Azure Image Builder

Purpose: Define a reusable planning tool for cloud architects and engineers to formalize Azure VM image builds. It captures base image, OS targeting, regional constraints, and customization tasks in a portable plan. It helps governance and CI/CD teams by providing a reproducible specification. It does not execute builds but enables automation to do so.
The tool models decisions in a deterministic, machine-readable format, supporting auditable pipelines and consistent artifact definitions. It benefits IT operations, security teams, and platform engineers who require predictable image lifecycles and traceable changes.
Core features include base image selection, OS targeting, customization recipes, artifact definitions, retention controls, validation/dry-run, and CI/CD integration hooks. It supports Windows and Linux bases, security baselines, and environment-specific variants. The output is a plan that automations can consume to trigger real builds.
Use cases cover multi-region standardization, baseline enforcement, and per-environment versioning. The tool emphasizes domain modeling, clear input/output contracts, and failure-greedy diagnostics to prevent misconfigurations.