Getting Started
The Azure CLI (az) provides a powerful set of commands to manage Azure Cosmos DB resources. Ensure you have the Azure CLI installed and logged in to your Azure account.
Installation
Follow the official Azure CLI installation guide for your operating system:
Login
Log in to your Azure account:
az login
Set Subscription (if needed)
az account set --subscription ""
Cosmos DB Extension
The Cosmos DB commands are part of the cosmosdb extension. Install or update it:
az extension add --name cosmosdb
az extension update --name cosmosdb
Account Management
Create an Azure Cosmos DB account
This command creates a new Azure Cosmos DB account. You'll need to specify a resource group, account name, location, and API type.
az cosmosdb create --name --resource-group --kind --locations region= [--table-name ]
Example for SQL API:
az cosmosdb create --name mycosmosdbaccount --resource-group myresourcegroup --locations regionName=eastus
List Azure Cosmos DB accounts
az cosmosdb list [--resource-group ]
Show account details
az cosmosdb show --name --resource-group
Delete an Azure Cosmos DB account
az cosmosdb delete --name --resource-group
Database Management
Create a database
az cosmosdb sql database create --account-name --resource-group --name [--throughput ]
Example:
az cosmosdb sql database create --account-name mycosmosdbaccount --resource-group myresourcegroup --name myDatabase --throughput 400
List databases
az cosmosdb sql database list --account-name --resource-group
Show database details
az cosmosdb sql database show --account-name --resource-group --name
Delete a database
az cosmosdb sql database delete --account-name --resource-group --name --yes
Container Management
Create a container
az cosmosdb sql container create --account-name --resource-group --database-name --name --partition-key-path [--throughput ]
Example:
az cosmosdb sql container create --account-name mycosmosdbaccount --resource-group myresourcegroup --database-name myDatabase --name myContainer --partition-key-path "/city" --throughput 1000
List containers
az cosmosdb sql container list --account-name --resource-group --database-name
Show container details
az cosmosdb sql container show --account-name --resource-group --database-name --name
Delete a container
az cosmosdb sql container delete --account-name --resource-group --database-name --name --yes
Item Management (SQL API)
Create an item
Items are created by passing JSON content.
az cosmosdb sql item create --account-name --resource-group --database-name --container-name --document <'{ "id": "item1", "name": "sample", "city": "Tokyo" }'>
List items
You can use a SQL query to list items.
az cosmosdb sql item list --account-name --resource-group --database-name --container-name --query "SELECT * FROM c"
Show an item
az cosmosdb sql item show --account-name --resource-group --database-name --container-name --item-id --partition-key
Update an item
az cosmosdb sql item update --account-name --resource-group --database-name --container-name --item-id --partition-key --document <'{ "id": "item1", "name": "updated sample", "city": "London" }'>
Delete an item
az cosmosdb sql item delete --account-name --resource-group --database-name --container-name --item-id --partition-key --yes
Throughput Management
Update throughput for a database
az cosmosdb sql database update --account-name --resource-group --name --throughput
Update throughput for a container
az cosmosdb sql container update --account-name --resource-group --database-name --name --throughput
Autoscale Settings
You can also configure autoscale settings for databases and containers:
az cosmosdb sql database update --account-name --resource-group --name --max-throughput
az cosmosdb sql container update --account-name --resource-group --database-name --name --max-throughput
Region Management
Add a region to an account
az cosmosdb create --name --resource-group --locations regionName= --failover-priority
List regions for an account
az cosmosdb show --name --resource-group --query locations
Failover to a region
This command promotes a region to be the primary for write operations.
az cosmosdb failover-priority-group failover --account-name --resource-group --failover-priority-group-id --locations
Backup & Restore
Continuous Backup (Point-in-Time Restore)
Continuous backup is enabled by default on new accounts with the SQL API. You can configure the retention period.
az cosmosdb update --name --resource-group --continuous-backup-enabled true --continuous-backup-retention-period
Restore an account
Restore to a specific point in time. This requires continuous backup to be enabled.
az cosmosdb restore --account-name --resource-group --target-name --restore-timestamp
Tip: Use the
--query parameter with most commands to filter and format the output effectively. For example, az cosmosdb list --query "[?kind=='GlobalDocumentDB']".
Warning: Deleting an Azure Cosmos DB account or database is irreversible. Always double-check your commands before execution.