miniguide

Azure Login & Certificates Cheatsheet: Authentication and Troubleshooting

Introduction

This cheatsheet provides Azure CLI examples for logging into Azure, including interactive login, service principal login using certificates, and various troubleshooting examples.

Table of Contents

• Azure Login \& Certificates Cheatsheet: Authentication and Troubleshooting
  • Introduction
  • Table of Contents
    • 1. Interactive Login
    • 2. Login with Service Principal \& Password
    • 3. Login with Service Principal \& Certificate
    • 4. Login Using Device Code
    • 5. List Current Account
    • 6. Show Login Information
    • 7. Logout from Azure
    • 8. Troubleshoot Login Issues
    • 9. Validate Certificate Authentication
    • 10. Use Environment Variables for Login

1. Interactive Login

az login

2. Login with Service Principal & Password

az login --service-principal --username <appId> --password <password> --tenant <tenantId>

3. Login with Service Principal & Certificate

az login --service-principal --username <appId> --password <path/to/certificate.pem> --tenant <tenantId>

4. Login Using Device Code

az login --use-device-code

5. List Current Account

az account show

6. Show Login Information

az ad signed-in-user show

7. Logout from Azure

az logout

8. Troubleshoot Login Issues

Example: Retry login with verbose output.

az login --debug

9. Validate Certificate Authentication

Example: Check certificate details used in login.

az ad sp credential list --id <appId>

10. Use Environment Variables for Login

Example: Export variables then login.

export AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<appId>
export AZURE_TENANT_ID=<tenantId>
export AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=<secret>
az login --service-principal