That is where Cloudockit’s built-in Scheduling features can help! Simply create a new Automation Profile. Choose when you want to schedule the generation of your Visio diagrams, and you are all set!
Use Tags
Cloudockit allows you to choose a Tag to represent your Business Application. It will automatically create Visio Diagrams, using a Tab per Azure Application, without the need for a script.
Cloudockit also supports the ability to extract the Business Application based on Regex on the Resources Names or Resource Groups Names.
Keep your Azure Diagrams Close to the Documentation
A diagram is a good way to visualize your Azure components, however, it is better to have diagrams with full technical documentation. Cloudockit provides both, complete editable diagrams and a Word document with all the information that gets automatically generated.
Below is an example of the Azure documentation which includes the diagrams.
