Learn to automate Azure tasks

Automate Azure tasks

Suppose you need to choose a tool to administer the Azure resources used to test your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Your tests require you to create resource groups and provision virtual machines (VMs).

You want something that is easy for administrators to learn, but powerful enough to automate the installation and setup of multiple virtual machines or script a full application environment. There are multiple tools available; you need to find the best one for your people and your tasks.

Tools for automate Azure tasks

Azure provides three administration tools to choose from:

• The Azure portal
• The Azure CLI
• Azure PowerShell

Azure portal

The Azure portal is a website that lets you create, configure, and alter the resources in your Azure subscription. The portal is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that makes it convenient to locate the resource you need and execute any required changes. It also guides you through complex administrative tasks by providing wizards and tooltips.

The portal does not provide any way to automate repetitive tasks. For example, to set up 15 VMs, you would need to create them one-by-one by completing the wizard for each VM. This can be time-consuming and error-prone for complex tasks.

Azure CLI

The Azure CLI is a cross-platform command-line program to connect to Azure and execute administrative commands on Azure resources. For example, to create a VM, you would use a command like the following:

az vm create \ --resource-group CrmTestingResourceGroup \ --name CrmUnitTests \ --image UbuntuLTS ...

Azure PowerShell is also available two ways: inside a browser via the Azure Cloud Shell or with a local install on Linux, Mac, or Windows. In both cases, you have two modes to choose from. You can use it in interactive mode, in which you manually issue one command at a time, or in scripting mode, where you execute a script that consists of multiple commands

Azure PowerShell

Azure PowerShell is a module that you add to Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core to let you connect to your Azure subscription and manage resources. Azure PowerShell requires PowerShell to function. PowerShell provides services like the shell window, command parsing, and so on. Azure PowerShell adds the Azure-specific commands.

For example, Azure PowerShell provides the New-AzVM command that creates a virtual machine for you inside your Azure subscription. To use it, you would launch the PowerShell application and then issue a command like the following:

New-AzVm ` -ResourceGroupName "CrmTestingResourceGroup" ` -Name "CrmUnitTests" ` -Image "UbuntuLTS" ...

Azure PowerShell is also available two ways: inside a browser via the Azure Cloud Shell or with a local install on Linux, Mac, or Windows. In both cases, you have two modes to choose from. You can use it in interactive mode, in which you manually issue one command at a time, or in scripting mode, where you execute a script that consists of multiple commands.

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Administrative tool

• Automation: Do you need to automate a set of complex or repetitive tasks? Azure PowerShell and the Azure CLI support this while the portal does not.

• Learning curve: Do you need to complete a task quickly without learning new commands or syntax? The Azure portal does not require you to learn syntax or memorize commands. In Azure PowerShell and the Azure CLI, you must know the detailed syntax for each command you use.

• Team skillset: Does your team have existing expertise? For example, your team may have used PowerShell to administer Windows. If so, they will quickly become comfortable using Azure PowerShell.