Use an Azure CLI script to delete containers based on container name prefix

This script first creates a few sample containers in Azure Blob storage, then deletes some of the containers based on a prefix in the container name.

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, just 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

# Delete containers by prefix

# Variables for storage
let "randomIdentifier=$RANDOM*$RANDOM"
location="East US"
resourceGroup="msdocs-azuresql-rg-$randomIdentifier"
tag="delete-containers-by-prefix"
storage="msdocsstorage$randomIdentifier"
container1="msdocs-test1-storage-container-$randomIdentifier"
container2="msdocs-test2-storage-container-test2-$randomIdentifier"
containerProd="msdocs-prod1-storage-$randomIdentifier"

# Create a resource group
echo "Creating $resourceGroup in $location..."
az group create --name $resourceGroup --location "$location" --tags $tag

# Create storage account
echo "Creating $storage..."
az storage account create --name $storage --resource-group $resourceGroup --location "$location" --sku Standard_LRS

# Create some test containers
echo "Creating $container1 $container2 and $containerProd 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 $container1 --account-key $key --account-name $storage #--public-access container
az storage container create --name $container2 --account-key $key --account-name $storage #--public-access container
az storage container create --name $containerProd --account-key $key --account-name $storage #--public-access container

# List only the containers with a specific prefix
echo "List container with msdocs-test prefix"
az storage container list --account-key $key --account-name $storage --prefix "msdocs-test" --query "[*].[name]" --output tsv

# Delete 
echo "Deleting msdocs-test containers..."
for container in `az storage container list --account-key $key --account-name $storage --prefix "msdocs-test" --query "[*].[name]" --output tsv`; do
    az storage container delete --account-key $key --account-name $storage --name $container
done

echo "Remaining containers..."
az storage container list --account-key $key --account-name $storage --output table

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 to delete containers based on container name prefix. Each item in the table links to command-specific documentation.

Command	Notes
az group create	Creates a resource group in which all resources are stored.
az storage account create	Creates an Azure Storage account in the specified resource group.
az storage container create	Creates a container in Azure Blob storage.
az storage container list	Lists the containers in an Azure Storage account.
az storage container delete	Deletes containers in an Azure Storage account.

Next steps

For more information on the Azure CLI, see Azure CLI documentation.

Additional storage CLI script samples can be found in the Azure CLI samples for Azure Storage.