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Azure CLI Installation Guide

Complete guide for installing and configuring Azure Command Line Interface (CLI) across different operating systems.

The Azure Command Line Interface (Azure CLI) is a cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources.

Prerequisites

  • Active Azure subscription
  • Internet connection
  • Python 3.6 or later (for some operating systems)
  • Administrative privileges

Installation Instructions

Ubuntu/Debian Installation

# Get packages needed for the installation process
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl apt-transport-https lsb-release gnupg
 
# Download and install the Microsoft signing key
curl -sL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | \
  gpg --dearmor | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/microsoft.gpg > /dev/null
 
# Add the Azure CLI software repository
AZ_REPO=$(lsb_release -cs)
echo "deb [arch=`dpkg --print-architecture`] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/azure-cli/ $AZ_REPO main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/azure-cli.list
 
# Install Azure CLI
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y azure-cli
 
# Verify installation
az --version

Configuration

Initial Setup

# Login to Azure
az login
 
# List subscriptions
az account list
 
# Set default subscription
az account set --subscription "My Subscription"

Environment Configuration

# Set default output format
az configure --defaults output=table
 
# Set default location
az configure --defaults location=westus2
 
# View current configuration
az configure --list-defaults

Multiple Accounts

# Login with different account
az login --use-device-code
 
# Switch between accounts
az account set --subscription "Other Subscription"
 
# List accounts
az account list --output table

Basic Usage

Resource Groups

# Create resource group
az group create --name myResourceGroup --location westus2
 
# List resource groups
az group list --output table
 
# Delete resource group
az group delete --name myResourceGroup --yes

Virtual Machines

# Create VM
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name myVM \
  --image UbuntuLTS \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys
 
# List VMs
az vm list --output table
 
# Start/Stop VM
az vm start --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myVM
az vm stop --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myVM

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

  1. Resource Management

    # Use resource groups for organization
az group create --name myApp-prod --location westus2 --tags Environment=Production
 
# Use tags for resource tracking
az resource tag --tags Environment=Production \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name myResource \
  --resource-type "Microsoft.Web/sites"

  2. Security

    # Use service principals for automation
az ad sp create-for-rbac --name myApp
 
# Manage role assignments
az role assignment create \
  --assignee <principal-id> \
  --role Contributor \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup

  3. Automation

    # Create deployment from template
az deployment group create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --template-file template.json \
  --parameters parameters.json

Advanced Configuration

Azure CLI Configuration File

// ~/.azure/config
{
  "defaults": {
    "group": "myResourceGroup",
    "location": "westus2",
    "vm": {
      "image": "UbuntuLTS",
      "size": "Standard_DS2_v2"
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

# Set environment variables
export AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID="your-subscription-id"
export AZURE_TENANT_ID="your-tenant-id"
export AZURE_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"

Extensions

# List available extensions
az extension list-available --output table
 
# Install extension
az extension add --name <extension-name>
 
# Update all extensions
az extension update --all
 
# Remove extension
az extension remove --name <extension-name>

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