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azure/azure-cli

★ 4,529PythonAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

Microsoft's official command-line tool for managing Azure cloud resources, create virtual machines, databases, and storage by typing commands instead of clicking through the web dashboard.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((azure-cli))
    What it does
      Cloud management
      Terminal commands
      Script automation
    Tech Stack
      Python
      JMESPath
      Docker
    Resources Managed
      Virtual machines
      Storage accounts
      Databases
    Features
      VS Code extension
      JSON output
      Tab completion
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Create and manage Azure virtual machines, storage accounts, and databases from the terminal

USE CASE 2

Write shell scripts that provision and configure Azure cloud infrastructure automatically

USE CASE 3

Filter and reshape Azure API responses using JMESPath queries to extract just the data fields you need

USE CASE 4

Run Azure CLI commands inside VS Code with IntelliSense autocompletion without leaving the editor

Tech stack

PythonAzureJMESPathDocker

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires an active Microsoft Azure account and subscription to manage any cloud resources.

In plain English

Azure CLI is the official command-line tool from Microsoft for managing resources on the Azure cloud platform. Instead of clicking through a web dashboard, you type commands in a terminal to create, configure, and monitor things like virtual machines, storage accounts, databases, and networking. The tool works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it can also be used directly in a browser through the Azure Cloud Shell without installing anything. All commands follow the same pattern: az followed by a group name, a subgroup, a command, and any parameters. For example, az vm create starts a new virtual machine. Built-in tab completion helps you discover available commands and fill in option values like resource group names without having to memorize them. The tool gives you a lot of control over output format. Results can be displayed as a table for quick reading or as JSON for use in scripts. You can also filter and reshape the output using a query language called JMESPath, which lets you extract just the fields you need from potentially large responses. Exit codes are consistent and documented, so scripts can check whether a command succeeded or why it failed. A Visual Studio Code extension is available that adds IntelliSense autocompletion for Azure CLI commands inside the editor. You can write commands in a dedicated file type and run them directly from VS Code with output shown in a side panel. The tool is installed via the official install guide, which covers platform-specific installers. A Docker image is also available for isolated environments. Telemetry is collected by default to help Microsoft improve the product, but it can be disabled with a single configuration command. Bugs and feature requests are tracked through the GitHub issues page.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me the Azure CLI command to create a new Linux virtual machine in a specific resource group with a chosen size
Prompt 2
How do I use JMESPath with the Azure CLI to list all my VMs and show only their names and current power state?
Prompt 3
Write an Azure CLI script that creates a storage account, uploads a local file, and outputs the URL to access it
Prompt 4
How do I disable telemetry collection in the Azure CLI with a single command?
Prompt 5
Show me how to install the Azure CLI on Ubuntu and log in to my Azure subscription from the terminal
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