How to run the Azure CLI in a Docker container

You can use Docker to run a standalone Linux container with the Azure CLI preinstalled. Docker gets you started quickly with an isolated environment to run the CLI in. The image can also be used as a base for your own deployments.

Start the Docker container with Azure CLI preinstalled

Note

The Azure CLI has migrated to Microsoft Container Registry. Existing tags on Docker Hub are still supported, but new releases will only be available as mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli.

Open a command prompt and then start the Docker container with Azure CLI preinstalled using the following command.

docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli

Note

If you want to pick up the SSH keys from your user environment, use -v ${HOME}/.ssh:/root/.ssh to mount your SSH keys in the environment.

docker run -it -v ${HOME}/.ssh:/root/.ssh mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli

The CLI is installed on the image as the az command in /usr/local/bin.

Run the Docker container with a specific version of the Azure CLI

Available versions can be found at Azure CLI release notes.

To run a specific version of the Azure CLI in the Docker container, use this command:

docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli:<version>

Update Docker image

Updating with Docker requires both pulling the new image and re-creating any existing containers. For this reason, you should try to avoid using a container that hosts the CLI as a data store.

Update your local image with docker pull.

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli

Uninstall Docker image

If you decide to uninstall the Azure CLI, we're sorry to see you go. Before you uninstall, use the az feedback command to let us know what could be improved or fixed. Our goal is to make the Azure CLI bug-free and user-friendly. If you found a bug, we'd appreciate it if you file a GitHub issue.

After halting any containers running the CLI image, remove it.

docker rmi mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli

Next Steps

Now that you're ready to use the Azure CLI in a Docker container, take a short tour of its features and common commands.