The Azure Data Studio command line interface

Article
03/15/2024

Azure Data Studio includes a built-in command line interface that lets you control how you launch the application. You can open files, install extensions, change the display language, and output diagnostics through command line options (switches).

Screenshot of command line output for Azure Data Studio.

For examples of how to run command line tools inside Azure Data Studio, see Integrated terminal.

Note

While Microsoft Entra ID is the new name for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), to prevent disrupting existing environments, Azure AD still remains in some hardcoded elements such as UI fields, connection providers, error codes, and cmdlets. In this article, the two names are interchangeable.

Command line help

To view an overview of the Azure Data Studio command line interface, open a terminal within Azure Data Studio (View > Terminal) or a command prompt and type azuredatastudio --help. The output contains the version, usage example, and list of command line options, as shown in the truncated example:

Azure Data Studio 1.48.1

Usage: azuredatastudio.exe [options][paths...]

To read output from another program, append '-' (e.g. 'echo Hello World | azuredatastudio.exe -')

Options

  <vscode options>

  -h --help                                  Print usage.
  --aad                                      Use Azure Active Directory authentication, this option is
                                             deprecated - use 'authenticationType' instead.
  -A --applicationName                       Supports providing applicationName
                                             that will be used for connection profile app name.
  -T --authenticationType                    Provide authentication mode to be
                                             used. Accepted values: AzureMFA, SqlLogin, Integrated, etc.
  -c --command <command-name>                Name of command to run, accepted
                                             values: connect, openConnectionDialog
  -Z --connectionProperties                  Supports providing advanced connection properties that
                                             providers support. Value must be a json object containing
                                             key-value pairs in format: '{"key1":"value1"}'
  -D --database <database>                   Name of database
  -E --integrated                            Use Integrated authentication,
                                             this option is deprecated - use 'authenticationType' instead.
  -P --provider                              Connection provider to use, e.g. MSSQL, PGSQL, etc.
  -S --server <server>                       Name of target server or host name.
  --showDashboard                            Whether or not to show dashboard on connection, false by default.
  -U --user <user-name>                      User name/email address

Launch from the command line

You can launch Azure Data Studio from the command line to quickly open a file, folder, or project. Typically, you open Azure Data Studio within the context of a folder. From an open terminal or command prompt, navigate to your project folder and type azuredatastudio.

Launch with Query Editor

Sometimes you might want to open a script in the Query Editor when opening Azure Data Studio. You can launch Azure Data Studio with an existing script by providing the path of the file:

azuredatastudio .\samplescript.sql

Launch using URI

You can launch Azure Data Studio from browser using URL format to quickly establish connection on launch, or open a connection dialog, optionally opening a script in the Query Editor. The supported format for launching with URI is:

azuredatastudio://{command}?{option1}={value1}&{option2}={value2}...

Supported commands

The following commands are supported when launching Azure Data Studio from a command line:

connect: Connects to the target server using the provided options
openConnectionDialog: Opens the connection dialog using the provided options

Supported options

The following options can be provided in the URL.

Option	Description
`provider`	Connection provider to use, for example, MSSQL, PGSQL, and so on.
`server`	Name of target server or host name.
`database`	Name of database.
`user`	Name of user.
`authenticationType`	Authentication mode to be used, accepted values: `AzureMFA`, `SqlLogin`, `Integrated`, and so on.
`applicationName`	Provide an application name that is used in the connection profile.
`connectionProperties`	Advanced connection properties that a provider supports. Value must be a json object containing key-value pairs in format `{"key1":"value1"}`.

Examples

Command prompt: Integrated authentication

azuredatastudio --server localhost --authenticationType Integrated

You might be prompted with a "Trust server certificate" warning.

Note

For users connecting to an on-premises SQL Server or SQL Server in a Virtual Machine, the Database Engine must be configured to support encrypted connections. For complete instructions, see Configure SQL Server Database Engine for encrypting connections.

Command prompt: Launch Azure Data Studio with a saved script

azuredatastudio --server localhost --provider mssql --user sa .\samplescript.sql

Browser

azuredatastudio://connect?server=*****&user=*****&authenticationType=*****&connectionProperties={"key1":"value1"}

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