How I Automate Azure Tasks with CLI: A Step-by-Step Guide for Cloud Admins

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If you’ve ever spent hours doing repetitive tasks in Azure—like creating VMs, tagging resources, or scheduling backups—you know how quickly it can get tedious. I’ve been there. That’s why I started using Azure CLI to automate these tasks, and it’s been a game-changer. In this post, I’m going to walk you through a real-world workflow that I use, so you can do the same.

The Scenario I’m Solving

Here’s what we’ll automate together:

  1. Log in and pick the right Azure subscription.
  2. Create a resource group.
  3. Spin up a virtual machine.
  4. Add tags to resources automatically.
  5. Schedule daily backups.
  6. Log everything and handle errors.
  7. Make the script run automatically on a schedule.

By the end, you’ll have a workflow you can tweak for your own projects.

What You’ll Need

Before we dive in, make sure you have:

  • Azure CLI installed (official guide)
  • Access to an Azure subscription, or better yet, a free sandbox from Microsoft Learn
  • Some basic Bash or PowerShell familiarity
  • An SSH key for connecting to your VMs

Free resources I recommend:

  • Microsoft Learn Sandbox: Lets you try Azure hands-on without needing a paid subscription. Check it out here
  • Microsoft Learn Modules: Step-by-step tutorials with exercises, including Azure CLI labs. Great for practicing safely.

Step 1 – Log in and Pick Your Subscription

The first step is logging in and making sure you’re working in the right subscription:

bash

# Log in
az login

# Check your subscriptions
az account list --output table

# Set the subscription you want to work in
az account set --subscription "YourSubscriptionName"

When I first started, I messed up a few times by running commands in the wrong subscription—so trust me, this step is important.

Step 2 – Create a Resource Group

I always start by creating a resource group. Think of it like a folder for all your Azure resources:

bash

RESOURCE_GROUP="AutoRG"
LOCATION="EastUS"

az group create \
  --name $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --location $LOCATION

Using variables here makes it way easier to reuse the script for different projects.

Step 3 – Spin Up a VM

Here’s how I create a virtual machine automatically:

bash

VM_NAME="AutoVM"
ADMIN_USER="azureuser"

az vm create \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --name $VM_NAME \
  --image UbuntuLTS \
  --admin-username $ADMIN_USER \
  --generate-ssh-keys

I like using variables so I can tweak the VM name, OS image, or user without rewriting the whole script.

Step 4 – Tag Resources

Tags save you a ton of headaches when managing multiple resources. I usually tag my VMs like this:

bash

az resource tag \
  --tags Owner="Admin" Environment="Dev" \
  --name $VM_NAME \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --resource-type "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines"

For me, tagging is a lifesaver when generating reports or tracking costs.

Step 5 – Schedule a Daily Backup

I like keeping backups automated so I don’t have to remember it every day. Here’s a command to enable backup for a VM:

bash

az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --vault-name "BackupVault" \
  --vm $VM_NAME \
  --policy-name "DefaultPolicy"

And if you’re just practicing, the Microsoft Learn Sandbox is perfect for testing this safely.

Step 6 – Logging and Handling Errors

I always log my scripts to catch errors early:

bash

#!/bin/bash
{
  echo "Starting automation script: $(date)"
  
  if az group create --name $RESOURCE_GROUP --location $LOCATION; then
      echo "Resource group created successfully."
  else
      echo "Failed to create resource group."
  fi
  
  echo "VM creation in progress..."
  az vm create \
      --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
      --name $VM_NAME \
      --image UbuntuLTS \
      --admin-username $ADMIN_USER \
      --generate-ssh-keys
} >> automate.log 2>&1

Honestly, I can’t stress this enough—without logs, debugging failed scripts is a nightmare.

Step 7 – Automate Script Execution

Linux/macOS – Cron Jobs

I usually schedule scripts to run daily at 2 AM like this:

bash

0 2 * * * /home/user/azure_automation.sh >> /home/user/azure_automation.log 2>&1

Windows – Task Scheduler

  • Open Task Scheduler → Create Basic Task → Select your script
  • Set frequency and configure the “Start in” folder
  • Optional: redirect output to a log file

Advanced – Azure Automation Runbooks

For cloud-native automation:

  1. Create an Automation Account in Azure.
  2. Add your script as a Runbook.
  3. Schedule the Runbook to run automatically.

Pro tip: Microsoft Learn has free modules that walk through Runbooks in a sandbox environment—you can practice without touching your paid subscription.

Conclusion

Automating Azure CLI tasks has saved me hours every week. Now, I create resources, tag them, schedule backups, and log everything without lifting a finger once the script is set up.

Next steps: Try expanding this workflow to include networks, storage accounts, and multiple VMs. Combine loops and conditionals to handle large-scale automation.

Free Learning Resources:

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