Azure CLI and Cloud Shell - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Sometimes you need to manage your cloud resources quickly without opening a full portal. Azure CLI and Cloud Shell let you type commands to create, update, or check your cloud setup easily from anywhere.

When you want to create a virtual machine without using the web portal.

When you need to check the status of your cloud resources from a remote computer.

When you want to automate tasks like starting or stopping services with scripts.

When you prefer typing commands instead of clicking through menus.

When you want a ready-to-use environment with tools pre-installed for managing Azure.

Commands

This command logs you into your Azure account so you can manage your resources. It opens a browser window to enter your credentials.

Terminal

az login

Expected Output

To sign in, use a web browser to open the page https://microsoft.com/devicelogin and enter the code ABCD1234 to authenticate.



You have logged in. Now let us find all the subscriptions to which you have access...



[{

  "cloudName": "AzureCloud",

  "id": "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx",

  "isDefault": true,

  "name": "My Subscription",

  "state": "Enabled",

  "tenantId": "yyyyyyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyyyyyyyy",

  "user": {

    "name": "[e-mail]",

    "type": "user"

  }

}]

This command creates a group to hold your cloud resources in the East US region. Groups help organize and manage resources together.

Terminal

az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

Expected Output

{

  "id": "/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup",

  "location": "eastus",

  "managedBy": null,

  "name": "myResourceGroup",

  "properties": {

    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"

  },

  "tags": {},

  "type": "Microsoft.Resources/resourceGroups"

}

→

--name - Sets the name of the resource group

→

--location - Specifies the Azure region for the group

This command creates a virtual machine named myVM in the myResourceGroup group using the latest Ubuntu image. It also creates SSH keys for secure login.

Terminal

az vm create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myVM --image UbuntuLTS --generate-ssh-keys

Expected Output

{

  "fqdns": "",

  "id": "/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/myVM",

  "location": "eastus",

  "name": "myVM",

  "powerState": "VM running",

  "privateIpAddress": "10.0.0.4",

  "publicIpAddress": "52.170.12.34",

  "resourceGroup": "myResourceGroup",

  "zones": ""

}

→

--resource-group - Specifies the group where the VM will be created

→

--name - Sets the name of the virtual machine

→

--image - Chooses the operating system image for the VM

→

--generate-ssh-keys - Creates SSH keys if none exist for secure access

This command lists all virtual machines with their status in a simple table format so you can see which ones are running.

Terminal

az vm list -d -o table

Expected Output

Name    ResourceGroup    Location    Zones    PowerState

------  ---------------  ----------  -------  ------------

myVM    myResourceGroup  eastus               VM running

→

-d - Shows instance view including power state

→

-o - Formats output as a readable table

This command logs you out of your Azure account to keep your session secure when you finish working.

Terminal

az logout

Expected Output

No output (command runs silently)

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: Azure CLI lets you control your cloud resources quickly by typing commands, and Cloud Shell gives you a ready-made place to run these commands anywhere.

Common Mistakes

Trying to run Azure CLI commands without logging in first.

Commands fail because Azure needs to know who you are to allow access.

Always run 'az login' before other commands to authenticate.

Not specifying the resource group when creating resources.

Azure cannot place the resource properly, causing errors or confusion.

Use the --resource-group flag to specify where the resource belongs.

Ignoring the output format and getting hard-to-read JSON by default.

It makes it difficult to quickly understand the status or details.

Use '-o table' or other output flags to get clear, readable results.

Summary

Use 'az login' to sign in to your Azure account before managing resources.

Create and organize resources with commands like 'az group create' and 'az vm create'.

Check resource status with 'az vm list' and log out securely with 'az logout'.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of Azure Cloud Shell?

easy

A. To store files permanently in Azure storage

B. To create virtual machines automatically without commands

C. To replace the Azure Portal with a graphical interface

D. To provide a ready-to-use command line interface in the browser with Azure CLI pre-installed

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Cloud Shell functionality

   Cloud Shell is a browser-based shell environment with Azure CLI and other tools pre-installed, ready for use without setup.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options B, C, and D describe other Azure features but not Cloud Shell's main purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   To provide a ready-to-use command line interface in the browser with Azure CLI pre-installed -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Cloud Shell = browser CLI with Azure CLI [OK]

Hint: Cloud Shell = browser command line ready to use [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Cloud Shell is a GUI tool
• Confusing Cloud Shell with Azure Portal
• Assuming Cloud Shell stores files permanently

2. Which command correctly logs you into Azure CLI in Cloud Shell?

easy

A. az connect

B. az login

C. az start

D. az authenticate

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the login command in Azure CLI

   The command to log in to Azure CLI is az login.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Commands like az connect, az start, and az authenticate do not exist or are incorrect for login.

3. Final Answer:

   az login -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Login command = az login [OK]

Hint: Login always uses 'az login' command [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'az connect' instead of 'az login'
• Trying 'az start' to login
• Assuming 'az authenticate' is valid

3. What will the following command do?

az group create --name MyResourceGroup --location eastus

medium

A. Create a new resource group named MyResourceGroup in the East US region

B. Delete the resource group named MyResourceGroup

C. List all resource groups in East US

D. Create a virtual machine named MyResourceGroup

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command structure

   az group create creates a resource group. The parameters specify the name and location.

2. Step 2: Interpret parameters

   --name sets the resource group name to 'MyResourceGroup', --location sets the region to 'eastus'.

3. Final Answer:

   Create a new resource group named MyResourceGroup in the East US region -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   az group create = create resource group [OK]

Hint: az group create = make new resource group [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing resource group creation with VM creation
• Thinking it deletes or lists groups
• Misunderstanding --location parameter

4. You run this command in Cloud Shell:

az vm create --resource-group MyGroup --name MyVM --image UbuntuLTS

But get an error saying the resource group does not exist. What should you do?

medium

A. Create the resource group first using az group create

B. Change the VM name to match an existing resource group

C. Run az vm delete before creating the VM

D. Use az vm list to create the resource group

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error cause

   The error says the resource group 'MyGroup' does not exist, so the VM cannot be created there.

2. Step 2: Fix by creating the resource group

   You must create the resource group first with az group create --name MyGroup --location eastus (or another location).

3. Final Answer:

   Create the resource group first using az group create -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Resource group must exist before VM creation [OK]

Hint: Create resource group before VM creation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to delete VM before creating resource group
• Changing VM name instead of resource group
• Using az vm list to create groups

5. You want to automate creating a VM and then immediately open its public IP in your browser using Azure CLI in Cloud Shell. Which sequence of commands is correct?

hard

A. az vm create --resource-group RG --name VM1 --image UbuntuLTS && az vm get-ip VM1 | open-browser

B. az vm create --resource-group RG --name VM1 --image UbuntuLTS; az vm list-ip --name VM1 | open

C. az vm create --resource-group RG --name VM1 --image UbuntuLTS && az vm show --resource-group RG --name VM1 --query publicIpAddress -o tsv | xargs xdg-open

D. az vm create --resource-group RG --name VM1 --image UbuntuLTS && az vm show --resource-group RG --name VM1 --query publicIpAddress -o tsv | xargs open

Solution

1. Step 1: Create VM with az vm create

   This command creates the VM in the specified resource group with the Ubuntu image.

2. Step 2: Retrieve public IP and open in browser

   az vm show --query publicIpAddress -o tsv extracts the IP. Piping to xdg-open opens it in the default browser on Linux-based Cloud Shell.

3. Step 3: Analyze options

   Options B and C use invalid commands or syntax. az vm create --resource-group RG --name VM1 --image UbuntuLTS && az vm show --resource-group RG --name VM1 --query publicIpAddress -o tsv | xargs open uses open which is MacOS-specific, not Cloud Shell.

4. Final Answer:

   az vm create ... && az vm show ... | xargs xdg-open -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Use az vm show + xdg-open in Cloud Shell [OK]

Hint: Use az vm show + xdg-open to open IP in Cloud Shell [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using MacOS 'open' command in Cloud Shell
• Using non-existent commands like az vm get-ip
• Not piping IP correctly to open command