---
id: azure-cli
version: "2.89.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# azure-cli — Microsoft Azure Command-Line Tools

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 6.9M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Azure CLI is Microsoft's official command-line interface for managing Azure cloud resources. It provides a unified way to create, configure, and manage virtual machines, storage accounts, databases, networking, and dozens of other Azure services from the terminal or scripts. The tool uses a hierarchical command structure (az [group] [subgroup] [command]) with tab completion, JMESPath query support for output filtering, and smart defaults for common operations like VM creation.

The package bundles 108 runtime dependencies covering Azure service SDKs (compute, storage, databases, key vault, AI services, and more), allowing you to orchestrate infrastructure, deploy applications, and manage cloud resources without leaving the command line. It's actively maintained, supports modern Python versions, and is positioned as production-stable.

Use it for:

- Provision and manage virtual machines, resource groups, and networking infrastructure on Azure from scripts or CI/CD pipelines.
- Automate deployment of web apps, containers, and databases by chaining Azure CLI commands in shell scripts.
- Query and filter Azure resources using JMESPath syntax to extract specific information for monitoring or reporting.
- Configure and rotate secrets, certificates, and keys stored in Azure Key Vault.
- Create and manage container registries, app services, and other managed services without using the Azure Portal.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Azure CLI is a command-line tool for managing Azure cloud resources and services across compute, storage, networking, databases, and other Azure offerings.

Yes. Azure CLI is the standard tool for Azure infrastructure automation and is actively maintained with no known vulnerabilities. Install it if you manage Azure resources, need to automate cloud deployments, or prefer command-line workflows over the portal. The low install friction and broad service coverage make it a practical choice for Azure users.

## Install

pip install azure-cli
uv add azure-cli
poetry add azure-cli

## Installing azure-cli

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure Python wheel. Actively maintained with a recent release (2 days old) and 4602 repository stars. Supports current Python versions (3.10–3.14) and requires Python ≥3.10.0.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this tool freely with minimal restrictions, making it safe for both personal and commercial use.

Quickstart:

pip install azure-cli
az configure
az vm create -g MyGroup -n MyVM --image ubuntults

Requires Python ≥3.10.0. Azure credentials and subscription must be configured via `az configure` before most commands will work.

Verify before relying:

- Whether all 108 runtime dependencies are required for basic CLI functionality or only for specific service modules.
- Performance characteristics and typical response times for common operations like resource listing or creation.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 6.9M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

azure command line tool, azure cloud cli, manage azure resources from terminal, azure infrastructure automation, azure service management cli, cloud resource provisioning cli, azure vm and storage cli, cloud-infrastructure, azure-sdk, devops

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