Backup an Azure SQL single database to an Azure storage container using the Azure CLI
Applies to: 
Azure SQL Database
This Azure CLI example backs up a database in SQL Database to an Azure storage container.
If you don't have an Azure subscription, create an Azure free account before you begin.
Prerequisites
Use the Bash environment in Azure Cloud Shell. For more information, see Quickstart for Bash in Azure Cloud Shell.
If you prefer to run CLI reference commands locally, install the Azure CLI. If you're running on Windows or macOS, consider running Azure CLI in a Docker container. For more information, see How to run the Azure CLI in a Docker container.
If you're using a local installation, sign in to the Azure CLI by using the az login command. To finish the authentication process, follow the steps displayed in your terminal. For other sign-in options, see Sign in with the Azure CLI.
When you're prompted, install the Azure CLI extension on first use. For more information about extensions, see Use extensions with the Azure CLI.
Run az version to find the version and dependent libraries that are installed. To upgrade to the latest version, run az upgrade.
Sample script
Launch Azure Cloud Shell
The Azure Cloud Shell is a free interactive shell that you can use to run the steps in this article. It has common Azure tools preinstalled and configured to use with your account.
To open the Cloud Shell, select Try it from the upper right corner of a code block. You can also launch Cloud Shell in a separate browser tab by going to https://shell.azure.com.
When Cloud Shell opens, verify that Bash is selected for your environment. Subsequent sessions will use Azure CLI in a Bash environment. Select Copy to copy the blocks of code, paste it into the Cloud Shell, and press Enter to run it.
Sign in to Azure
Cloud Shell is automatically authenticated under the initial account signed-in with. Use the following script to sign in using a different subscription, replacing <Subscription ID> with your Azure Subscription ID. If you don't have an Azure subscription, create an Azure free account before you begin.
subscription="<subscriptionId>" # add subscription here
az account set -s $subscription # ...or use 'az login'
For more information, see set active subscription or log in interactively
Run the script
# Backup an Azure SQL single database to an Azure storage container
# Variable block
let "randomIdentifier=$RANDOM*$RANDOM"
location="East US"
resourceGroup="msdocs-azuresql-rg-$randomIdentifier"
tag="backup-database"
server="msdocs-azuresql-server-$randomIdentifier"
database="msdocsazuresqldb$randomIdentifier"
login="azureuser"
password="Pa$$w0rD-$randomIdentifier"
storage="msdocsazuresql$randomIdentifier"
container="msdocs-azuresql-container-$randomIdentifier"
bacpac="backup.bacpac"
echo "Using resource group $resourceGroup with login: $login, password: $password..."
echo "Creating $resourceGroup in $location..."
az group create --name $resourceGroup --location "$location" --tags $tag
echo "Creating $storage..."
az storage account create --name $storage --resource-group $resourceGroup --location "$location" --sku Standard_LRS
echo "Creating $container on $storage..."
key=$(az storage account keys list --account-name $storage --resource-group $resourceGroup -o json --query [0].value | tr -d '"')
az storage container create --name $container --account-key $key --account-name $storage
echo "Creating $server in $location..."
az sql server create --name $server --resource-group $resourceGroup --location "$location" --admin-user $login --admin-password $password
az sql server firewall-rule create --resource-group $resourceGroup --server $server --name AllowAzureServices --start-ip-address 0.0.0.0 --end-ip-address 0.0.0.0
echo "Creating $database..."
az sql db create --name $database --resource-group $resourceGroup --server $server --edition GeneralPurpose --sample-name AdventureWorksLT
echo "Backing up $database..."
az sql db export --admin-password $password --admin-user $login --storage-key $key --storage-key-type StorageAccessKey --storage-uri "https://$storage.blob.core.windows.net/$container/$bacpac" --name $database --resource-group $resourceGroup --server $server
Clean up resources
Use the following command to remove the resource group and all resources associated with it using the az group delete command - unless you have an ongoing need for these resources. Some of these resources may take a while to create, as well as to delete.
az group delete --name $resourceGroup
Sample reference
This script uses the following commands. Each command in the table links to command specific documentation.
| Command | Notes |
|---|---|
| az sql server | Server commands. |
| az sql db | Database commands. |
Next steps
For more information on Azure CLI, see Azure CLI documentation.
Additional SQL Database CLI script samples can be found in the Azure SQL Database documentation.