ARM template error Bad JSON content found in the request

Question

I am trying to deploy an ARM template using the Azure DevOps release pipeline. Azure KeyVault is one of the resources in the template. the deployment is successful when I use the Powershell script. however, when Azure DevOps Release pipeline is used, deployment fails with error "Bad JSON content found in the request"

https://i.stack.imgur.com/o9sbD.png

The key vault resource definition is as below.

{
  "type": "Microsoft.KeyVault/vaults",
  "apiVersion": "2018-02-14",
  "name": "[parameters('keyVaultName')]",
  "location": "[parameters('location')]",
  "tags": {
    "displayName": "KeyVault"
  },
  "properties": {
    "enabledForDeployment": "[parameters('enabledForDeployment')]",
    "enabledForTemplateDeployment": "[parameters('enabledForTemplateDeployment')]",
    "enabledForDiskEncryption": "[parameters('enabledForDiskEncryption')]",
    "tenantId": "[parameters('tenantId')]",
    "accessPolicies": [],
    "sku": {
      "name": "[parameters('skuName')]",
      "family": "A"
    }
  }
}

Update: I suspected that it could be because of tenant id and hardcoded the tenant id to test. But still no luck.

How do you configure the tenantId in parameters? I use this format imgur.com/a/e6dOHOR, and succeed to deploy ARM with the deploy task. If convenient, you'd better share your complete json structure here. — Merlin Liang - MSFT
Hi @MerlinLiang-MSFT, this is how I configure tenant id. "tenantId": { "type": "string", "defaultValue": "[subscription().tenantId]", "metadata": { "description": "Specifies the Azure Active Directory tenant ID that should be used for authenticating requests to the key vault. Get it by using Get-AzSubscription cmdlet." } } — srinivasa mahendrakar
There's no any issue on this parameter. I create a completed ARM template based on the script you provided(github.com/LiangMengdi/ARM-Key-Vault). Could you try with my template(Just need go parameter.json file, then change the corresponding key vault name with yours). Then you can modify my template as yours, thus I could analyze where's the issue come from. — Merlin Liang - MSFT
Hi @MerlinLiang-MSFT, I used ARM template and the parameter file you provided at (github.com/LiangMengdi/ARM-Key-Vault ) . When deploy it using Release pipeline, i still get this error "error": { "code": "BadRequest", "message": "Bad JSON content found in the request." } } — srinivasa mahendrakar
Are you deploy with create a new azure resource? Also, can you let me get clearly know how’s your completed ARM template? And with the detailed build log by setting debug=true? If you have any security worry, let me know, I would give you a security method to share these to us. — Merlin Liang - MSFT

Merlin Liang - MSFT Merlin Liang - MSFT · Accepted Answer · 2019-10-23T12:54:06

According to the log, you are specifying the override parameters in the task. That's why you are using the ARM template I provided, but still facing the Bad request error. Because in the task logic, the script which in ARM files is the request body of the API. And we use this API to create a resource you specified in azure. For detailed task logic described, you can refer my previous answer.

The parameter definition in the ARM template is correct, but now, the error caused by the override parameters specified:

More specifically, the error is because of the subscription().tenantId in your parameter override definition.

You can try to use Write-Host subscription().tenantId to get its value and print out by using Azure powershell task. You will see that it could not get any thing. One word, this can only used in Json file instead of used in task.

So now, because of no value get from this expression, also you have override the previous value which defined in the JSON file. It will lack the key parameter value(tenantId) in the request body when the task is going to create a azure resource with API.

There has 2 solution can solve it.

1. Do not try to override the parameters which its value is using expression.

Here I just mean the parameter that relevant with Azure subscription. Most of the expression could not be compiled in the Azure ARM deploy task.

2. If you still want to override these special parameters with the special expression in the task.

If this, you must add one task firstly, to get the tenantId from that. Then pass it into the ARM deploy task.

You can add Azure Powershell task by using the following sample script:

Write-Output "Getting tenantId using Get-AzureRmSubscription..."

$subscription = (Get-AzureRmSubscription -SubscriptionId $azureSubscriptionId)

Write-Output "Requested subscription: $azureSubscriptionId"

$subscriptionId = $subscription.Id
$subscriptionName = $subscription.Name
$tenantId = $subscription.tenantId

Write-Output "Subscription Id: $subscriptionId"
Write-Output "Subscription Name: $subscriptionName"
Write-Output "Tenant Id: $tenantId"
Write-Host  "##vso[task.setvariable variable=TenantID;]$$tenantId"

Then in the next task, you can use $(TenantID) to get its value.

Here you can refer to this two excellent blog: Blog1 and Blog2

I still recommend you to use the first solution since the volume of the pipeline will increase and complicate if choosing the second solution.

ARM template error Bad JSON content found in the request

1 Answers