Using Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell

• Structured Summary + Deep Understanding

Primary tools:

• Azure CLI
• Azure PowerShell

Official documentation:

Azure CLI:

Azure PowerShell:

1️⃣ What is Azure CLI?#

Azure CLI is:

✔ A cross-platform command-line tool ✔ Used to manage Azure resources ✔ Bash-style syntax ✔ Script-friendly ✔ Available in:

• Cloud Shell
• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Core command structure:

• az <service> <resource> <action>

Example:

• az vm create

Azure CLI interacts with:

• → Azure Resource Manager (control plane)

2️⃣ What is Azure PowerShell?#

Azure PowerShell is:

• ✔ A collection of PowerShell cmdlets (Az module) ✔ Object-oriented ✔ Built on .NET ✔ Used to manage Azure resources

Cmdlet naming pattern:

• Verb-AzNoun

Example:

• New-AzVM

Like CLI, it interacts with:

• → Azure Resource Manager (control plane)

3️⃣ CLI vs PowerShell – Core Differences#

Both are equally capable.

Choice = Preference + Team ecosystem.

4️⃣ Demonstration Breakdown#

Example scenario:

• Create a Virtual Network.

Resource example:

• Azure Virtual Network

5️⃣ Azure CLI Workflow Explained#

🔹 Step 1: List Resource Groups#

az group list

Default output: JSON array.

🔹 Step 2: Filter Output Using --query#

• Azure CLI supports JMESPath queries.

Example:

• az group list --query "[].name"
• This extracts only the name field.

🔹 Step 3: Change Output Format#

• Default = JSON Better for scripting = TSV (tab-separated value)
• az group list --query "[].name" --output tsv
• Why?
• Removes brackets and quotes.

🔹 Step 4: Save to Variable#

• rgcli=$(az group list --query "[].name" --output tsv)

Use variable later:

• echo $rgcli

🔹 Step 5: Create Virtual Network#

• az network vnet create \
• --name VNetCLI \
• --resource-group $rgcli \
• --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16

Command pattern:

• az network vnet create
• ProvisioningState: Succeeded

6️⃣ Azure PowerShell Workflow Explained#

🔹 Step 1: Get Resource Group#

Get-AzResourceGroup

Returns PowerShell objects (not JSON).

🔹 Step 2: Save to Variable#

$rgps = Get-AzResourceGroup

PowerShell stores full object.

🔹 Step 3: Access Object Properties#

• $rgps.ResourceGroupName
• $rgps.Location

Object model advantage:

• You can drill into properties directly.

🔹 Step 4: Create Virtual Network#

• New-AzVirtualNetwork `
• -Name VNetPS `
• -ResourceGroupName $rgps.ResourceGroupName `
• -Location $rgps.Location `
• -AddressPrefix 10.1.0.0/16
• ProvisioningState: Succeeded

7️⃣ Key Architectural Concept#

Both CLI and PowerShell:

• User Command → REST API call → Azure Resource Manager → Resource Provider (Microsoft.Network) → Resource Created
• They are simply different interfaces to ARM.

8️⃣ Object-Oriented Advantage (PowerShell)#

• PowerShell returns structured objects.

Example:

• $vm = Get-AzVM
• $vm.HardwareProfile.VmSize

You can chain and pipe objects:

• Get-AzVM | Where-Object {$_.Location -eq "eastus"}
• This makes PowerShell powerful for complex logic.

9️⃣ JSON Advantage (CLI)#

• CLI returns JSON by default.

Best for:

• DevOps pipelines
• Automation systems

Integration with tools like:

• jq
• Terraform
• Ansible

Example:

• az vm list --output table

Supports formats:

• json
• jsonc
• table
• tsv
• yaml

🔟 When to Use Each#

🔹 Use Azure CLI When:#

✔ Working in Linux ✔ Writing CI/CD pipelines ✔ Using Bash ✔ Automating DevOps workflows

🔹 Use Azure PowerShell When:#

✔ Using Windows ecosystem ✔ Need object manipulation ✔ Writing complex automation ✔ Managing enterprise scripts

1️⃣1️⃣ Cloud Shell Integration#

In:

• Azure Cloud Shell

You can:

• Run Azure CLI (Bash)
• Run Azure PowerShell (PowerShell)
• Switching shells restarts session.
• Cloud Shell is pre-authenticated.

1️⃣2️⃣ Authentication Model#

Both tools authenticate via:

• Microsoft Entra ID

Process:

• Login → Token issued → Token passed to ARM → RBAC enforced → Action executed

1️⃣3️⃣ Common Exam Pitfalls#

🚩 CLI and PowerShell manage data plane directly → False 🚩 PowerShell returns JSON → False 🚩 CLI cannot be scripted → False 🚩 Both use ARM → True 🚩 PowerShell is better than CLI → False (preference-based)

1️⃣4️⃣ Advanced Automation Insight#

For production automation:

• ✔ Use variables ✔ Use output formatting ✔ Validate provisioning state ✔ Handle errors ✔ Use idempotent scripts

Example:

Check before creating:

CLI:

• az network vnet show --name VNetCLI

PowerShell:

• Get-AzVirtualNetwork -Name VNetPS

1️⃣5️⃣ Mental Model#

Portal = GUI CLI = Scriptable Bash interface PowerShell = Scriptable object-oriented interface

All communicate with ARM.

1️⃣6️⃣ Final Takeaways#

• ✔ Azure CLI = Bash-style, JSON-based ✔ Azure PowerShell = Object-oriented cmdlets ✔ Both automate Azure ✔ Both integrate with Cloud Shell ✔ Both use ARM ✔ Preference depends on ecosystem

These tools are foundational for:

• AZ-104
• AZ-204
• DevOps roles
• Automation engineering
• Enterprise scripting

If you'd like next:

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• Tell me your goal.