Getting Started with Azure CLI
Introduction
Here’s a quick how-to guide for using Azure CLI, based on Microsoft’s official documentation [1 - 3].
Azure CLI is a cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources. You can run it:
- Locally (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- In a Docker container
- In the browser via Azure Cloud Shell (no installation required)
Installation
Choose your platform:
Windows
winget install --exact --id Microsoft.AzureCLI
macOS
brew update && brew install azure-cli
Linux
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash
Docker
docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli:azurelinux3.0
Or use Azure Cloud Shell directly in your browser.
Authentication
To sign in:
az login
When you use az login interactively, it opens a browser window and requires multi-factor authentication (MFA). This is fine for manual use, but not suitable for automation (CI/CD pipelines, scripts, etc) because MFA requires human interaction and it’s not secure to store credentials in scripts.
If you’re using automation, consider switching to service principals or managed identities, especially with upcoming MFA requirements.
Managing Subscriptions
To view your current subscription:
az account show --output table
To switch subscriptions:
az account set --subscription "MySubscriptionName"
Finding Commands
Use:
az find "vm"
Or:
az vm --help
To explore subgroups and parameters.
Interactive Mode
Launch with:
az interactive
This mode provides inline help, autocomplete, and command suggestions.
Examples
Create a VM
az vm create -g MyResourceGroup -n MyVm --image UbuntuLTS
List storage accounts
az storage account list --output table
Set default location and resource group
az config set defaults.location=westus2 defaults.group=MyResourceGroup
References
[1] Get started with Azure CLI