Templates represent common virtual machine configuration. A virtual machine template is a library resource that consists of a guest operating system profile, a hardware profile, and one or more VHDs. You can use templates to create sets of virtual machines that share the same hardware and software configuration. You can create templates specifically for self-service users.
You can use virtual machine templates to enable faster deployment of new machines. You can also use the templates to ensure the usage of standard hardware and software configurations. A virtual machine template helps you to create an automated and quick method to set up a new virtual machine, including server requirements such as server applications.
You can create a virtual machine template based on an existing VHD, an existing template, or an existing virtual machine that is deployed on a host server.