Linter rule - no hardcoded locations

This rule finds uses of Azure location values that aren't parameterized.

Use the following value in the Bicep configuration file to customize rule settings:

no-hardcoded-location

Template users may have limited access to regions where they can create resources. A hardcoded resource location might block users from creating a resource, thus preventing them from using the template. By providing a location parameter that defaults to the resource group location, users can use the default value when convenient but also specify a different location.

Rather than using a hardcoded string or variable value, use a parameter, the string 'global', or an expression (but not resourceGroup().location or deployment().location, see no-loc-expr-outside-params). Best practice suggests that to set your resources' locations, your template should have a string parameter named location. This parameter may default to the resource group or deployment location (resourceGroup().location or deployment().location).

The following example fails this test because the resource's location property uses a string literal:

  resource stg 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-02-01' = {
      location: 'chinanorth'
  }

You can fix it by creating a new location string parameter (which may optionally have a default value - resourceGroup().location is frequently used as a default):

  param location string = resourceGroup().location
  resource stg 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-02-01' = {
      location: location
  }

Use Quick Fix to create a location parameter and replace the string literal with the parameter name. See the following screenshot:

The following example fails this test because the resource's location property uses a variable with a string literal.

  var location = 'chinanorth'
  resource stg 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-02-01' = {
      location: location
  }

You can fix it by turning the variable into a parameter:

  param location string = 'chinanorth'
  resource stg 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-02-01' = {
      location: location
  }

The following example fails this test because a string literal is being passed in to a module parameter that is in turn used for a resource's location property:

module m1 'module1.bicep' = {
  name: 'module1'
  params: {
    location: 'chinanorth'
  }
}

where module1.bicep is:

param location string

resource storageaccount 'Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts@2021-02-01' = {
  name: 'storageaccount'
  location: location
  kind: 'StorageV2'
  sku: {
    name: 'Premium_LRS'
  }
}

You can fix the failure by creating a new parameter for the value:

param location string // optionally with a default value
module m1 'module1.bicep' = {
  name: 'module1'
  params: {
    location: location
  }
}

For more information about the linter, see Use Bicep linter.