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Add Azure Copilot MicroHack (12_Azure_Copilot)
7-challenge workshop covering Azure Copilot and its 5 specialized agents (Deployment, Observability, Optimization, Resiliency, Troubleshooting). Features: - Progressive challenges from Copilot basics to multi-agent capstone - Bicep IaC with per-participant suffix isolation for parallel deployments - HackboxConsole-compatible lab/Deploy-Lab.ps1 entry point - Playwright E2E test suite for automated validation - Multi-agent GitHub Copilot architecture (6 agent configs) - Buggy Flask app for observability and troubleshooting scenarios Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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‎03-Azure/01-03-Infrastructure/12_Azure_Copilot/.gitignore‎

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.github/

‎03-Azure/01-03-Infrastructure/12_Azure_Copilot/Readme.md‎

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# **MicroHack Azure Copilot**
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![Azure Copilot MicroHack](images/AzureCopilotMicrohack.png)
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- [**MicroHack introduction**](#MicroHack-introduction)
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- [**MicroHack context**](#microhack-context)
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- [**Objectives**](#objectives)
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- [**MicroHack Challenges**](#microhack-challenges)
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- [**Contributors**](#contributors)
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## MicroHack introduction
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This Azure Copilot MicroHack walks engineers and architects through the core capabilities of **Azure Copilot** and its **five specialized agents** (Deployment, Observability, Optimization, Resiliency, Troubleshooting) in the Azure portal. Participants learn to use natural-language conversations to plan infrastructure, investigate alerts, optimize costs, harden resiliency, and troubleshoot resource issues — all from a single AI-powered interface.
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Azure Copilot is an AI-powered tool built into the Azure portal that helps you design, operate, optimize, and troubleshoot your Azure apps and infrastructure. It leverages Large Language Models (LLMs), the Azure control plane, and deep insights about your Azure environment to help you work more efficiently.
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This lab is not a full explanation of Azure Copilot as a technology. Please consider the following articles as required pre-reading to build foundational knowledge:
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- [Azure Copilot Overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/overview)
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- [Azure Copilot Capabilities](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/capabilities)
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- [Agents (Preview)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/agents-preview)
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- [Writing Effective Prompts](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/write-effective-prompts)
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Optional (read after completing this lab to take your learning even deeper):
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- [Deployment Agent](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/deployment-agent)
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- [Observability Agent](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/observability-agent)
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- [Optimization Agent](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/optimization-agent)
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- [Resiliency Agent](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/resiliency-agent)
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- [Troubleshooting Agent](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/troubleshooting-agent)
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## MicroHack context
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This MicroHack scenario walks through the use of Azure Copilot and its five specialized agents with a focus on best practices, real-world scenarios, and progressive skill-building. Specifically, this builds up to include working with existing Azure infrastructure that has been pre-deployed with intentional issues — oversized VMs, blocked NSGs, misconfigured firewalls, missing backups, and buggy applications — so that each agent can demonstrate its diagnostic and remediation capabilities.
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Participants start by mastering Azure Copilot fundamentals (navigation, prompt writing, context management) and then progress through each agent's specialty before tackling a capstone challenge that combines all five agents in an end-to-end e-commerce platform scenario.
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## Objectives
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After completing this MicroHack you will:
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- Navigate and use Azure Copilot effectively in the Azure portal
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- Plan and generate Terraform infrastructure configurations using the **Deployment Agent**
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- Investigate Azure Monitor alerts and run automated root-cause analysis using the **Observability Agent**
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- Discover cost-saving opportunities and generate optimization scripts using the **Optimization Agent**
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- Assess zone resiliency, configure backups, and plan disaster recovery using the **Resiliency Agent**
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- Diagnose resource issues, apply one-click fixes, and create support requests using the **Troubleshooting Agent**
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- Orchestrate all five agents in a seamless end-to-end cloud operations workflow
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## MicroHack challenges
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| Challenge | Topic | Challenge | Solution | Duration |
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| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | -------- |
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| 1 | Azure Copilot Basics — navigation, prompts, context | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-01.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-01.md) | 30 min |
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| 2 | Deployment Agent — infrastructure planning and Terraform generation | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-02.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-02.md) | 45 min |
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| 3 | Observability Agent — alert investigation and remediation | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-03.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-03.md) | 45 min |
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| 4 | Optimization Agent — cost savings and rightsizing | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-04.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-04.md) | 45 min |
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| 5 | Resiliency Agent — zone resiliency, backup, disaster recovery | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-05.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-05.md) | 45 min |
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| 6 | Troubleshooting Agent — diagnostics, one-click fixes, support requests | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-06.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-06.md) | 45 min |
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| 7 | Capstone — multi-agent end-to-end e-commerce scenario | [Challenge](challenges/challenge-07.md) | [Solution](walkthrough/solution-07.md) | 90 min |
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**Total estimated time: ~5.75 hours**
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### General prerequisites
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This MicroHack has a few but important prerequisites.
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In order to use the MicroHack time most effectively, the following tasks should be completed prior to starting the session.
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> [!NOTE]
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> Prerequisites 1–4 are handled by the organizers for events hosted by Microsoft.
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1. Your own **Azure subscription** with Contributor RBAC rights at the subscription level. [Create a free account](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account) if you don't have one.
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2. **Azure Copilot access** — Azure Copilot must be enabled for your tenant. By default, Azure Copilot is available to all users in a tenant. Your Global Administrator can [manage access](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/manage-access) if needed.
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3. **Agents (Preview) access** — Your tenant must have access to Agents (preview) in Azure Copilot. Access is managed at the tenant level and rolled out gradually. Check with your tenant administrator, or [request access](https://aka.ms/azurecopilot/agents/feedbackprogram).
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4. **WebSocket connections** — Your organization must allow WebSocket connections to `https://directline.botframework.com`. Ask your network administrator to enable this if blocked.
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5. [Azure CLI](https://learn.microsoft.com/cli/azure/install-azure-cli) installed and logged in (`az login`). **Hint:** Make sure to use the latest version available.
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In summary:
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- Azure Subscription (Contributor role)
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- Azure Copilot enabled for your tenant
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- Agents (Preview) enabled for your tenant
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- Azure CLI installed
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- WebSocket connectivity to `directline.botframework.com`
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Permissions for the deployment:
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- Contributor on your Azure Subscription
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- Monitoring Contributor or Issue Contributor on an Azure Monitor Workspace (for Challenge 3)
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### Infrastructure deployment
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The workshop includes Bicep IaC templates and a PowerShell deployment script that creates all necessary Azure resources with intentional issues for each challenge. Run one command to set everything up:
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```powershell
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# Ensure Azure CLI is installed and you are logged in
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az login
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# Deploy all workshop resources (default region: France Central)
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.\lab\Deploy-Lab.ps1 -DeploymentType subscription -SubscriptionId "<your-subscription-id>"
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# Or specify a different region
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.\lab\Deploy-Lab.ps1 -DeploymentType subscription -SubscriptionId "<your-subscription-id>" -PreferredLocation "westeurope"
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```
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This creates five resource groups with pre-configured resources:
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| Resource Group | Challenge | What's Deployed |
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| ----------------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch00` | 1 (Basics) | Storage account, VNet, NSG |
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| `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch02` | 3 (Observability) | App Service with buggy app, Application Insights, alert rules |
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| `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch03` | 4 (Optimization) | Oversized VM (D4s_v3) for cost recommendations |
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| `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch04` | 5 (Resiliency) | VM without zone redundancy or backup |
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| `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch05` | 6 (Troubleshooting) | VM with blocked NSG, Cosmos DB with restrictive firewall |
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> [!IMPORTANT]
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> Azure Advisor recommendations (Challenge 4) may take **24–48 hours** to appear. You can start the workshop immediately — just revisit Challenge 4 later if recommendations aren't ready yet.
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**Validate the deployment:**
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```powershell
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.\scripts\Test-CopilotWorkshop.ps1 -Suffix "<your-deployment-suffix>"
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```
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**Cleanup after the workshop:**
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```powershell
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.\scripts\Remove-CopilotWorkshop.ps1 -Suffix "<your-deployment-suffix>"
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```
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### Cost estimates
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The main cost drivers for this MicroHack are virtual machines and App Service:
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- **Challenge 4 (Optimization):** One Standard_D4s_v3 VM — approximately **$8/day**
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- **Challenge 5 (Resiliency):** One Standard_B2s VM — approximately **$1.50/day**
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- **Challenge 6 (Troubleshooting):** One Standard_B1s VM + Cosmos DB (Serverless) — approximately **$1.50/day**
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- **Challenge 3 (Observability):** App Service B1 plan — approximately **$0.50/day**
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Running all resources for one day costs approximately **$11.50–14**. For a 2-day workshop this would be approximately **$23–28 total**.
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> [!TIP]
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> Delete all resources immediately after the workshop using `.\scripts\Remove-CopilotWorkshop.ps1 -Suffix "<suffix>"` to minimize costs.
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## Contributors
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- Dmitriy Nekrasov [GitHub](https://github.com/nekdima); [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/inthedark/)

‎03-Azure/01-03-Infrastructure/12_Azure_Copilot/app/app.py‎

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"""
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Buggy Flask app for Azure Copilot Workshop - Challenge 02 (Observability Agent).
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This app intentionally has issues that generate Application Insights alerts:
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- /crash -> raises unhandled exception (500 error)
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- /slow -> artificially slow response (>3s)
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- /leak -> simulates memory-growing response
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- / -> healthy endpoint (200 OK)
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- /health -> health check
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"""
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import time
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import logging
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from flask import Flask, jsonify
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from azure.monitor.opentelemetry import configure_azure_monitor
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configure_azure_monitor()
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app = Flask(__name__)
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logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
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# Accumulator to simulate growing memory usage
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_data_store = []
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@app.route("/")
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def home():
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return jsonify({"status": "ok", "message": "Contoso Workshop App - Ch02 Observability"})
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@app.route("/health")
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def health():
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return jsonify({"status": "healthy"})
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@app.route("/crash")
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def crash():
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"""Intentionally raises an unhandled exception -> 500 in App Insights."""
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app.logger.error("About to crash!")
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raise RuntimeError(
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"Simulated crash for Copilot workshop observability demo")
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@app.route("/slow")
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def slow():
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"""Artificially slow endpoint -> triggers response-time alerts."""
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delay = 5 # seconds
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app.logger.warning(f"Slow endpoint hit, sleeping {delay}s")
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time.sleep(delay)
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return jsonify({"status": "ok", "delay_seconds": delay})
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@app.route("/leak")
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def leak():
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"""Simulates growing memory usage per request."""
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_data_store.extend(["x" * 1024] * 500) # ~500 KB per call
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return jsonify({"status": "ok", "accumulated_items": len(_data_store)})
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@app.route("/api/orders")
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def orders():
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"""Simulates a database timeout for a business-critical endpoint."""
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app.logger.error("Database connection timeout on /api/orders")
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time.sleep(2)
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raise ConnectionError(
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"Simulated DB timeout: could not reach orders database")
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if __name__ == "__main__":
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app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=8000)

‎03-Azure/01-03-Infrastructure/12_Azure_Copilot/app/requirements.txt‎

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flask>=3.0
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gunicorn>=21.2
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azure-monitor-opentelemetry>=1.6.0

‎03-Azure/01-03-Infrastructure/12_Azure_Copilot/challenges/challenge-01.md‎

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# Challenge 1 - Azure Copilot Basics
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**[Home](../Readme.md)** - [Next Challenge](challenge-02.md)
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## Goal
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You are a new cloud engineer at Contoso Ltd. Your team lead has asked you to familiarize yourself with Azure Copilot so you can use it to accelerate your daily Azure operations. Before working with the specialized agents, you need to master the fundamentals.
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Get familiar with Azure Copilot in the Azure portal — learn how to open it, navigate its interface, write effective prompts, and understand its core capabilities before diving into the specialized agents.
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By the end of this challenge, you will be able to:
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- Open and navigate Azure Copilot in the Azure portal
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- Write effective prompts using best practices
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- Use Azure Copilot to get information about Azure services
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- Ask Azure Copilot to navigate to specific services
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- Use Azure Copilot to get Azure Advisor recommendations
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- Generate Azure CLI and PowerShell scripts
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- Add context (resources/subscriptions) to conversations
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- Manage multiple conversations
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## Actions
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### Workshop Resources (Pre-Deployed)
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The deployment scripts have created resources in **`rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch00`** (in your chosen deployment region) for you to explore with Azure Copilot:
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| Resource | Name | Purpose |
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| ---------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
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| Storage Account | `stcopilotworkshop<suffix>` | Sample resource for querying and navigation tasks |
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| Virtual Network | `vnet-copilot-workshop` | VNet with 2 subnets (`snet-frontend`, `snet-backend`) |
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| Network Security Group | `nsg-copilot-workshop` | NSG for exploration (not yet associated with a subnet) |
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> **Note:** `<suffix>` is a random 4-character string generated during deployment. Check your `rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch00` resource group to find the actual name.
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> **Tip:** Use these resources to practice adding context to conversations (Task 6) and generating scripts (Task 4).
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### Task 1: Open Azure Copilot and Explore the Interface (5 min)
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1. Sign in to the [Azure portal](https://portal.azure.com)
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2. Locate and click the **Copilot icon** in the top header bar
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3. Explore the Copilot pane:
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- Notice the text input area at the bottom
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- Notice the suggested prompts (if any)
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- Locate the **fullscreen mode** icon
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- Locate the **new conversation** icon
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4. Switch to **fullscreen mode** and explore the larger interface
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5. Return to the side pane mode
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**Question to answer:** Where is the Copilot icon located in the Azure portal, and what does it look like?
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### Task 2: Get Information About Azure Services (5 min)
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Use Azure Copilot to answer the following questions. Write your prompts and note the responses.
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1. Ask: _"What is Azure App Service and when should I use it?"_
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2. Ask: _"What are the differences between Azure Blob Storage and Azure File Storage?"_
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3. Ask: _"Which Azure compute service should I use for running containers without managing infrastructure?"_
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**Question to answer:** How does Azure Copilot's response differ from a generic web search? Does it provide Azure-specific, tailored guidance?
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### Task 3: Navigate Using Azure Copilot (5 min)
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Use Azure Copilot to navigate to different services and pages in the portal:
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1. Ask: _"Take me to the Virtual Machines page"_
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2. Ask: _"Open Azure Monitor"_
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3. Ask: _"Navigate to Cost Management"_
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4. Ask: _"Show me the Advisor recommendations page"_
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**Question to answer:** What happens when you ask Azure Copilot to navigate? Does it open the page directly or provide a link?
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### Task 4: Generate Scripts with Azure Copilot (5 min)
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Ask Azure Copilot to generate scripts for common tasks:
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1. Ask: _"Generate an Azure CLI script to create a storage account named 'stcopilotworkshop' in the resource group 'rg-copilot-<suffix>-ch00' in East US 2"_
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2. Ask: _"Can you convert that to PowerShell?"_
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3. Ask: _"Generate a Bicep template to create a virtual network with two subnets"_
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**Question to answer:** How does Azure Copilot handle multi-turn conversations? Does it remember context from your previous prompts?
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### Task 5: Get Recommendations (5 min)
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Explore Azure Advisor integration:
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1. Ask: _"Show me my top cost recommendations"_
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2. Ask: _"What are my security recommendations?"_
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3. Ask: _"Show me my reliability recommendations"_
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4. Ask: _"What services do you recommend for building a web application with a database backend?"_
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**Question to answer:** Does Azure Copilot provide generic recommendations or ones tailored to your actual Azure environment?
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### Task 6: Add Context and Manage Conversations (5 min)
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1. Start a new conversation using the **new chat** icon
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2. Click the **Add** icon (context icon) in the chat input area
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3. Select a resource group, subscription, or specific resource to add as context
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4. Ask a question about the selected resource, such as: _"What resources are in this resource group?"_ or _"Summarize this subscription's usage"_
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5. Open the **conversation navigation pane** and view all your conversations
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6. Rename one of your conversations
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7. Delete a conversation you no longer need
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**Question to answer:** How does adding context to a conversation improve the quality of Azure Copilot's responses?
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## Success criteria
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- You can open Azure Copilot from the Azure portal header
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- You've asked at least 3 informational questions and received relevant responses
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- You've used Azure Copilot to navigate to at least 2 Azure services
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- You've generated at least one script (CLI, PowerShell, or Bicep)
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- You've added context to a conversation
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- You've managed multiple conversations (create, rename, delete)
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## Learning resources
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- Azure Copilot is accessible from **any page** in the Azure portal via the header icon
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- It provides **Azure-specific**, context-aware responses grounded in current documentation
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- **Multi-turn conversations** preserve context so you can iterate on requests
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- **Adding context** (resources, subscriptions) significantly improves response quality
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- Scripts and recommendations are **tailored to your environment** when context is provided
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- [Azure Copilot overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/overview)
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## Solution
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> [!TIP]
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> We encourage you to try solving the challenge on your own before looking at the solution. This will help you learn and understand the concepts better.
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<details>
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<summary>Click here to view the solution</summary>
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[Solution for Challenge 1](../walkthrough/solution-01.md)
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</details>

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