Azure CLI Skill

Master the Azure command-line interface for cloud infrastructure management, automation, and DevOps workflows.

Azure CLI is Microsoft's powerful cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources. This skill provides comprehensive knowledge of Azure CLI commands, authentication, resource management, and automation patterns.

What You'll Learn

Core Concepts

Azure subscription and resource group architecture
Authentication methods and credential management
Resource Provider organization and registration
Global parameters, output formatting, and query syntax
Automation scripting and error handling

Major Service Areas (66 command modules)

Compute: Virtual Machines, Scale Sets, Kubernetes (AKS), Containers
Networking: Virtual Networks, Load Balancers, CDN, Traffic Manager
Storage & Data: Storage Accounts, Data Lake, Cosmos DB, Databases
Application Services: App Service, Functions, Container Apps
Databases: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, CosmosDB
Integration & Messaging: Event Hubs, Service Bus, Logic Apps
Monitoring & Management: Azure Monitor, Policy, RBAC, Cost Management
AI & Machine Learning: Cognitive Services, Machine Learning
DevOps: Azure DevOps, Pipelines, Extensions

Quick Start

Installation

macOS:

brew install azure-cli

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCliLinux | bash

Windows:

choco install azure-cli

# Or download MSI from https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCliWindowsMSI

Verify Installation:

az --version          # Show version
az --help             # Show general help

First Steps


# 1. Login to Azure (opens browser for authentication)
az login

# 2. View your subscriptions
az account list

# 3. Set default subscription (optional)
az account set --subscription "My Subscription"

# 4. Create a resource group
az group create -g myResourceGroup -l eastus

# 5. List your resource groups
az group list

Essential Commands

Authentication & Accounts

az login                                    # Interactive login
az login --service-principal -u APP_ID -p PASSWORD -t TENANT_ID
az login --identity                         # Managed identity
az logout                                   # Sign out
az account show                             # Current account
az account list                             # All accounts
az account set --subscription SUBSCRIPTION  # Set default

Global Flags (Use with Any Command)

--subscription ID       # Target subscription
--resource-group -g RG  # Target resource group
--output -o json|table|tsv|yaml  # Output format
--query JMESPATH_QUERY  # Filter/extract output
--verbose -v            # Verbose output
--debug                 # Debug mode
--help -h               # Command help

Resource Groups

az group list           # List all resource groups
az group create -g RG -l LOCATION  # Create
az group delete -g RG   # Delete
az group show -g RG     # Get details
az group update -g RG --tags key=value  # Update tags

Virtual Machines (Compute)

az vm create -g RG -n VM_NAME --image UbuntuLTS
az vm list -g RG
az vm show -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm start -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm stop -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm restart -g RG -n VM_NAME
az vm delete -g RG -n VM_NAME

Storage Operations

az storage account create -g RG -n ACCOUNT --sku Standard_LRS
az storage account list
az storage container create --account-name ACCOUNT -n CONTAINER
az storage blob upload --account-name ACCOUNT -c CONTAINER -n BLOB -f LOCAL_FILE
az storage blob download --account-name ACCOUNT -c CONTAINER -n BLOB -f LOCAL_FILE

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

az aks create -g RG -n CLUSTER --node-count 2
az aks get-credentials -g RG -n CLUSTER
az aks list
az aks show -g RG -n CLUSTER
az aks delete -g RG -n CLUSTER

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Output Formatting


# Get only specific fields
az vm list --query "[].{name: name, state: powerState}"

# Get just the names
az vm list --query "[].name" -o tsv

# Filter and extract
az vm list --query "[?powerState=='VM running'].name"

Pattern 2: Automation & Scripting

#!/bin/bash
set -e  # Exit on error

# Get VM ID
VM_ID=$(az vm create \
  -g myRG \
  -n myVM \
  --image UbuntuLTS \
  --query id \
  --output tsv)

echo "Created VM: $VM_ID"

# Check provisioning state
az vm show --ids "$VM_ID" --query provisioningState

Pattern 3: Batch Operations


# Delete all VMs in a resource group
az vm list -g myRG -d --query "[].id" -o tsv | xargs az vm delete --ids

# List all resources by tag
az resource list --tag env=production

Pattern 4: Using Defaults


# Set defaults to reduce typing
az configure --defaults group=myRG subscription=mySubscription location=eastus

# Now commands are simpler
az vm create -n myVM --image UbuntuLTS  # group, subscription, location inherited

Helper Scripts

This skill includes helper bash scripts for common operations:

azure-vm-status.sh — Check VM status across subscription
azure-resource-cleanup.sh — Identify and remove unused resources
azure-storage-analysis.sh — Analyze storage account usage and costs
azure-subscription-info.sh — Get subscription quotas and limits
azure-rg-deploy.sh — Deploy infrastructure with monitoring

Usage:

./scripts/azure-vm-status.sh -g myResourceGroup
./scripts/azure-storage-analysis.sh --subscription mySubscription

Advanced Topics

Output Querying with JMESPath

Azure CLI supports powerful output filtering using JMESPath:


# Sort results
az vm list --query "sort_by([], &name)"

# Complex filtering
az vm list --query "[?location=='eastus' && powerState=='VM running'].name"

# Aggregation
az vm list --query "length([])"  # Count VMs

Error Handling


# Check exit codes
az vm create -g RG -n VM --image UbuntuLTS
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "VM created successfully"
else
  echo "Failed to create VM"
  exit 1
fi

Authentication Methods

Service Principal (Automation):

az login --service-principal \
  --username $AZURE_CLIENT_ID \
  --password $AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET \
  --tenant $AZURE_TENANT_ID

Managed Identity (Azure Resources):


# On an Azure VM or Container Instance
az login --identity

Token-based (CI/CD):

echo "$AZURE_ACCESS_TOKEN" | az login --service-principal -u $AZURE_CLIENT_ID --password-stdin --tenant $AZURE_TENANT_ID

Key Resources

Official Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/
Command Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/reference-index
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli
Comprehensive Guide: See references/REFERENCE.md
Release Notes: https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli/releases

Tips & Tricks

Enable Tab Completion: ```bash # macOS with Homebrew eval "$(az completion init zsh)"

# Linux (bash) eval "$(az completion init bash)" ```

Find Commands Quickly: bash az find "create virtual machine" # Search for commands
Use --no-wait for Long Operations: ```bash az vm create -g RG -n VM --image UbuntuLTS --no-wait

Check status later with az vm show
Save Frequently Used Parameters: bash az configure --defaults group=myRG location=eastus
Combine with Other Tools: ```bash

Use with jq for advanced JSON processing

az vm list | jq '.[] | select(.powerState == "VM running") | .name'

# Use with xargs for batch operations az storage account list --query "[].name" -o tsv | xargs -I {} az storage account show -g RG -n {} ```

Next Steps

Review references/REFERENCE.md for comprehensive command documentation
Explore helper scripts in the scripts/ directory
Practice with non-production resources first
Review Azure best practices and cost optimization strategies

Version: 1.0.0
License: MIT
Compatible with: Azure CLI v2.50+, Azure Subscription

azure-cli