The Azure CLI lets you manage Azure resources from a command prompt instead of clicking through Azure Portal panes. It is direct and fast for day-to-day work: `az appservice plan list`, for example, lists the App Service plans in a subscription. No buttons required. section 1.6.2
A short command can replace a long portal walkthrough, but it does not make the choices for you. Creating a virtual machine still calls for a name, resource group, image, virtual network, and SSH keys. section 3.4.3
az vm create -n AzureVM -g ActionRG --image UbuntuLTS –vnet-name ActionVNet --generate-ssh-keys
This VM command supplies those choices directly, including an Ubuntu image and generated SSH keys. section 3.4.3
For a Function App, `az functionapp create` needs a storage account for function metadata and code. Use one in the same resource group; placing it in the same region is recommended to reduce travel time between the app and storage. A consumption-plan location selects the app’s region. section 8.2
C:/> az functionapp create --name ActionFunctionApp --storage-account alpacamabagsstorage --consumption-plan-location "australiaeast" --resource-group AlpacaRG --functions-version 4
The command brings the Function App name, storage account, region, resource group, and Functions version together. section 8.2
Some resources take more than one command. Azure SQL Database setup creates a server first, then a database on that server. The server command requires an authentication choice: an admin username and password, or `--enable-ad-only-auth` for Entra ID authentication. Choose the admin name carefully; it cannot be changed later. The database command’s `--service-objective` sets a pricing tier, so a bigger choice can mean a bigger bill. section 10.3.1
C:/> az sql db create --resource-group BanningRG --server BanningBooksServer --name BanningBooksDB --service-objective Basic
Here, `Basic` is the database’s service objective—the pricing-tier choice. section 10.3.1
Cosmos DB shows why reading flags matters. Its account command selects MongoDB compatibility, a region and failover priority, zone redundancy, and a default consistency level. Creating the account is only the first step; a database and collection follow. section 11.1
C:/> az cosmosdb create --name alpacacosmosdbaccount --resource-group AlpacaRG --kind MongoDB --locations regionName=australiacentral failoverPriority=0 isZoneRedundant=False --default-consistency-level "Session" --capabilities EnableMongo
Read the options before running this one: it selects MongoDB support, disables zone redundancy, and sets Session consistency. section 11.1
The CLI can also apply configuration stored in a file. A Blob Storage lifecycle policy can move blobs to cool storage after 30 days without modification, archive them after 90 days, and delete them after 365 days. Save the JSON as `policy.json`, then pass it to the management-policy command. section 9.5.1
C:/> az storage account management-policy create --account-name banningstorage --resource-group BanningRG --policy @policy.json
The `@policy.json` argument supplies the saved policy file to the storage account command. section 9.5.1
