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--- title: Template functions - deployment description: Describes the functions to use in an Azure Resource Manager template (ARM template) to retrieve deployment information. ms.topic: reference ms.custom: devx-track-arm-template ms.date: 01/06/2026 --- # Deployment functions for ARM templates Azure Resource Manager provides the following functions for getting values related to the current deployment of your Azure Resource Manager template (ARM template): * [`deployer`](#deployer) * [`deployment`](#deployment) * [`environment`](#environment) * [`parameters`](#parameters) * [`variables`](#variables) To get values from resources, resource groups, or subscriptions, see [resource functions](template-functions-resource.md). > [!TIP] > [Bicep](../bicep/overview.md) is recommended since it offers the same capabilities as ARM templates, and the syntax is easier to use. To learn more, see [`deployment`](../bicep/bicep-functions-deployment.md) functions. ## deployer `deployer()` Returns the information about the current deployment principal. In Bicep, use the [`deployer`](../bicep/bicep-functions-deployment.md#deployer) function. ### Return value This function returns the information about the current deployment principal, including tenant ID, object ID, and user principal name: ```json { "objectId": "", "tenantId": "", "userPrincipalName": "" } ``` ### Example The following example returns the deployer object: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "resources": [], "outputs": { "developerOutput": { "type": "object", "value": "[deployer()]" } } } ``` The preceding example returns the following object: ```json { "objectId":"aaaaaaaa-0000-1111-2222-bbbbbbbbbbbb", "tenantId":"aaaa0a0a-bb1b-cc2c-dd3d-eeeeee4e4e4e", "userPrincipalName":"john.doe@contoso.com" } ``` ## deployment `deployment()` Returns information about the current deployment operation. In Bicep, use the [`deployment`](../bicep/bicep-functions-deployment.md#deployment) function. ### Return value This function returns the object that's passed during deployment. The properties in the returned object differ based on if you're: * Deploying a template or a template spec. * Deploying a template that's a local file or deploying a template that's a remote file accessed through a URI. * Deploying to a resource group or deploying to one of the other scopes ([Azure subscription](deploy-to-subscription.md), [management groups](deploy-to-management-group.md), or [tenants](deploy-to-tenant.md)). When deploying a local template to a resource group, the function returns the following format: ```json { "name": "", "properties": { "template": { "$schema": "", "contentVersion": "", "parameters": {}, "variables": {}, "resources": [], "outputs": {} }, "templateHash": "", "parameters": {}, "mode": "", "provisioningState": "" } } ``` If the template is remote, the `templateLink` property is included in the returned object. The `templateLink` property contains the URI of the template. The format is: ```json { "name": "", "properties": { "templateLink": { "uri": "" }, "template": { "$schema": "", "contentVersion": "", "parameters": {}, "variables": {}, "resources": [], "outputs": {} }, "templateHash": "", "parameters": {}, "mode": "", "provisioningState": "" } } ``` For more information, see [Using variables to link templates](./linked-templates.md#use-variables-to-link-templates). When deploying a template spec to a resource group, the function returns the following format: ```json { "name": "", "properties": { "templateLink": { "id": "" }, "template": { "$schema": "", "contentVersion": "", "parameters": {}, "variables": {}, "resources": [], "outputs": {} }, "templateHash": "", "parameters": {}, "mode": "", "provisioningState": "" } } ``` When you deploy to an Azure subscription, management group, or tenant, the return object includes a `location` property. The location property is included when deploying either a local template or an external template. The format is: ```json { "name": "", "location": "", "properties": { "template": { "$schema": "", "contentVersion": "", "resources": [], "outputs": {} }, "templateHash": "", "parameters": {}, "mode": "", "provisioningState": "" } } ``` When deploying a [languageVersion 2.0](./syntax.md#languageversion-20) template, the `deployment` function returns a limited subset of properties: ```json { "name": "", "location": "", "properties": { "template": { "contentVersion": "", "metadata": {} }, "templateLink": { "id": "", "uri": "" } } } ``` The `location` property is included only for deployments at the [subscription](./deploy-to-subscription.md), [management group](./deploy-to-management-group.md), or [tenant](./deploy-to-tenant.md) scope. The `templateLink` property is included only when the user provides a linked template rather than an inline template. ### Remarks You can use `deployment()` to link to another template based on the URI of the parent template: ```json "variables": { "sharedTemplateUrl": "[uri(deployment().properties.templateLink.uri, 'shared-resources.json')]" } ``` If you redeploy a template from the deployment history in the portal, the template is deployed as a local file. The `templateLink` property isn't returned in the deployment function. If your template relies on `templateLink` to construct a link to another template, don't use the portal to redeploy. Instead, use the commands you used to originally deploy the template. ### Example The following example returns a deployment object: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "resources": [], "outputs": { "deploymentOutput": { "type": "object", "value": "[deployment()]" } } } ``` The preceding example returns the following object: ```json { "name": "deployment", "properties": { "template": { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "resources": [], "outputs": { "deploymentOutput": { "type": "Object", "value": "[deployment()]" } } }, "templateHash": "13135986259522608210", "parameters": {}, "mode": "Incremental", "provisioningState": "Accepted" } } ``` For a subscription deployment, the following example returns a deployment object: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2018-05-01/subscriptionDeploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "parameters": {}, "variables": {}, "resources": [], "outputs": { "exampleOutput": { "type": "object", "value": "[deployment()]" } } } ``` ## environment `environment()` Returns information about the Azure environment used for deployment. The `environment()` function isn't aware of resource configurations. It can only return a single default DNS suffix for each resource type. In Bicep, use the [`environment`](../bicep/bicep-functions-deployment.md#environment) function. ### Remarks To see a list of registered environments for your account, use [`az cloud list`](/cli/azure/cloud#az-cloud-list) or [`Get-AzEnvironment`](/powershell/module/az.accounts/get-azenvironment). ### Return value This function returns properties for the current Azure environment. The following example shows the properties for global Azure; sovereign clouds might return slightly different properties: ```json { "name": "", "gallery": "", "graph": "", "portal": "", "graphAudience": "", "activeDirectoryDataLake": "", "batch": "", "media": "", "sqlManagement": "", "vmImageAliasDoc": "", "resourceManager": "", "authentication": { "loginEndpoint": "", "audiences": [ "", "" ], "tenant": "", "identityProvider": "" }, "suffixes": { "acrLoginServer": "", "azureDatalakeAnalyticsCatalogAndJob": "", "azureDatalakeStoreFileSystem": "", "azureFrontDoorEndpointSuffix": "", "keyvaultDns": "", "sqlServerHostname": "", "storage": "" } } ``` ### Example The following example template returns the environment object: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "resources": [], "outputs": { "environmentOutput": { "type": "object", "value": "[environment()]" } } } ``` The preceding example returns the following object when deployed to global Azure: ```json { "name": "AzureCloud", "gallery": "https://gallery.azure.com/", "graph": "https://graph.windows.net/", "portal": "https://portal.azure.com", "graphAudience": "https://graph.windows.net/", "activeDirectoryDataLake": "https://datalake.azure.net/", "batch": "https://batch.core.windows.net/", "media": "https://rest.media.azure.net", "sqlManagement": "https://management.core.windows.net:8443/", "vmImageAliasDoc": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azure/azure-rest-api-specs/master/arm-compute/quickstart-templates/aliases.json", "resourceManager": "https://management.azure.com/", "authentication": { "loginEndpoint": "https://login.microsoftonline.com/", "audiences": [ "https://management.core.windows.net/", "https://management.azure.com/" ], "tenant": "common", "identityProvider": "AAD" }, "suffixes": { "acrLoginServer": ".azurecr.io", "azureDatalakeAnalyticsCatalogAndJob": "azuredatalakeanalytics.net", "azureDatalakeStoreFileSystem": "azuredatalakestore.net", "azureFrontDoorEndpointSuffix": "azurefd.net", "keyvaultDns": ".vault.azure.net", "sqlServerHostname": ".database.windows.net", "storage": "core.windows.net" } } ``` ## parameters `parameters(parameterName)` Returns a parameter value. The specified parameter name must be defined in the **parameters** section of the template. In Bicep, directly reference [parameters](../bicep/parameters.md) by using their symbolic names. ### Parameters | Parameter | Required | Type | Description | |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- | | parameterName |Yes |string |The name of the parameter to return. | ### Return value The value of the specified parameter. ### Remarks Typically, you use parameters to set resource values. The following example sets the name of web site to the parameter value passed in during deployment. ```json "parameters": { "siteName": { "type": "string" } }, "resources": [ { "type": "Microsoft.Web/Sites", "apiVersion": "2025-03-01", "name": "[parameters('siteName')]", ... } ] ``` ### Example The following example shows a simplified use of the `parameters` function: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "parameters": { "stringParameter": { "type": "string", "defaultValue": "option 1" }, "intParameter": { "type": "int", "defaultValue": 1 }, "objectParameter": { "type": "object", "defaultValue": { "one": "a", "two": "b" } }, "arrayParameter": { "type": "array", "defaultValue": [ 1, 2, 3 ] }, "crossParameter": { "type": "string", "defaultValue": "[parameters('stringParameter')]" } }, "variables": {}, "resources": [], "outputs": { "stringOutput": { "type": "string", "value": "[parameters('stringParameter')]" }, "intOutput": { "type": "int", "value": "[parameters('intParameter')]" }, "objectOutput": { "type": "object", "value": "[parameters('objectParameter')]" }, "arrayOutput": { "type": "array", "value": "[parameters('arrayParameter')]" }, "crossOutput": { "type": "string", "value": "[parameters('crossParameter')]" } } } ``` The output of default values from the preceding example is: | Name | Type | Value | | ---- | ---- | ----- | | stringOutput | String | option 1 | | intOutput | Int | 1 | | objectOutput | Object | {"one": "a", "two": "b"} | | arrayOutput | Array | [1, 2, 3] | | crossOutput | String | option 1 | For more information about using parameters, see [parameters in ARM templates](./parameters.md). ## variables `variables(variableName)` Returns the value of a variable. The specified variable name must be defined in the **variables** section of the template. In Bicep, directly reference [variables](../bicep/variables.md) by using their symbolic names. ### Parameters | Parameter | Required | Type | Description | |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- | | variableName |Yes |String |The name of the variable to return. | ### Return value The value of the specified variable. ### Remarks Typically, you use variables to simplify your template by constructing complex values only once. The following example constructs a unique name for a storage account: ```json "variables": { "storageName": "[concat('storage', uniqueString(resourceGroup().id))]" }, "resources": [ { "type": "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts", "name": "[variables('storageName')]", ... }, { "type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines", "dependsOn": [ "[variables('storageName')]" ], ... } ], ``` ### Example The following example returns different variable values: ```json { "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "parameters": {}, "variables": { "var1": "myVariable", "var2": [ 1, 2, 3, 4 ], "var3": "[ variables('var1') ]", "var4": { "property1": "value1", "property2": "value2" } }, "resources": [], "outputs": { "exampleOutput1": { "type": "string", "value": "[variables('var1')]" }, "exampleOutput2": { "type": "array", "value": "[variables('var2')]" }, "exampleOutput3": { "type": "string", "value": "[variables('var3')]" }, "exampleOutput4": { "type": "object", "value": "[variables('var4')]" } } } ``` The output of default values from the preceding example is: | Name | Type | Value | | ---- | ---- | ----- | | exampleOutput1 | String | myVariable | | exampleOutput2 | Array | [1, 2, 3, 4] | | exampleOutput3 | String | myVariable | | exampleOutput4 | Object | {"property1": "value1", "property2": "value2"} | For more information about using variables, see [variables in ARM template](./variables.md). ## Next steps To learn more about the sections in an ARM template, see [the structure and syntax of ARM templates](./syntax.md).