azure-cli
Manage Azure cloud resources from the command line.
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
az [group] [subgroup] command [options]
DESCRIPTION
azure-cli is the cross-platform command-line interface for Microsoft Azure. It provides the `az` command, which manages Azure resources through a tree of command groups (for example `az vm`, `az storage`, `az group`, `az aks`, `az network`) and is distributed as a Python package with associated service modules.Commands follow the pattern `az <group> <subgroup> <command>`. Output defaults to JSON but can be switched to a table, TSV, YAML, or none, and JMESPath `--query` expressions filter and reshape results. Additional functionality is added through extensions managed by `az extension`.The package can be installed via pip, OS package managers, or standalone installers.
PARAMETERS
-o, --output format
Output format: json (default), jsonc, table, tsv, yaml, yamlc, or none.--query jmespath
JMESPath query string to filter and project the response.--subscription nameorid
Name or ID of the subscription to target for this command.-h, --help
Show help for the command or group.--verbose
Increase logging verbosity.--debug
Show full debug logs, useful when filing issues.--only-show-errors
Suppress warnings and show only errors.
CONFIGURATION
~/.azure/config
User-specific Azure CLI configuration file for defaults, output format, and extension settings.
COMMON COMMANDS
az login / az logout
Sign in to or out of Azure.az account
Manage subscriptions and the active context.az group
Manage resource groups.az upgrade
Update the CLI and installed extensions to the latest version.az extension
Install and manage CLI extensions.az interactive
Start an interactive shell with autocompletion and examples.az config
Manage persisted CLI defaults (replaces `az configure` for defaults).
INSTALLATION METHODS
Python pip
Download MSI installer from MicrosoftDocker
COMPONENTS
The package includes:- Core CLI (`az` command)- All service modules- Extensions framework- Auto-completion support- Telemetry (can be disabled)
CAVEATS
Requires Python 3.8+. Large installation size (hundreds of MB). Regular updates needed for new features. Some older Linux distributions need manual dependency installation. Extensions installed separately.
HISTORY
azure-cli (version 2.0+) was released in 2017 as a complete rewrite in Python, replacing the Node.js-based version 1.0.
SEE ALSO
az(1), az-login(1), az-account(1), az-extension(1), azcopy(1), pip(1)