Azure CLI

What it is

Azure CLI is Microsoft’s cross-platform command-line tool for working with Azure. Its commands start with az. You can run them interactively in a terminal or place them in scripts for repeatable administration and deployment tasks.

Why it exists

Clicking through a portal is useful for learning and investigation, but repeated work needs a recordable process. The CLI lets Northwind express a task as commands that can be reviewed, tested, versioned, and rerun with appropriate safeguards.

Key ideas

• Command groups reflect Azure tasks, such as az group, az vm, az storage, and az deployment. Use az help and current reference documentation rather than memorizing a long command list.
• The CLI can run locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux, in a container, or in Cloud Shell. It is the tool, not the terminal program that hosts it.
• Authenticate with an appropriate method for the situation. An interactive human sign-in differs from a workload identity or service principal used by automation.
• The active subscription is part of command context. Set or verify it before any command that can change resources; a valid login can still point at the wrong subscription.
• JSON is the default output format. Other formats, such as a table for human reading, are available. Prefer machine-readable output for scripts and treat it as an interface that needs careful parsing.

How it fits (diagram)

Diagrams courtesy of Microsoft Learn / Azure docs: azure/cli/

Northwind example

Maya uses az to list the subscriptions she can access, deliberately selects Northwind production, and queries the resource group before a deployment. A pipeline uses a separate, least-privileged workload identity to deploy reviewed Bicep infrastructure. The team does not copy Maya’s interactive credentials into the pipeline or rely on a default subscription that might change between machines.

CLI versus portal and Cloud Shell

Tool	Best starting use
Azure CLI	Scriptable, command-driven Azure work.
[[azure-portal	Azure portal]]
[[cloud-shell	Cloud Shell]]

They use the same Azure authorization model. The chosen interface does not change what a user or workload is allowed to do.

Common confusion

• A command that succeeds has performed an Azure action; it is not merely a local preview unless its documentation says it is.
• CLI commands manage both control-plane resources and, in some cases, data-plane operations. Required permissions vary by command.
• A shell script is not automatically safe or idempotent. Handle existing resources, failures, retries, secrets, and the exact target scope deliberately.

Related

Path MOC · azure-vm · bicep · arm-template

Sources and re-audit

• Microsoft Learn — What is the Azure CLI?, checked 2026-09-16.