Run scripts in your VM by using Run Command

Run Command uses the virtual machine (VM) agent to run scripts within an Azure Windows or Linux VM. You can use these scripts for general machine or application management. They can help you to quickly diagnose and remediate VM access and network issues and get the VM back to a good state. Scripts can be embedded in the properties or referenced to a pre published gallery script.

The original set of commands are action orientated. The updated set of commands are management orientated and enable you to run multiple scripts and has less restrictions. This article will explain the difference between the two sets of run commands and help you decide which set is the right one to use in your scenario.

Important

Managed Run Command is currently available in Azure CLI, PowerShell, and API at this time. Portal functionality will soon be available.

When to use action or managed commands

The original set of commands are action orientated. You should consider using this set of commands for situations where you need to run:

• A small script to get a content from a VM
• A script to configure a VM (set registry keys, change configuration)
• A one time script for diagnostics

See Action Run Commands for Linux and Action Run Commands for Windows for available action commands and instructions on how to apply them.

The updated set of commands are management orientated. Consider using managed run commands if your needs align to the following examples:

• Script needs to run as part of VM deployment
• Recurrent script execution is needed
• Multiple scripts needs to execute sequentially
• Bootstrap a VM by running installation scripts
• Publish custom script to be shared and reused

See Managed Run Command for Linux and Managed Run Command for Windows to learn how to use them.

Note

The maximum number of allowed Managed Run Commands is currently limited to 25.

Compare feature support

Feature support	Action RunCommand	Managed RunCommand
ARM template	No, it’s a POST action	Yes, it’s a resource type
Long running	90 min limit	Customer specified timeout
Execution account	System account / root	Customer specified user
Multiple run commands	Only one active	Multiple in parallel or sequenced
Large output	Limited to 4k (in status blob)	Uploaded to customer append blob
Progress tracking	Reports only final status	Reports progress and last 4k output during execution
Async execution	Goal state/provisioning waits for script to complete	Customer specified async flag if provisioning waits for the script
Virtual machine scale set support	Only on VM instance	Support virtual machine scale set model and scale out
SAS generation	No blob support	Automated, CRP generates SAS for customer blobs and manages them
Gallery (custom commands)	Only built-in commandIds	Customer can publish scripts and share them

Next steps

Get started with Managed Run Command for Linux or Managed Run Command for Windows.