Azure Login 101: Command Line Options

There are a few different ways that you can log in to the Azure portal using the command line:

1. Install the Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell module on your local machine, if it is not already installed. 
2. Use the 'az login' command (for the Azure CLI) or the 'Connect-AzAccount' cmdlet (for the Azure PowerShell module) to log in to Azure.
3. Use the '--tenant' option (for the Azure CLI) or the '-TenantId' parameter (for the Azure PowerShell module) to specify the tenant (i.e., the Azure Active Directory) that you want to use.
4. Use the '--subscription' option (for the Azure CLI) or the '-SubscriptionId' parameter (for the Azure PowerShell module) to specify the subscription that you want to use.
5. Use the 'az account show' command (for the Azure CLI) or the 'Get-AzContext' cmdlet (for the Azure PowerShell module) to display the details of the currently selected tenant and subscription.

• Azure CLI: The Azure CLI is a cross-platform command-line interface that you can use to manage Azure resources. To log in to the Azure portal using Azure CLI, follow these steps:

# Install the Azure CLI (if it is not already installed)

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/installazurecliwindows -OutFile .\AzureCLI.msi; Start-Process msiexec.exe -Wait -ArgumentList '/I AzureCLI.msi /quiet'; rm .\AzureCLI.msi  

 # Log in to Azure and set the default tenant and subscription (replace <tenant-id> and <subscription-id> with the appropriate values)

az login --tenant <tenant-id>

          az account set --subscription <subscription-id>

# Display the details of the currently selected subscription

az account show

This script first installs the Azure CLI, then logs in to Azure and sets the default tenant and subscription using the az login command. It then displays the details of the currently selected subscription using the az account show command.

If you only use 'az login' command then use the 'az account set --tenant' and  'az account set --subscription' command to switch between the tenants and subscriptions.

 

• PowerShell: This is a command-line shell and scripting language that you can use to manage Azure resources. To log in to the Azure portal using the Azure PowerShell module on a Windows machine:, follow these steps:

# Install the Azure PowerShell module (if it is not already installed)

Install-Module -Name Azure -AllowClobber

# Log in to Azure and set the default tenant and subscription (replace <tenant-id> and <subscription-id> with the appropriate values)

Connect-AzAccount -Tenant <tenant-id> -SubscriptionId <subscription-id>

         Set-AzContext -Tenant <tenant-id> -SubscriptionId <subscription-id> 

# Display the details of the currently selected subscription

Get-AzContext

This script first installs the Azure PowerShell module, then logs in to Azure and sets the default tenant and subscription using the Connect-AzAccount cmdlet. It then displays the details of the currently selected subscription using the Get-AzContext cmdlet.

If you only use 'Connect-AzAccount' command then use the 'Connect-AzAccount -TenantId <tenant-id>' and  'Connect-AzAccount -SubscriptionId <subscription-id>' command to switch between the tenants and subscriptions.

 

• Azure Cloud Shell: This is a browser-based shell that you can use to manage Azure resources. To log in to the Azure portal using Azure Cloud Shell, follow these steps: 
• Go to the Azure portal in your web browser.
• Click the Cloud Shell icon in the top right-hand corner of the portal.
• Select Bash as the shell.
• Follow the prompts to sign in with your Azure account.

Here are some other common Azure CLI commands that you might find useful:

• 'az account list': List all subscriptions for the authenticated account.
• 'az account set --subscription SUBSCRIPTION_NAME': Set the default subscription.
• 'az resource list --resource-group RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME': List all resources in a resource group.
• 'az resource show --name RESOURCE_NAME --resource-group RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME --resource-type RESOURCE_TYPE': Show information about a specific resource.

Here are some other common Azure PowerShell commands that you might find useful:

• 'Get-AzSubscription': List all subscriptions for the authenticated account.
• 'Set-AzContext -Subscription SUBSCRIPTION_NAME': Set the default subscription.
• 'Get-AzResource -ResourceGroupName RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME': List all resources in a resource group.
• 'Get-AzResource -Name RESOURCE_NAME -ResourceGroupName RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME -ResourceType RESOURCE_TYPE': Show information about a specific resource.

Thanks for reading, CloudOps ⌂Signing Off! 😊