1# Recipe Selection
2 
3Choose the deployment recipe based on project needs and existing tooling.
4 
5## ⛔ Special Cases: Detect First
6 
7**Before selecting a recipe, check for these special project types:**
8 
9| Project Type | Detection | Recipe Selection |
10|--------------|-----------|------------------|
11| **.NET Aspire** | `*.AppHost.csproj` or `Aspire.Hosting` package | **AZD (auto via `azd init --from-code`)** → [aspire.md](aspire.md) |
12 
13> 💡 **Tip:** .NET Aspire projects always use AZD recipe with auto-generated configuration. Do not manually select recipe or create artifacts.
14 
15## Quick Decision
16 
17**Default: AZD** unless specific requirements indicate otherwise.
18 
19> 💡 **Tip:** azd supports both Bicep and Terraform as IaC providers. When Terraform is mentioned for Azure deployment, **default to azd+Terraform** for the best developer experience.
20 
21## Decision Criteria
22 
23| Choose | When |
24|--------|------|
25| **AZD (Bicep)** | New projects, multi-service apps, want simplest deployment (`azd up`) |
26| **AZD (Terraform)** | **DEFAULT for Terraform** - Want Terraform IaC + azd simplicity, Azure deployment with Terraform |
27| **AZCLI** | Existing az scripts, need imperative control, custom pipelines, AKS |
28| **Bicep** | IaC-first approach, no CLI wrapper needed, direct ARM deployment |
29| **Terraform** | Multi-cloud deployments (non-Azure-first), complex TF workflows incompatible with azd, explicitly requested |
30 
31## Auto-Detection
32 
33| Found in Workspace | Suggested Recipe |
34|--------------------|------------------|
35| `azure.yaml` with `infra.provider: terraform` | AZD (Terraform) |
36| `azure.yaml` (Bicep or no provider specified) | AZD (Bicep) |
37| `*.tf` files (no azure.yaml) | **AZD (Terraform) - DEFAULT** (unless multi-cloud) |
38| `infra/*.bicep` (no azure.yaml) | Bicep or AZCLI |
39| Existing `az` scripts | AZCLI |
40| None | AZD (Bicep) - default |
41 
42## Recipe Comparison
43 
44| Feature | AZD (Bicep) | AZD (Terraform) | AZCLI | Bicep | Terraform |
45|---------|-------------|-----------------|-------|-------|-----------|
46| Config file | azure.yaml | azure.yaml + *.tf | scripts | *.bicep | *.tf |
47| IaC language | Bicep | Terraform | N/A | Bicep | Terraform |
48| Deploy command | `azd up` | `azd up` | `az` commands | `az deployment` | `terraform apply` |
49| Dockerfile gen | Auto | Auto | Manual | Manual | Manual |
50| Environment mgmt | Built-in | Built-in | Manual | Manual | Workspaces |
51| CI/CD gen | Built-in | Built-in | Manual | Manual | Manual |
52| Multi-cloud | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
53| Learning curve | Low | Low-Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
54 
55## Record Selection
56 
57Document in `.azure/deployment-plan.md`:
58 
59```markdown
60## Recipe: AZD (Terraform)
61 
62**Rationale:**
63- Team has Terraform expertise
64- Want multi-cloud IaC flexibility
65- But prefer azd's simple deployment workflow
66- Multi-service app (API + Web)
67```
68 
69Or for pure Terraform:
70 
71```markdown
72## Recipe: Terraform
73 
74**Rationale:**
75- Multi-cloud deployment (AWS + Azure)
76- Complex Terraform modules incompatible with azd conventions
77- Existing Terraform CI/CD pipeline
78```
79 
80## Recipe References
81 
82- [AZD Recipe](recipes/azd/README.md)
83- [AZCLI Recipe](recipes/azcli/README.md)
84- [Bicep Recipe](recipes/bicep/README.md)
85- [Terraform Recipe](recipes/terraform/README.md)
86