Provisioning ACS Resources¶

Provisioning Azure Communication Services (ACS) involves creating the core resource, configuring data residency, and optionally setting up communication channels like SMS and Email.

graph TD
    Start[New Project] --> Core[Create ACS Resource]
    Core --> Data[Configure Data Residency]
    Data --> SMS[Phone Number Acquisition]
    Data --> Email[Email Domain Setup]
    SMS --> Ready[Ready for Development]
    Email --> Ready

Creating ACS Resources¶

Azure CLI¶

The most efficient way to create a resource for repeatable environments.

az communication create \
    --name my-acs-resource \
    --location Global \
    --data-location UnitedStates \
    --resource-group my-rg

Bicep¶

For Infrastructure as Code, use the Microsoft.Communication/communicationServices resource type.

resource acsResource 'Microsoft.Communication/communicationServices@2023-04-01-preview' = {
  name: 'my-acs-resource'
  location: 'Global'
  properties: {
    dataLocation: 'UnitedStates'
  }
}

Resource Configuration Options¶

Communication Channels Setup¶

Phone Number Acquisition¶

Phone numbers are acquired via the Azure Portal (Communication Service → Phone numbers → Get). The Azure CLI does not search or purchase numbers; use it to inventory numbers already acquired on the resource:

az communication phonenumber list \
    --connection-string "<connection-string>"

Email Domain Setup¶

1. Create an Email Communication Service resource.
2. Add and verify a custom domain or use an Azure Managed Domain.
3. Link the verified domain to your ACS resource.

Prerequisites¶

• An Azure subscription and a resource group to hold the ACS resource.
• Azure CLI (with the communication extension) or a Bicep/IaC toolchain configured.
• Permission to create Microsoft.Communication/communicationServices resources (for example Contributor on the resource group).
• A decided data residency region, since dataLocation is immutable after creation.

When to Use¶

Follow this procedure when standing up ACS for a new project, adding a new environment (dev, staging, production), or enabling a new channel such as SMS or Email on an existing resource. Data residency and domain decisions should be settled before provisioning, because the data location cannot be changed later.

Procedure¶

1. Create the core ACS resource with the CLI or Bicep, setting dataLocation to the required residency region.
2. Configure resource options — linkedDomains, tags — for organization and billing.
3. Acquire phone numbers through the Azure Portal for SMS/voice channels, then inventory them with the CLI.
4. For Email, create an Email Communication Service resource, verify a custom or Azure Managed Domain, and link it to the ACS resource.

Verification¶

• The ACS resource exists in the target resource group and reports the expected dataLocation.
• Acquired phone numbers appear in az communication phonenumber list.
• Any linked email domain shows a verified status before it is used to send.

Rollback / Troubleshooting¶

• To roll back a bad provisioning run, delete the ACS (and any Email Communication Service) resource and recreate it with corrected settings — remember dataLocation cannot be edited in place.
• If domain linking fails, confirm DNS verification records are in place before retrying the link.
• If phone-number acquisition is unavailable, verify the country/subtype eligibility and that the resource's data location supports the number type.

See Also¶

• Email Provisioning
• Bicep & Terraform Deployment
• Resource Types

Sources¶

• Azure Communication Services documentation
• Quickstart: Create and manage Communication Services resources
• How to: Create an Email Communication Service