INTRODUCTION TO AZURE CLI 2.0

Azure CLI 2.0 is released on 28th Feb 2017.

Azure CLI was built on the top of Node.JS whereas Azure CLI 2.0 is built on the top of python.

Azure CLI 2.0 Features:

Architectured for Mac and Linux Unix Users:

    • Although there was Azure CLI and powershell for linux which works well on cross platform but still they were not able to provide the native experience to the linux and mac users. So the idea was that the Linux user should be able to do apt get and mac user should be able to get it from the bash and use azure seamlessly.

Works well with GREP, CUT, jq etc:

    • As it was designed for the Unix and mac users to they make sure that we can use tools like GREP, Cut, jq, jpterm etc which is quite popular with the AWS and open source developers and directly pass the output of one command to the other tools and work with it.

Built for ARM Templates:

  • Azure CLI support the new and old deployment model but it is inconsistent and confusing due to the transaction but Azure CLI 2.0 is built for the ARM Template based deployment model and hence it is more streamlined with the new deployments.

 

  • As the people who migrated from the version 1 to version 2 of azure( which was fully based on ARM Templates or you can relate it to the Resource Group Deployment Model) knows that the old cmdlets no longer make sense for the new infrastructure.

Swagger Pipeling:

  • As most of the azure developers and IT Pros must be aware that azure is growing massively and they’re introducing one or the other new service or feature every now and then and it was very difficult for teams like powershell and CLI to keep upto that pace and release the commands for those new services and cmdlets so the backlog was increasing massively and the experience was inconsistent.

 

  • With this new pipeline model, all the other services has to provide their api with the swagger which will give all the metadata required to built the new commands for the services and which will make the turn around time for the commands lesser and hence it will be shipped to the customers which is us in this case soon.

 

  • I believe due to this development pipeline this azure CLI 2.0 is going to be much much stronger and powerful in the coming future.

 

  • Azure ClI 2.0 also has a docker image and they update that image on nightly basis. So if you have a docker you can directly put azure CLI 2.0 in your container and run your scripts without worrying about setting up that environment again.