Azure Automation runbook types

The Azure Automation Process Automation feature supports several types of runbooks, as defined in the following table. To learn about the process automation environment, see Runbook execution in Azure Automation.

Type	Description
PowerShell	Textual runbook based on Windows PowerShell scripting. The currently supported versions are: PowerShell 7.2 (GA) and PowerShell 5.1 (GA). Since PowerShell 7.1 is no longer supported by parent product PowerShell, we recommend that you to create runbooks in long term supported version PowerShell 7.2
PowerShell Workflow	Textual runbook based on Windows PowerShell Workflow scripting.
Python	Textual runbook based on Python scripting. The currently supported versions are: Python 3.8 (GA) and Python 3.10 (preview). Since Python 2.7 is no longer supported by parent product Python, we recommend that you to create runbooks in long term supported versions.
Graphical	Graphical runbook based on Windows PowerShell and created and edited completely in the graphical editor in Azure portal.
Graphical PowerShell Workflow	Graphical runbook based on Windows PowerShell Workflow and created and edited completely in the graphical editor in Azure portal.

Note

Azure Automation will follow the support lifecycle of PowerShell and Python language versions in accordance with the timelines published by parent products PowerShell and Python respectively. We recommend that you to use runbooks with supported language versions.

Take into account the following considerations when determining which type to use for a particular runbook.

• You can't convert runbooks from graphical to text type, or the other way around.
• There are limitations when using runbooks of different types as child runbooks. For more information, see Child runbooks in Azure Automation.

PowerShell runbooks

PowerShell runbooks are based on Windows PowerShell. You directly edit the code of the runbook using the text editor in the Azure portal. You can also use any offline text editor and import the runbook into Azure Automation.

The PowerShell version is determined by the Runtime version specified (that is version 7.2, 7.1 (preview) or 5.1).

The same Azure sandbox and Hybrid Runbook Worker can execute multiple PowerShell runbooks targeting different runtime versions side by side.

Note

• Currently, PowerShell 7.2 runtime version is supported for both Cloud and Hybrid jobs in all Public regions except Central India, UAE Central, Israel Central, Italy North, and Germany North.
• At the time of runbook execution, if you select Runtime Version as 7.2, PowerShell modules targeting 7.2 runtime version are used and if you select Runtime Version as 5.1, PowerShell modules targeting 5.1 runtime version are used. This applies for PowerShell 7.1 (preview) modules and runbooks.

Ensure that you select the right Runtime Version for modules.

For example: if you're executing a runbook for a SharePoint automation scenario in Runtime version 7.1 (preview), then import the module in Runtime version 7.1 (preview); if you're executing a runbook for a SharePoint automation scenario in Runtime version 5.1, then import the module in Runtime version 5.1. In this case, you would see two entries for the module, one for Runtime Version 7.1(preview) and other for 5.1.

Note

Currently, PowerShell 5.1, PowerShell 7.1 (preview) and PowerShell 7.2 are supported.

Advantages

• Implement all complex logic with PowerShell code without the other complexities of PowerShell Workflow.
• Start faster than PowerShell Workflow runbooks, since they don't need to be compiled before running.
• Run in Azure and on Hybrid Runbook Workers for both Windows and Linux.

Limitations and Known issues

The following are the current limitations and known issues with PowerShell runbooks:

PowerShell 7.2

Limitations

Note

Currently, PowerShell 7.2 runtime version is supported for both Cloud and Hybrid jobs in all Public regions except Central India, UAE Central, Israel Central, Italy North, and Germany North.

• For the PowerShell 7.2 runtime version, the module activities aren't extracted for the imported modules. Use Azure Automation extension for VS code to simplify runbook authoring experience.
• PowerShell 7.x doesn't support workflows. For more information, see PowerShell workflow for more details.
• PowerShell 7.x currently doesn't support signed runbooks.
• Source control integration doesn't support PowerShell 7.2. Also, PowerShell 7.2 runbooks in source control get created in Automation account as Runtime 5.1.
• Az module 8.3.0 is installed by default. The complete list of component modules of selected Az module version is shown once Az version is configured again using Azure portal or API.
• The imported PowerShell 7.2 module would be validated during job execution. Ensure that all dependencies for the selected module are also imported for successful job execution.
• Azure runbook doesn't support Start-Job with -credential.
• Azure doesn't support all PowerShell input parameters. Learn more.

Known issues

• Runbooks taking dependency on internal file paths such as C:\modules might fail due to changes in service backend infrastructure. Change runbook code to ensure there are no dependencies on internal file paths and use Get-ChildItem to get the required module information.

• Get-AzStorageAccount cmdlet might fail with an error: The Get-AzStorageAccount command was found in the module Az.Storage, but the module could not be loaded.

• Executing child scripts using .\child-runbook.ps1 is not supported.
  Workaround: Use Start-AutomationRunbook (internal cmdlet) or Start-AzAutomationRunbook (from Az.Automation module) to start another runbook from parent runbook.

• When you use ExchangeOnlineManagement module version: 3.0.0 or higher, you can experience errors. To resolve the issue, ensure that you explicitly upload PowerShellGet and PackageManagement modules.

• When you utilize the New-AzAutomationVariable  cmdlet within Az.Automation Module to upload a variable of type object, the operation doesn't function as expected.

  Workaround: Convert the object to a JSON string using the ConvertTo-Json cmdlet and then upload the variable with the JSON string as its value. This workaround ensures proper handling of the variable within the Azure Automation environment as a JSON string.

  Example - Create a PowerShell object that has stored information around Azure VMs

    # Retrieve Azure virtual machines with status information for the 'northeurope' region 
    $AzVM = Get-AzVM -Status | Where-Object {$_.Location -eq "northeurope"} 
  
    $VMstopatch = @($AzVM).Id 
    # Create an Azure Automation variable (This cmdlet will not fail, but the variable may not work as intended when used in the runbook.) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $VMstopatch 
  
    # Convert the object to a JSON string 
    $jsonString = $VMstopatch | ConvertTo-Json 
  
    # Create an Azure Automation variable with a JSON string value (works effectively within the automation runbook) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $jsonString 
  

PowerShell 5.1

Limitations

• Runbooks can't use parallel processing to execute multiple actions in parallel.
• Runbooks can't use checkpoints to resume runbook if there's an error.
• You can include only PowerShell, PowerShell Workflow runbooks, and graphical runbooks as child runbooks by using the Start-AzAutomationRunbook cmdlet, which creates a new job.
• Runbooks can't use the PowerShell #Requires statement, it isn't supported in Azure sandbox or on Hybrid Runbook Workers and might cause the job to fail.
• Azure runbook doesn't support Start-Job with -credential.
• Azure doesn't support all PowerShell input parameters. Learn more.

Known issues

• Runbooks taking dependency on internal file paths such as C:\modules might fail due to changes in service backend infrastructure. Change runbook code to ensure there are no dependencies on internal file paths and use Get-ChildItem to get the required module information.

  Sample script

  
  # Get information about module "Microsoft.Graph.Authentication"
  $ModuleName = "Microsoft.Graph.Authentication"
  
  $NewPath = "C:\usr\src\PSModules\$ModuleName"
  $OldPath = "C:\Modules\User\$ModuleName"
  
  if (Test-Path -Path $NewPath -PathType Container) {
      Get-ChildItem -Path $NewPath
  } elseif (Test-Path -Path $OldPath -PathType Container) {
      Get-ChildItem -Path $OldPath
  } else {
      Write-Output "Module $ModuleName not present."
  }
  # Getting the path to the Temp folder, if needed.
  $tmp = $env:TEMP
  
  

• Get-AzStorageAccount cmdlet might fail with an error: The Get-AzStorageAccount command was found in the module Az.Storage, but the module could not be loaded.

• PowerShell runbooks can't retrieve an unencrypted variable asset with a null value.

• PowerShell runbooks can't retrieve a variable asset with *~* in the name.

• A Get-Process operation in a loop in a PowerShell runbook can crash after about 80 iterations.

• A PowerShell runbook can fail if it tries to write a large amount of data to the output stream at once. You can typically work around this issue by having the runbook output just the information needed to work with large objects. For example, instead of using Get-Process with no limitations, you can have the cmdlet output just the required parameters as in Get-Process | Select ProcessName, CPU.

• When you use ExchangeOnlineManagement module version: 3.0.0 or higher, you may experience errors. To resolve the issue, ensure that you explicitly upload PowerShellGet and PackageManagement modules as well.

• If you import module Az.Accounts with version 2.12.3 or newer, ensure that you import the Newtonsoft.Json v10 module explicitly if PowerShell 5.1 runbooks have a dependency on this version of the module. The workaround for this issue is to use PowerShell 7.2 runbooks.

• When you utilize the New-AzAutomationVariable cmdlet within Az.Automation Module to upload a variable of type object, the operation doesn't function as expected.

  Workaround: Convert the object to a JSON string using the ConvertTo-Json cmdlet and then upload the variable with the JSON string as its value. This workaround ensures proper handling of the variable within the Azure Automation environment as a JSON string.

  Example - Create a PowerShell object that has stored information around Azure VMs

    # Retrieve Azure virtual machines with status information for the 'northeurope' region 
    $AzVM = Get-AzVM -Status | Where-Object {$_.Location -eq "northeurope"} 
  
    $VMstopatch = @($AzVM).Id 
    # Create an Azure Automation variable (This cmdlet will not fail, but the variable may not work as intended when used in the runbook.) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $VMstopatch 
  
    # Convert the object to a JSON string 
    $jsonString = $VMstopatch | ConvertTo-Json 
  
    # Create an Azure Automation variable with a JSON string value (works effectively within the automation runbook) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $jsonString 
  

PowerShell 7.1

Limitations

• PowerShell 7.1 is no longer supported by parent product PowerShell. We recommend you to create new runbooks in PowerShell 7.2 for a long term support and update the outdated runbooks.
• The Azure Automation internal PowerShell cmdlets aren't supported on a Linux Hybrid Runbook Worker. You must import the automationassets module at the beginning of your PowerShell runbook to access the Automation account shared resources (assets) functions.
• For the PowerShell 7 runtime version, the module activities aren't extracted for the imported modules.
• PSCredential runbook parameter type isn't supported in PowerShell 7 runtime version.
• PowerShell 7.x doesn't support workflows. For more information, see PowerShell Workflow for more details.
• PowerShell 7.x currently doesn't support signed runbooks.
• Source control integration doesn't support PowerShell 7.1 (preview) Also, PowerShell 7.1 (preview) runbooks in source control gets created in Automation account as Runtime 5.1.
• PowerShell 7.1 module management isn't supported through Get-AzAutomationModule cmdlets.
• Runbook fails with no log trace if the input value contains the character '.
• Azure runbook doesn't support Start-Job with -credential.
• Azure doesn't support all PowerShell input parameters. Learn more.

Known issues

• Runbooks taking dependency on internal file paths such as C:\modules might fail due to changes in service backend infrastructure. Change runbook code to ensure there are no dependencies on internal file paths and use Get-ChildItem to get the required module information.

  Sample script

  
  # Get information about module "Microsoft.Graph.Authentication"
  $ModuleName = "Microsoft.Graph.Authentication"
  
  $NewPath = "C:\usr\src\PSModules\$ModuleName"
  $OldPath = "C:\Modules\User\$ModuleName"
  
  if (Test-Path -Path $NewPath -PathType Container) {
      Get-ChildItem -Path $NewPath
  } elseif (Test-Path -Path $OldPath -PathType Container) {
      Get-ChildItem -Path $OldPath
  } else {
      Write-Output "Module $ModuleName not present."
  }
  # Getting the path to the Temp folder, if needed.
  $tmp = $env:TEMP
  
  

• Get-AzStorageAccount cmdlet might fail with an error: The Get-AzStorageAccount command was found in the module Az.Storage, but the module could not be loaded.

• Executing child scripts using .\child-runbook.ps1 isn't supported in this preview. Workaround: Use Start-AutomationRunbook (internal cmdlet) or Start-AzAutomationRunbook (from Az.Automation module) to start another runbook from parent runbook.

• Runbook properties defining logging preference isn't supported in PowerShell 7 runtime. Workaround: Explicitly set the preference at the start of the runbook as following -

      $VerbosePreference = "Continue"
  
      $ProgressPreference = "Continue"
  

• Avoid importing Az.Accounts module to version 2.4.0 version for PowerShell 7 runtime as there can be an unexpected behavior using this version in Azure Automation.

• You might encounter formatting problems with error output streams for the job running in PowerShell 7 runtime.

• When you import a PowerShell 7.1 module that's dependent on other modules, you may find that the import button is gray even when PowerShell 7.1 version of the dependent module is installed. For example, Az PowerShell module.Compute version 4.20.0, has a dependency on Az.Accounts being >= 2.6.0. This issue occurs when an equivalent dependent module in PowerShell 5.1 doesn't meet the version requirements. For example, 5.1 version of Az.Accounts were < 2.6.0.

• When you start PowerShell 7 runbook using the webhook, it auto-converts the webhook input parameter to an invalid JSON.

• We recommend that you use ExchangeOnlineManagement module version: 3.0.0 or lower because version: 3.0.0 or higher may lead to job failures.

• If you import module Az.Accounts with version 2.12.3 or newer, ensure that you import the Newtonsoft.Json v10 module explicitly if PowerShell 7.1 runbooks have a dependency on this version of the module. The workaround for this issue is to use PowerShell 7.2 runbooks.

• When you utilize the New-AzAutomationVariable  cmdlet within Az.Automation Module to upload a variable of type object, the operation doesn't function as expected.

  Workaround: Convert the object to a JSON string using the ConvertTo-Json cmdlet and then upload the variable with the JSON string as its value. This workaround ensures proper handling of the variable within the Azure Automation environment as a JSON string.

  Example - Create a PowerShell object that has stored information around Azure VMs

    # Retrieve Azure virtual machines with status information for the 'northeurope' region 
    $AzVM = Get-AzVM -Status | Where-Object {$_.Location -eq "northeurope"} 
  
    $VMstopatch = @($AzVM).Id 
    # Create an Azure Automation variable (This cmdlet will not fail, but the variable may not work as intended when used in the runbook.) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $VMstopatch 
  
    # Convert the object to a JSON string 
    $jsonString = $VMstopatch | ConvertTo-Json 
  
    # Create an Azure Automation variable with a JSON string value (works effectively within the automation runbook) 
    New-AzAutomationVariable -ResourceGroupName "mrg" -AutomationAccountName "mAutomationAccount2" -Name "complex1" -Encrypted $false -Value $jsonString 
  

PowerShell Workflow runbooks

PowerShell Workflow runbooks are text runbooks based on Windows PowerShell Workflow. You directly edit the code of the runbook using the text editor in the Azure portal. You can also use any offline text editor and import the runbook into Azure Automation.

Note

PowerShell 7.1 (preview) and PowerShell 7.2 do not support Workflow runbooks.

Advantages

• Implement all complex logic with PowerShell Workflow code.
• Use checkpoints to resume operation if there's an error.
• Use parallel processing to do multiple actions in parallel.
• Can include other graphical runbooks and PowerShell Workflow runbooks as child runbooks to create high-level workflows.

Limitations

• PowerShell workflow isn't supported in PowerShell 7+ versions. Hence, the outdated runbooks can't be upgraded.
• Inefficient handling of parallel execution compared to newer PowerShell 7+ versions.
• PowerShell Workflow internally works using multiple processes. Hence, modules available in one process may not be available in another and cause exceptions like command not found.
• Runbooks must deal with the additional complexity of PowerShell Workflow, such as deserialized objects.
• Runbooks take longer to start than PowerShell runbooks since they must be compiled before running.
• You can only include PowerShell runbooks as child runbooks by using the Start-AzAutomationRunbook cmdlet.
• Runbooks can't run on a Linux Hybrid Runbook Worker.

Python runbooks

Python runbooks compile under Python 2.7(GA), Python 3.8 (GA) and Python 3.10 (preview). You can directly edit the code of the runbook using the text editor in the Azure portal. You can also use an offline text editor and import the runbook into Azure Automation.

Currently, Python 3.10 (preview) runtime version is supported for both Cloud and Hybrid jobs in all Public regions except Australia Central2, Korea South, Sweden South, Jio India Central, Brazil SouthEast, Central India, West India, UAE Central, and Gov clouds.

Advantages

Note

Importing a Python package may take several minutes.

• Uses the robust Python libraries.
• Can run in Azure or on Hybrid Runbook Workers.
• For Python 2.7, Windows Hybrid Runbook Workers are supported with python 2.7 installed.
• For Python 3.8 Cloud Jobs, Python 3.8 version is supported. Scripts and packages from any 3.x version might work if the code is compatible across different versions.
• For Python 3.8 Hybrid jobs on Windows machines, you can choose to install any 3.x version you may want to use.
• For Python 3.8 Hybrid jobs on Linux machines, we depend on the Python 3 version installed on the machine to run DSC OMSConfig and the Linux Hybrid Worker. Different versions should work if there are no breaking changes in method signatures or contracts between versions of Python 3.

Limitations

Following are the limitations of Python runbooks

Python 3.10 (preview)

• For Python 3.10 (preview) modules, currently, only the wheel files targeting cp310 Linux OS are supported. Learn more
• Source control integration isn't supported.
• Custom packages for Python 3.10 (preview) are only validated during job runtime. Job is expected to fail if the package is not compatible in the runtime or if required dependencies of packages aren't imported into automation account.
• Currently, Python 3.10 (preview) runbooks are only supported from Azure portal. Rest API and PowerShell aren't supported.

Python 3.8 (GA)

• You must be familiar with Python scripting.
• Source control integration isn't supported.
• For Python 3.8 modules, use wheel files targeting cp38-amd64.
• To use third-party libraries, you must import the packages into the Automation account.
• Using Start-AutomationRunbook cmdlet in PowerShell/PowerShell Workflow to start a Python 3.8 runbook doesn't work. You can use Start-AzAutomationRunbook cmdlet from Az.Automation module or Start-AzureRmAutomationRunbook cmdlet from AzureRm.Automation module to work around this limitation. 
• Azure Automation doesn't support sys.stderr.
• The Python automationassets package isn't available on pypi.org, so it's not available for import onto a Windows machine.

Python 2.7

• Python 2.7 is no longer supported by parent product Python. We recommend you to create new runbooks in the supported versions and update the outdated runbooks.
• You must be familiar with Python scripting.
• For Python 2.7.12 modules, use wheel files cp27-amd6.
• To use third-party libraries, you must import the packages into the Automation account.
• Azure Automation doesn't support sys.stderr.
• The Python automationassets package isn't available on pypi.org, so it's not available for import onto a Windows machine.

Multiple Python versions

It's applicable for Windows Hybrid workers. For a Windows Runbook Worker, when running a Python 2 runbook it looks for the environment variable PYTHON_2_PATH first and validates whether it points to a valid executable file. For example, if the installation folder is C:\Python2, it would check if C:\Python2\python.exe is a valid path. If not found, then it looks for the PATH environment variable to do a similar check.

For Python 3, it looks for the PYTHON_3_PATH env variable first and then falls back to the PATH environment variable.

When using only one version of Python, you can add the installation path to the PATH variable. If you want to use both versions on the Runbook Worker, set PYTHON_2_PATH and PYTHON_3_PATH to the location of the module for those versions.

Known issues

For cloud jobs, Python 3.8 jobs sometimes fail with an exception message invalid interpreter executable path. You might see this exception if the job is delayed, starting more than 10 minutes, or using Start-AutomationRunbook to start Python 3.8 runbooks. If the job is delayed, restarting the runbook should be sufficient.

Graphical runbooks

You can create and edit graphical and graphical PowerShell Workflow runbooks using the graphical editor in the Azure portal. However, you can't create or edit this type of runbook with another tool. Main features of graphical runbooks:

• Exported to files in your Automation account and then imported into another Automation account.
• Generate PowerShell code.
• Converted to or from graphical PowerShell Workflow runbooks during import.

Advantages

• Use visual insert-link-configure authoring model.
• Focus on how data flows through the process.
• Visually represent management processes.
• Include other runbooks as child runbooks to create high-level workflows.
• Encourage modular programming.

Limitations

• Can't create or edit outside the Azure portal.
• Might require a code activity containing PowerShell code to execute complex logic.
• Can't convert to one of the text formats, nor can you convert a text runbook to graphical format.
• Can't view or directly edit PowerShell code that the graphical workflow creates. You can view the code you create in any code activities.
• Can't run runbooks on a Linux Hybrid Runbook Worker. See Automate resources in your datacenter or cloud by using Hybrid Runbook Worker.
• Graphical runbooks can't be digitally signed.

Next steps

• To learn about PowerShell runbooks, see Tutorial: Create a PowerShell runbook.
• To learn about PowerShell Workflow runbooks, see Tutorial: Create a PowerShell Workflow runbook.
• To learn about graphical runbooks, see Tutorial: Create a graphical runbook.
• To learn about Python runbooks, see Tutorial: Create a Python runbook.