Manage Azure Resources with PowerShell

Introduction

Azure PowerShell provides a powerful and interactive way to manage your Azure resources. This module allows you to script and automate common Azure tasks, from deploying virtual machines to managing storage accounts and configuring networks.

This document will guide you through the fundamental cmdlets for managing resources in Azure using PowerShell.

Prerequisites

An Azure subscription. If you don't have one, you can create a free account.
Azure PowerShell module installed. If you haven't installed it, follow the instructions on the Get Started with Azure PowerShell page.

Connecting to Azure

Before you can manage resources, you need to connect to your Azure account. Use the Connect-AzAccount cmdlet:

Connect-AzAccount

This will prompt you to sign in to your Azure account. Once authenticated, you can select the subscription you want to work with if you have multiple.

Selecting a Subscription

To list your available subscriptions and set the current one:

# List all subscriptions
Get-AzSubscription

# Set a specific subscription as the current one
Set-AzContext -SubscriptionId "YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"

Managing Resource Groups

Resource groups are logical containers for your Azure resources. They help you organize and manage related resources.

Creating a Resource Group

New-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup" -Location "East US"

Listing Resource Groups

Get-AzResourceGroup

Removing a Resource Group

Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup"

Caution: Removing a resource group will delete all resources within it.

Managing Virtual Machines

Virtual machines (VMs) are a core component of Azure infrastructure.

Creating a Virtual Machine

Creating a VM involves several steps, often including defining a network, storage, and the VM configuration itself. Here's a simplified example:

# Define VM parameters
$vmConfig = @{
    ResourceGroupName = "MyResourceGroup"
    Location = "East US"
    VMName = "MyVM"
    ImageName = "Win2019Datacenter"
    VirtualNetworkName = "MyVNet"
    SubnetName = "MySubnet"
    PublicIpAddressName = "MyPublicIP"
    Credential = Get-Credential
}

# Create the VM
New-AzVM @vmConfig

Listing Virtual Machines

Get-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup"

Starting/Stopping a Virtual Machine

# Start a VM
Start-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM"

# Stop a VM
Stop-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM" -Force

Removing a Virtual Machine

Remove-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM" -Force

Managing Storage Accounts

Azure Storage accounts provide a scalable and secure way to store data.

Creating a Storage Account

New-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "mystorageaccount" -Location "East US" -SkuName "Standard_LRS"

Listing Storage Accounts

Get-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup"

Getting Storage Account Keys

Get-AzStorageAccountKey -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "mystorageaccount"

Removing a Storage Account

Remove-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "mystorageaccount"

Further Learning

This is a basic overview of managing Azure resources with PowerShell. For more advanced scenarios and a comprehensive list of cmdlets, refer to the official Azure PowerShell documentation: