Azure CLI

Use persisted parameters to simplify sequential Azure CLI commands

In this section, we will use the following Azure CLI commands

• az config param-persist delete
• az config param-persist off
• az config param-persist on
• az config param-persist show
• az function app create
• az group create
• az storage account create

Prerequisites

• Install the Azure CLI.
• To finish the tasks in this tutorial, you may alternatively use Azure Cloud Shell if you'd like. Through your browser, you may interact with the Azure Cloud Shell environment. Use one of these techniques to launch Cloud Shell:
• Go to https://shell.azure.com to launch Cloud Shell.
• In the top right corner of the Azure portal, click the Cloud Shell icon.
• Follow these steps if you are using a local installation of the Azure CLI:
• Use the az login command to log in, then follow the instructions in your terminal to finish the authentication procedure.
• az login

The Azure CLI must be version 2.12.0 or later to be used with this tutorial. To determine the installed version and dependent libraries, run az version. Run az upgrade to get the most recent version.

1. Determine your local directory

The working directory of the Azure storage account that Azure Cloud Shell uses contains persisted parameter values. Values are kept in the working directory on your computer if you use a local Azure CLI installation.

Use these well-known CLI commands to locate, create, or modify the working directory being used by the Azure CLI.

# List directories
dir
# Make directory
mkdir azCLI
# Change directory
cd azCLI

2. Turn on Persisted parameters

Before parameter values may be saved, persisted parameters must be enabled. Until az config param-persist exits the experimental stage, you will receive a warning.

az config param-persist on

3. Create persisted parameters

Execute an Azure CLI command of your choice that includes the parameters you wish to save to store values for persisted parameters. For example, when you establish a resource group, the —location and —name parameters are saved for future usage.

1. Save the name of the resource group and its location.

# With persisted parameters turned on, create a resource group
az group create --name RG1forTutorial --location eastus2
# See new persisted parameters
az config param-persist show

Output

{
 "all": {
   "location": "eastus2",
   "resource_group_name": "RG1forTutorial"
 }
}

2. Create a storage account using the newly persisted parameters.

# Create a storage account
az storage account create --name sa1fortutorial
# See that storage_account_name has been added to persisted parameters
az config param-persist show

Output

{
 "all": {
   "location": "eastus2",
   "resource_group_name": "RG1forTutorial",
   "storage_account_name": "sa1fortutorial"
 }
}

3. Without establishing a new resource, create a persisted parameter.

The resource group name and location parameters can be saved without creating a new Azure resource by utilizing non-create commands like show or list.

# Clear all persisted parameters for demonstration.
az config param-persist delete --all
# List all storage accounts which will create the `resource_group_name` stored parameter value.
az storage account show --resource-group RG1forTutorial --name sa1fortutorial
# See the new stored value created for resource group.  The storage account name is only stored with a 'create' command.
az config param-persist show

Output

{
 "all": {
   "resource_group_name": "RG1forTutorial"
 }
}

4. Replace persisted parameters

Executing a command with a different value can be used to replace a stored parameter value.

1. Create new persisted parameters.

# Clear all persisted parameters for demonstration
az config param-persist delete --all
# Create a storage account placing "location", "resource_group_name", and "storage_account_name" into persisted parameters
az storage account create --name sa1fortutorial --resource-group RG1forTutorial --location eastus2
# See persisted parameters entries
az config param-persist show

Output

{
 "all": {
   "location": "eastus2",
   "resource_group_name": "RG1forTutorial",
   "storage_account_name": "sa1fortutorial"
 }
}

2. Replace the recently saved values.

# Create a second storage account while changing both the "storage_account_name" and "location" persisted parameters
az storage account create --name sa2fortutorial --location westeurope
# See new persisted parameters
az config param-persist show

Output

{
 "all": {
   "location": "westeurope",
   "resource_group_name": "RG1forTutorial",
   "storage_account_name": "sa2fortutorial"
 }
}

5. Execute sequential commands

1. Using persisted parameters

# Reminder: function app and storage account names must be unique.
# Turn persisted parameters on.
az config param-persist on
# Create a resource group.
az group create --name RG2forTutorial --location westeurope
# Create an Azure storage account in the resource group omitting "--location" and "--resource-group" parameters.
az storage account create \
 --name sa3fortutorial \
 --sku Standard_LRS
# Create a serverless function app in the resource group omitting "--storage-account" and "--resource-group" parameters.
az functionapp create \
 --name FAforTutorial \
 --consumption-plan-location westeurope \
 --functions-version 2
# See the stored parameter values.
az config param-persist show

2. Without using persisted parameters

# Reminder: function app and storage account names must be unique.
# turn persisted parameters off
az config param-persist off
# Create a resource group.
az group create --name RG2forTutorial --location westeurope
# Create an Azure storage account in the resource group.
az storage account create \
 --name sa3fortutorial \
 --location westeurope \
 --resource-group RG2forTutorial \
 --sku Standard_LRS
# Create a serverless function app in the resource group.
az functionapp create \
 --name FAforTutorial \
 --storage-account sa3fortutorial \
 --consumption-plan-location westeurope \
 --resource-group RG2forTutorial \
 --functions-version 2

6. Delete persisted parameters

To delete entries, use the az config param-persist delete command.

# Remove a single persisted parameters entry by specifying the name, not the value
az config param-persist delete resource_group_name
# Remove all persisted parameters entries and do not prompt for confirmation
az config param-persist delete --all --yes

7. Turn persisted parameters off

By using the az config param-persist off command, you may disable persistent parameters, but the data associated with those values will remain in place.

# Turn persisted parameters off
az config param-persist off
# See that your persisted parameters still exist
az config param-persist show
# Try to create a new resource relying on persisted parameters and receive error "...the following arguments are required:..."
az storage account create --name SA4inAzCLI --sku Standard_LRS

8. Clean up resources

Use the az group delete command to delete the resource group and any associated resources when no longer required

az group delete --name RG1forTutorial

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CLI in Azure?

The Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) is a command-line tool that connects to Azure and allows you to run administrative commands on Azure services. It enables command execution via a terminal using interactive command-line prompts or a script.

Is Azure CLI PowerShell?

Both may be used in Cloud Shell in PowerShell and remotely at your desktop to control the Azure cloud. If you wish to manage Azure resources, use Azure CLI; if you need to manage Windows Servers, use Azure PowerShell.

How can you access the Azure CLI?

The Azure CLI for Windows is installed through an MSI, enabling you to access the CLI using the Windows Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell. Packages for your Linux distribution are available when installing Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed the Azure CLI. We learned what is Azure CLI, and how to use az config param-persist reference commands and Execute sequential commands using persisted parameters.

Recommended Readings: 

Nmap commands

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