Azure Deployment

Overview

Deploy Metlo on Microsoft Azure using Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates. This guide covers deploying Metlo as a virtual machine in your Azure subscription.

Prerequisites

Azure subscription with active billing
Azure CLI installed (optional, for CLI deployment)
SSH public key for VM access
Resource group created (or will be created during deployment)

Deployment Methods

Azure Portal
Azure CLI
PowerShell

Deploy via Azure Portal

Access ARM Template

Download the Metlo ARM template:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metlo-labs/metlo/master/deploy/azure/deployment.json

Or access it directly from the GitHub repository.

Create Custom Deployment

Navigate to Azure Portal
Search for “Deploy a custom template”
Click “Build your own template in the editor”
Paste the contents of deployment.json or upload the file
Click “Save”

Configure Parameters

Provide the following parameters:

Subscription

string

required

Select your Azure subscription

Resource Group

string

required

Create new or select existing resource group

Region

string

required

Select the Azure region for deployment (default: resource group location)

VM Name

string

default:"Metlo-Manager"

Name for the Metlo virtual machine

Admin Password or Key

string

required

SSH public key for accessing the VM (recommended over password)

Review and Create

Review all configuration settings
Accept the terms and conditions
Click “Create” to start the deployment
Wait approximately 15-20 minutes for deployment to complete

Access Deployment Outputs

After deployment completes, navigate to the deployment outputs:

Go to Resource Group → Deployments
Click on the deployment name
View “Outputs” tab for:
- Hostname (FQDN)
- SSH command
- Admin username

Deploy via Azure CLI

Authenticate with Azure:

az login

Set subscription

Set the active subscription:

az account set --subscription "YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"

Create resource group

Create a resource group (skip if using existing):

az group create \
  --name metlo-rg \
  --location eastus

Download ARM template

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metlo-labs/metlo/master/deploy/azure/deployment.json

Create parameters file

Create a parameters.json file:

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentParameters.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "vmName": {
      "value": "Metlo-Manager"
    },
    "adminPasswordOrKey": {
      "value": "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2E... your-public-key"
    },
    "location": {
      "value": "eastus"
    }
  }
}

Deploy template

az deployment group create \
  --name metlo-deployment \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --template-file deployment.json \
  --parameters parameters.json

Get deployment outputs

az deployment group show \
  --name metlo-deployment \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --query properties.outputs

Deploy via PowerShell

Connect to Azure

Connect-AzAccount

Set subscription context

Set-AzContext -SubscriptionId "YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"

Create resource group

New-AzResourceGroup -Name "metlo-rg" -Location "eastus"

Deploy ARM template

New-AzResourceGroupDeployment `
  -ResourceGroupName "metlo-rg" `
  -TemplateUri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metlo-labs/metlo/master/deploy/azure/deployment.json" `
  -vmName "Metlo-Manager" `
  -adminPasswordOrKey "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2E... your-public-key"

Resource Details

Virtual Machine

VM Size

string

default:"Standard_B2s"

2 vCPUs
4 GB RAM
Burstable performance tier
Suitable for small to medium production workloads

Operating System

string

default:"Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS"

Latest Ubuntu 18.04 LTS image from Canonical

OS Disk

string

default:"Standard_LRS"

Standard HDD Locally Redundant Storage
30GB disk size
Upgrade to Premium_LRS for better performance

Networking

The deployment creates:

Virtual Network (metloVNet): 10.1.0.0/16 address space
Subnet (metloSubnet): 10.1.0.0/24 address prefix
Public IP Address: Dynamic allocation with DNS label
Network Interface: Connected to subnet with public IP
Network Security Group: With configured security rules

Network Security Group Rules

The template creates the following inbound security rules:

Priority	Name	Port	Protocol	Source	Description
1000	MetloSSH	22	TCP	*	SSH access
1001	Metlo-Collector-10-8	8081	TCP	10.0.0.0/8	Collector from private network
1002	Metlo-Collector-172.16-12	8000	TCP	172.16.0.0/12	UI from private network
1003	Metlo-Collector-192.168-16	8000	TCP	192.168.0.0/16	UI from private network

The default configuration allows SSH access from any IP address (0.0.0.0/0). For production deployments:

Restrict SSH access to specific IP ranges
Consider using Azure Bastion for SSH access
Add rules for ports 8000, 8080, and 8081 as needed

Post-Deployment Configuration

Retrieve Connection Information

The deployment outputs provide:

az deployment group show \
  --name metlo-deployment \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --query properties.outputs.hostname.value -o tsv

SSH Access

Connect using the SSH command from outputs:

ssh [email protected]

Or use the private key if specified:

ssh -i /path/to/private-key [email protected]

Configure Additional NSG Rules

To access Metlo UI and services externally, add NSG rules:

az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --nsg-name metloSecGroupNet \
  --name AllowMetloUI \
  --priority 1100 \
  --source-address-prefixes "YOUR_IP/32" \
  --destination-port-ranges 8000 \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --access Allow

Verify Metlo Installation

SSH into the VM and check the deployment status:

# Check if deployment script completed
sudo cat /var/log/azure/custom-script/handler.log

# Check Metlo services
sudo metlo-deploy status

# View Docker containers
cd /opt/metlo
sudo docker-compose ps

Accessing Metlo

Once the deployment is complete and NSG rules are configured:

Frontend UI: http://YOUR_VM_FQDN:8000
Backend API: http://YOUR_VM_FQDN:8080
Collector Endpoint: http://YOUR_VM_FQDN:8081

Scaling Recommendations

VM Size Upgrades

For production workloads, consider upgrading to:

Workload	VM Size	vCPUs	RAM	Cost/Month*
Small	Standard_B2s	2	4 GB	~$30
Medium	Standard_D2s_v3	2	8 GB	~$70
Large	Standard_D4s_v3	4	16 GB	~$140
X-Large	Standard_D8s_v3	8	32 GB	~$280

*Approximate costs in East US region

Storage Upgrades

Upgrade to Premium SSD for better performance:

az vm deallocate --resource-group metlo-rg --name Metlo-Manager
az vm update --resource-group metlo-rg --name Metlo-Manager \
  --set storageProfile.osDisk.managedDisk.storageAccountType=Premium_LRS
az vm start --resource-group metlo-rg --name Metlo-Manager

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Enable Azure Backup

Create Recovery Services Vault

az backup vault create \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --name metlo-backup-vault \
  --location eastus

Enable backup for VM

az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --vault-name metlo-backup-vault \
  --vm Metlo-Manager \
  --policy-name DefaultPolicy

Trigger on-demand backup

az backup protection backup-now \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --vault-name metlo-backup-vault \
  --container-name Metlo-Manager \
  --item-name Metlo-Manager \
  --retain-until 01-02-2026

Create VM Snapshots

# Create OS disk snapshot
az snapshot create \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --name metlo-snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d) \
  --source $(az vm show -g metlo-rg -n Metlo-Manager --query storageProfile.osDisk.managedDisk.id -o tsv)

Monitoring with Azure Monitor

Enable diagnostic settings

az monitor diagnostic-settings create \
  --resource $(az vm show -g metlo-rg -n Metlo-Manager --query id -o tsv) \
  --name metlo-diagnostics \
  --logs '[{"category":"Administrative","enabled":true}]' \
  --metrics '[{"category":"AllMetrics","enabled":true}]'

Set up alerts

# Alert on high CPU usage
az monitor metrics alert create \
  --name metlo-high-cpu \
  --resource-group metlo-rg \
  --scopes $(az vm show -g metlo-rg -n Metlo-Manager --query id -o tsv) \
  --condition "avg Percentage CPU > 80" \
  --window-size 5m \
  --evaluation-frequency 1m

Cost Management

Estimated monthly costs (East US region):

VM (Standard_B2s): ~$30/month
OS Disk (30GB Standard HDD): ~$1.50/month
Public IP: ~$3/month
Bandwidth: Variable based on usage
Total baseline: ~$35-40/month

Use Azure Pricing Calculator for detailed estimates.

Cost-saving strategies:

Use Azure Reserved VM Instances: Save up to 72% with 1 or 3-year reservations
Enable auto-shutdown: Schedule VM shutdown during non-business hours
Use Spot VMs: For non-production environments (up to 90% savings)
Right-size VMs: Monitor metrics and adjust VM size accordingly

Troubleshooting

Deployment fails with quota exceeded

Check your subscription’s core quota limits
Request quota increase: Portal → Subscriptions → Usage + quotas
Try a different region or VM size

Cannot SSH into VM

Verify NSG allows port 22 from your IP
Check that the VM is running: az vm get-instance-view
Verify SSH public key was correctly specified
Try password authentication if key fails (less secure)

Custom script extension failed

Check extension logs: /var/log/azure/custom-script/handler.log

Manually run deployment script:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metlo-labs/metlo/master/deploy/deploy_script.sh
chmod +x deploy_script.sh
sudo ./deploy_script.sh

Cannot access Metlo UI

Verify NSG rules allow ports 8000, 8080, 8081
Check that Metlo services are running: sudo metlo-deploy status
Ensure public IP is accessible
Check VM firewall: sudo ufw status

Next Steps

Configure Data Sources

Set up integrations to capture API traffic

Configure Alerts

Set up webhook alerts

Environment Variables

Configure environment settings

Security Configuration

Configure security settings

Getting Started

Deployment

Core Features

Testing

Configuration

Azure Deployment

Overview

Prerequisites

Deployment Methods

Deploy via Azure Portal

Deploy via Azure CLI

Deploy via PowerShell

Resource Details

Virtual Machine

Networking

Network Security Group Rules

Post-Deployment Configuration

Retrieve Connection Information

SSH Access

Configure Additional NSG Rules

Verify Metlo Installation

Accessing Metlo

Scaling Recommendations

VM Size Upgrades

Storage Upgrades

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Enable Azure Backup

Create VM Snapshots

Monitoring with Azure Monitor

Enable diagnostic settings

Set up alerts

Cost Management

Cost-saving strategies:

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Configure Data Sources

Configure Alerts

Environment Variables

Security Configuration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Deployment

Core Features

Testing

Configuration

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Deployment Methods

​Deploy via Azure Portal

​Deploy via Azure CLI

​Deploy via PowerShell

​Resource Details

​Virtual Machine

​Networking

​Network Security Group Rules

​Post-Deployment Configuration

​Retrieve Connection Information

​SSH Access

​Configure Additional NSG Rules

​Verify Metlo Installation

​Accessing Metlo

​Scaling Recommendations

​VM Size Upgrades

​Storage Upgrades

​Backup and Disaster Recovery

​Enable Azure Backup

​Create VM Snapshots

​Monitoring with Azure Monitor

​Enable diagnostic settings

​Set up alerts

​Cost Management

​Cost-saving strategies:

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Configure Data Sources

Configure Alerts

Environment Variables

Security Configuration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Deployment Methods

Deploy via Azure Portal

Deploy via Azure CLI

Deploy via PowerShell

Resource Details

Virtual Machine

Networking

Network Security Group Rules

Post-Deployment Configuration

Retrieve Connection Information

SSH Access

Configure Additional NSG Rules

Verify Metlo Installation

Accessing Metlo

Scaling Recommendations

VM Size Upgrades

Storage Upgrades

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Enable Azure Backup

Create VM Snapshots

Monitoring with Azure Monitor

Enable diagnostic settings

Set up alerts

Cost Management

Cost-saving strategies:

Troubleshooting

Next Steps