What is the Azure Developer CLI?
The Azure Developer CLI (azd) is an open-source command-line tool from Microsoft that accelerates provisioning and deploying app resources on Azure. It provides practical commands mapped to key stages of the development workflow, whether you work in the terminal, an IDE, or CI/CD pipelines. The source is developed publicly at github.com/Azure/azure-dev and, per the GitHub repository, is licensed under the MIT license.
azd uses extensible blueprint templates that include everything needed to get an application running on Azure: reusable infrastructure-as-code assets based on Bicep or Terraform, proof-of-concept or starter app code, configuration files for deployment, and optional pipeline workflow files for GitHub Actions or Azure Pipelines. You can build your own templates or adapt one from the Azure Developer CLI template galleries.
Core Features
- Provision and deploy in one command:
azd uppackages, provisions, and deploys app resources in a single step. - Template-based project starts: Blueprint templates provide infrastructure as code, sample app code, configuration files, and optional CI/CD pipeline definitions.
- Consistent commands across environments: The same
azdcommands work in the terminal, in an IDE, and in CI/CD pipelines. - Extensibility via the Extension Framework: GA per the Azure SDK blog since August 11, 2026 (the related Azure Updates entry was published September 8, 2026), allowing developers, teams, and partners to extend azd with custom capabilities.
Typical Use Cases
- Fast project starts: Initialize a template such as
hello-azdand deploy it to Azure with a few commands (azd init,azd up). - Iterative development: Roll out code changes with
azd deployand apply infrastructure changes withazd provision, without rebuilding the entire stack. - CI/CD integration: Use templates with prebuilt GitHub Actions or Azure Pipelines workflows to automate provisioning and deployment.
- Custom extensions: Add custom capabilities and integrations to azd through the Extension Framework.
Benefits
- Open source and free under the MIT license
- Consistent commands lower the barrier to Azure infrastructure and deployment
- Templates built on infrastructure-as-code best practices (Bicep/Terraform) speed up project starts
- Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Extensible through the Extension Framework, GA since August 11, 2026
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory helps you adopt the Azure Developer CLI in your development workflows: selecting or building suitable azd templates, integrating them into existing CI/CD pipelines, and advising on infrastructure as code with Bicep or Terraform.
Contact us for a no-obligation consultation on your Azure development environment.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Azure Developer CLI (azd)?
Microsoft describes azd as 'an open-source tool that accelerates provisioning and deploying app resources on Azure'. It provides practical commands mapped to key stages of the development workflow, whether you work in the terminal, an IDE, or CI/CD pipelines. The source is developed publicly at github.com/Azure/azure-dev under the MIT license.
What does a typical azd workflow look like?
After installing azd (for example via winget, brew, or an install script), you select a template, initialize it with 'azd init -t <template>', and provision and deploy the app resources with 'azd up'. Code changes can be rolled out with 'azd deploy', and infrastructure changes with 'azd provision'.
What is the azd Extension Framework?
The Azure Developer CLI Extension Framework has been generally available (GA) since August 11, 2026, per the Azure SDK blog. The related Azure Updates entry, published September 8, 2026, states: 'The Azure Developer CLI (azd) Extension Framework is now generally available. The framework enables developers, teams, and partners to extend Azure Developer CLI with custom capabilities that support their preferred application development workflows.'
What does the Azure Developer CLI cost?
azd is an open-source tool under the MIT license and free to use. Only the regular costs for the Azure resources provisioned through azd apply, not for the CLI tool itself.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Azure (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Azure.
