Azure PowerShell

Manage your Azure resources with powerful command-line tools.

What is Azure PowerShell?

Azure PowerShell is a set of cmdlets that you can use to manage Azure resources directly from the command line. It's built on the .NET Framework and provides a powerful and flexible way to automate Azure deployments and management tasks.

Whether you're creating virtual machines, configuring networks, or managing storage accounts, Azure PowerShell offers a comprehensive set of commands to get the job done efficiently.

Getting Started: Installation

To start using Azure PowerShell, you need to install the Az PowerShell module. Here's how:

  1. Install PowerShell: Ensure you have a compatible version of PowerShell installed. For the latest features, we recommend PowerShell 7.x. 
    Install-Module PowerShell -Force -AllowClobber
  2. Install the Az Module: Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command to install the Az module, which contains all the Azure-specific cmdlets. 
    Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber -Scope CurrentUser

    You might be prompted to install NuGet or trust the repository. Type 'Y' and press Enter to proceed.

  3. Connect to Azure: Once installed, you can connect to your Azure account. 
    Connect-AzAccount

    This will open a browser window for you to sign in to your Azure account.

Common Cmdlets

Here are some frequently used Azure PowerShell cmdlets:

Managing Resource Groups

Resource groups are logical containers for your Azure resources.

# List all resource groups
Get-AzResourceGroup

# Create a new resource group
New-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup" -Location "East US"

# Remove a resource group
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup"

Managing Virtual Machines

Create, manage, and monitor your virtual machines.

# List all virtual machines
Get-AzVM

# Get details of a specific VM
Get-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM"

# Start a virtual machine
Start-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM"

# Stop a virtual machine
Stop-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM"

Managing Storage Accounts

Interact with Azure Storage services.

# List storage accounts
Get-AzStorageAccount

# Create a storage account
New-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -AccountName "mystorageaccount" -Location "East US" -SkuName "Standard_LRS"

Key Concepts

  • Cmdlets: The core commands in PowerShell, typically verb-noun pairs (e.g., Get-AzVM).
  • Parameters: Options you can provide to cmdlets to refine their actions.
  • Objects: PowerShell cmdlets return objects, allowing for pipeline processing and complex filtering.
  • Aliases: Shorter names for cmdlets (e.g., gdrg for Get-AzResourceGroup).

Further Learning

Explore the official Azure documentation for a comprehensive guide to all available cmdlets and advanced usage scenarios.

Official Azure PowerShell Docs Az Module Cmdlets