When working with Microsoft Azure, you'll face the question: Should I use the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell? Each tool has its strengths, and choosing the right one depends on your workflow, skillset, and the task at hand.
In this post, we'll break down the differences, use cases and practical examples of each. Plus we'll highlight a few critical but often overlooked factors that can influence your decision.
Azure Portal
The Azure Portal is a web-based GUI that lets you manage Azure resources through a visual interface. It’s intuitive, beginner-friendly and ideal for quick tasks or exploring services.
Best For:
- Beginners and non-developers
- Visualizing resources and relationships
- One-off tasks like creating a VM or configuring a storage account
- Monitoring and diagnostics
Example: Create a Virtual Machine
You can create a VM by navigating to Virtual Machines > Add, then filling out the details.
Limitations:
- Not ideal for automation
- Slower for repetitive tasks
- Harder to version control or audit
Azure CLI
The Azure CLI is a cross-platform command-line tool designed for managing Azure resources. It’s written in Python and works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Best For:
- Developers and DevOps engineers
- Scripting and automation
- CI/CD pipelines
- Cross-platform environments
Example: Create a Resource Group
az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus
Example: Deploy an ARM template
az deployment group create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--template-file azuredeploy.json
Limitations
- Requires installation and setup
- Syntax can be verbose
- Limited access to some advanced features (e.g., certain RBAC operations)
Azure PowerShell
Azure PowerShell is a set of cmdlets for managing Azure resources directly from PowerShell. It’s ideal for Windows admins and those already comfortable with PowerShell scripting.
Best For:
- Windows-centric environments
- Complex scripting and automation
- Managing hybrid cloud setups (Azure + on-prem)
- Fine-grained control over RBAC, networking and identity
Example: Create a Resource Group
New-AzResourceGroup -Name "myResourceGroup" -Location "EastUS"
Example: Create a VM
New-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "myResourceGroup" -Name "myVM" -Location "EastUS"
Limitations
- Windows-first experience
- Steeper learning curve for non-Windows users
- Verbose syntax
Consistency, Auditing and Team Collaboration
While most comparisons focus on usability and syntax, here are three critical but often neglected factors:
Consistency Across Environments
- Azure CLI is great for cross-platform consistency.
- PowerShell may behave differently across Windows and PowerShell Core.
- Portal actions are hard to replicate exactly across environments.
Auditing and Version Control
- Portal actions are not version-controlled.
- CLI and PowerShell scripts can be tracked in Git, reviewed and reused.
Error Handling and Idempotency
- Portal actions are manual and error-prone.
- CLI and PowerShell support error handling, retries and idempotent operations
Combine Tools for Maximum Impact
Many teams use:
- Portal for initial setup and visualization
- CLI for automation and scripting
- PowerShell for advanced Windows tasks
For example, you might prototype a resource in the Portal, export the ARM template and deploy it via CLI or PowerShell in production.
Conclusion
Choosing between Azure Portal, CLI and PowerShell is about what fits your workflow. For beginners, the Portal is a great starting point. If you're prototyping a resource in the Azure Portal and want to learn how to automate it with CLI or PowerShell, SkillTech Club offers guided labs and certification prep that walk you through exactly that.
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