Tutorial: Create and Manage Linux VMs with the Azure CLI
Applies to: ✔️ Linux VMs ✔️ Flexible scale sets
Azure virtual machines provide a fully configurable and flexible computing environment. This tutorial covers basic Azure virtual machine deployment items such as selecting a VM size, selecting a VM image, and deploying a VM. You learn how to:
- Create and connect to a VM
- Select and use VM images
- View and use specific VM sizes
- Resize a VM
- View and understand VM state
This tutorial uses the CLI within the Azure Cloud Shell, which is constantly updated to the latest version.
If you choose to install and use the CLI locally, this tutorial requires that you are running the Azure CLI version 2.0.30 or later. Run az --version to find the version. If you need to install or upgrade, see Install Azure CLI.
Create resource group
Create a resource group with the az group create command.
An Azure resource group is a logical container into which Azure resources are deployed and managed. A resource group must be created before a virtual machine. In this example, a resource group named myResourceGroupVM is created in the eastus2 region.
az group create --name myResourceGroupVM --location eastus2
The resource group is specified when creating or modifying a VM, which can be seen throughout this tutorial.
Create virtual machine
Create a virtual machine with the az vm create command.
When you create a virtual machine, several options are available such as operating system image, disk sizing, and administrative credentials. The following example creates a VM named myVM that runs SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES). A user account named azureuser is created on the VM, and SSH keys are generated if they do not exist in the default key location (~/.ssh):
az vm create \
--resource-group myResourceGroupVM \
--name myVM \
--image SuseSles15SP3 \
--public-ip-sku Standard \
--admin-username azureuser \
--generate-ssh-keys
It may take a few minutes to create the VM. Once the VM has been created, the Azure CLI outputs information about the VM. Take note of the publicIpAddress, this address can be used to access the virtual machine.
{
"fqdns": "",
"id": "/subscriptions/d5b9d4b7-6fc1-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/myResourceGroupVM/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/myVM",
"location": "eastus2",
"macAddress": "00-0D-3A-23-9A-49",
"powerState": "VM running",
"privateIpAddress": "10.0.0.4",
"publicIpAddress": "52.174.34.95",
"resourceGroup": "myResourceGroupVM"
}
Connect to VM
You can now connect to the VM with SSH in the Azure Cloud Shell or from your local computer. Replace the example IP address with the publicIpAddress noted in the previous step.
ssh azureuser@52.174.34.95
Once logged in to the VM, you can install and configure applications. When you are finished, you close the SSH session as normal:
exit
Understand VM images
The Azure Marketplace includes many images that can be used to create VMs. In the previous steps, a virtual machine was created using an Ubuntu image. In this step, the Azure CLI is used to search the marketplace for an Ubuntu image, which is then used to deploy a second virtual machine.
To see a list of the most commonly used images, use the az vm image list command.
az vm image list --output table
The command output returns the most popular VM images on Azure.
Architecture Offer Publisher Sku Urn UrnAlias Version
-------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- ---------
x64 debian-10 Debian 10 Debian:debian-10:10:latest Debian latest
x64 flatcar-container-linux-free kinvolk stable kinvolk:flatcar-container-linux-free:stable:latest Flatcar latest
x64 opensuse-leap-15-3 SUSE gen2 SUSE:opensuse-leap-15-3:gen2:latest openSUSE-Leap latest
x64 RHEL RedHat 7-LVM RedHat:RHEL:7-LVM:latest RHEL latest
x64 sles-15-sp3 SUSE gen2 SUSE:sles-15-sp3:gen2:latest SLES latest
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 18.04-LTS Canonical:UbuntuServer:18.04-LTS:latest UbuntuLTS latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2022-Datacenter MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2022-Datacenter:latest Win2022Datacenter latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2022-datacenter-azure-edition-core MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2022-datacenter-azure-edition-core:latest Win2022AzureEditionCore latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2019-Datacenter MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2019-Datacenter:latest Win2019Datacenter latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2016-Datacenter MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2016-Datacenter:latest Win2016Datacenter latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2012-R2-Datacenter MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2012-R2-Datacenter:latest Win2012R2Datacenter latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2012-Datacenter MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2012-Datacenter:latest Win2012Datacenter latest
x64 WindowsServer MicrosoftWindowsServer 2008-R2-SP1 MicrosoftWindowsServer:WindowsServer:2008-R2-SP1:latest Win2008R2SP1 latest
A full list can be seen by adding the --all parameter. The image list can also be filtered by --publisher or –-offer. In this example, the list is filtered for all images, published by OpenLogic, with an offer that matches 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy.
az vm image list --offer 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy --publisher Canonical --all --output table
Example partial output:
Architecture Offer Publisher Sku Urn Version
-------------- --------------------------------- ----------- --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202204200 22.04.202204200
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202205060 22.04.202205060
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202205280 22.04.202205280
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202206040 22.04.202206040
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202206090 22.04.202206090
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202206160 22.04.202206160
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202206220 22.04.202206220
x64 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy Canonical 22_04-lts Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:22.04.202207060 22.04.202207060
Note
Canonical has changed the Offer names they use for the most recent versions. Before Ubuntu 20.04, the Offer name is UbuntuServer. For Ubuntu 20.04 the Offer name is 0001-com-ubuntu-server-focal and for Ubuntu 22.04 it's 0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy.
To deploy a VM using a specific image, take note of the value in the Urn column, which consists of the publisher, offer, SKU, and optionally a version number to identify the image. When specifying the image, the image version number can be replaced with latest, which selects the latest version of the distribution. In this example, the --image parameter is used to specify the latest version of a Ubuntu 22.04.
az vm create --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM2 --image Canonical:0001-com-ubnutu-server-jammy:22_04-lts:latest --generate-ssh-keys
Understand VM sizes
A virtual machine size determines the amount of compute resources such as CPU, GPU, and memory that are made available to the virtual machine. Virtual machines need to be sized appropriately for the expected work load. If workload increases, an existing virtual machine can be resized.
VM Sizes
The following table categorizes sizes into use cases.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| General purpose | Balanced CPU-to-memory. Ideal for dev / test and small to medium applications and data solutions. |
| Compute optimized | High CPU-to-memory. Good for medium traffic applications, network appliances, and batch processes. |
| Memory optimized | High memory-to-core. Great for relational databases, medium to large caches, and in-memory analytics. |
| Storage optimized | High disk throughput and IO. Ideal for Big Data, SQL, and NoSQL databases. |
| GPU | Specialized VMs targeted for heavy graphic rendering and video editing. |
| High performance | Our most powerful CPU VMs with optional high-throughput network interfaces (RDMA). |
Find available VM sizes
To see a list of VM sizes available in a particular region, use the az vm list-sizes command.
az vm list-sizes --location eastus2 --output table
Example partial output:
MaxDataDiskCount MemoryInMb Name NumberOfCores OsDiskSizeInMb ResourceDiskSizeInMb
------------------ ------------ ---------------------- --------------- ---------------- ----------------------
4 8192 Standard_D2ds_v4 2 1047552 76800
8 16384 Standard_D4ds_v4 4 1047552 153600
16 32768 Standard_D8ds_v4 8 1047552 307200
32 65536 Standard_D16ds_v4 16 1047552 614400
32 131072 Standard_D32ds_v4 32 1047552 1228800
32 196608 Standard_D48ds_v4 48 1047552 1843200
32 262144 Standard_D64ds_v4 64 1047552 2457600
4 8192 Standard_D2ds_v5 2 1047552 76800
8 16384 Standard_D4ds_v5 4 1047552 153600
16 32768 Standard_D8ds_v5 8 1047552 307200
32 65536 Standard_D16ds_v5 16 1047552 614400
32 131072 Standard_D32ds_v5 32 1047552 1228800
32 196608 Standard_D48ds_v5 48 1047552 1843200
32 262144 Standard_D64ds_v5 64 1047552 2457600
32 393216 Standard_D96ds_v5 96 1047552 3686400
Create VM with specific size
In the previous VM creation example, a size was not provided, which results in a default size. A VM size can be selected at creation time using az vm create and the --size parameter.
az vm create \
--resource-group myResourceGroupVM \
--name myVM3 \
--image SuseSles15SP3 \
--size Standard_D2ds_v4 \
--generate-ssh-keys
Resize a VM
After a VM has been deployed, it can be resized to increase or decrease resource allocation. You can view the current of size of a VM with az vm show:
az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM --query hardwareProfile.vmSize
Before resizing a VM, check if the desired size is available on the current Azure cluster. The az vm list-vm-resize-options command returns the list of sizes.
az vm list-vm-resize-options --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM --query [].name
If the desired size is available, the VM can be resized from a powered-on state, however it is rebooted during the operation. Use the az vm resize command to perform the resize.
az vm resize --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM --size Standard_D4s_v3
If the desired size is not on the current cluster, the VM needs to be deallocated before the resize operation can occur. Use the az vm deallocate command to stop and deallocate the VM. Note, when the VM is powered back on, any data on the temp disk may be removed. The public IP address also changes unless a static IP address is being used.
az vm deallocate --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM
Once deallocated, the resize can occur.
az vm resize --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM --size Standard_GS1
After the resize, the VM can be started.
az vm start --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM
VM power states
An Azure VM can have one of many power states. This state represents the current state of the VM from the standpoint of the hypervisor.
Power states
| Power State | Description |
|---|---|
| Starting | Indicates the virtual machine is being started. |
| Running | Indicates that the virtual machine is running. |
| Stopping | Indicates that the virtual machine is being stopped. |
| Stopped | Indicates that the virtual machine is stopped. Virtual machines in the stopped state still incur compute charges. |
| Deallocating | Indicates that the virtual machine is being deallocated. |
| Deallocated | Indicates that the virtual machine is removed from the hypervisor but still available in the control plane. Virtual machines in the Deallocated state do not incur compute charges. |
| - | Indicates that the power state of the virtual machine is unknown. |
Find the power state
To retrieve the state of a particular VM, use the az vm get-instance-view command. Be sure to specify a valid name for a virtual machine and resource group.
az vm get-instance-view \
--name myVM \
--resource-group myResourceGroupVM \
--query instanceView.statuses[1] --output table
Output:
Code Level DisplayStatus
------------------ ------- ---------------
PowerState/running Info VM running
To retrieve the power state of all the VMs in your subscription, use the Virtual Machines - List All API with parameter statusOnly set to true.
Management tasks
During the life-cycle of a virtual machine, you may want to run management tasks such as starting, stopping, or deleting a virtual machine. Additionally, you may want to create scripts to automate repetitive or complex tasks. Using the Azure CLI, many common management tasks can be run from the command line or in scripts.
Get IP address
This command returns the private and public IP addresses of a virtual machine.
az vm list-ip-addresses --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM --output table
Stop virtual machine
az vm stop --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM
Start virtual machine
az vm start --resource-group myResourceGroupVM --name myVM
Deleting VM resources
Depending on how you delete a VM, it may only delete the VM resource, not the networking and disk resources. You can change the default behavior to delete other resources when you delete the VM. For more information, see Delete a VM and attached resources.
Deleting a resource group also deletes all resources in the resource group, like the VM, virtual network, and disk. The --no-wait parameter returns control to the prompt without waiting for the operation to complete. The --yes parameter confirms that you wish to delete the resources without an additional prompt to do so.
az group delete --name myResourceGroupVM --no-wait --yes
Next steps
In this tutorial, you learned about basic VM creation and management such as how to:
- Create and connect to a VM
- Select and use VM images
- View and use specific VM sizes
- Resize a VM
- View and understand VM state
Advance to the next tutorial to learn about VM disks.