Install azure-cli with Homebrew, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• az

Project history

The Azure CLI 2.x line was developed in the open at Azure/azure-cli as a next-generation, multi-platform Azure command-line experience. The repository's earliest GitHub Releases include the 0.1 beta series in 2016, followed by the 2.x release train that became the standard `az` CLI used from local terminals, CI jobs, containers, and Azure Cloud Shell.

The CLI is implemented as a Python package with command modules for Azure service areas. Microsoft Learn positions it as the primary Azure command-line surface, with configuration under the Azure CLI config directory and first-class documentation for authentication, output formatting, querying, and automation patterns.

Adoption history

Azure CLI became package-manager furniture because Azure users need the same `az` command on macOS, Linux, Windows, containers, and hosted CI. The input package facts list broad distribution across Homebrew, Chocolatey, Debian, Fedora/DNF, MacPorts, Nix, Arch/pacman, Scoop, winget, and zypper, which matches its role as a cloud bootstrap tool rather than an optional developer convenience.

Its presence in Azure Cloud Shell further normalized `az` as the default examples language for many Azure docs and snippets. Package users care that Homebrew and Linux packages track a large upstream release train and that shell completion, JSON/table/TSV output, and JMESPath querying make it pleasant in scripts.

How it is used

Typical usage is `az group create`, `az vm create`, `az storage ...`, `az account get-access-token`, or `az rest`, usually combined with `--query` and `--output` for shell pipelines. The official docs emphasize using `az configure`, environment variables, and the INI-style config file to tune defaults.

Credentials and tokens are stored under the Azure CLI config directory; current source code uses `msal_token_cache` and `service_principal_entries` there. Package maintainers and automation users should treat the directory as sensitive state, especially on shared runners.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, `azure-cli` is a classic heavyweight cloud CLI: fast-moving, Python-based, dependency-rich, and distributed everywhere. It stress-tests package managers on update cadence, Python dependency isolation, shell completion, telemetry defaults, and whether the packaged binary behaves the same as Microsoft's install scripts.

It also demonstrates the difference between a formula that installs a CLI and the hidden state that CLI writes under the user's home directory. Upgrades are routine, but auth caches and config files often outlive package removals.

Timeline

• 2016: Azure/azure-cli GitHub Releases include the 0.1 beta series.
• 2017: Azure CLI 2.x becomes the public `az` generation for Azure automation.
• 2020s: Azure CLI is broadly packaged across Homebrew, Linux distributions, Windows package managers, and Azure Cloud Shell.

Related projects

• Azure PowerShell is Microsoft's PowerShell-native Azure automation surface.
• Azure Developer CLI (`azd`) builds on Azure CLI-era workflows with project templates and app deployment conventions.
• Azure Cloud Shell provides a hosted shell environment where Azure CLI is preinstalled.

Sources

• Azure/azure-cli README and GitHub Releases
• Microsoft Learn Azure CLI overview, authentication, and configuration docs
• source_facts.package-manager