The az bicep command is part of the azure-cli tool, which is the official CLI (Command-Line Interface) provided by Microsoft for managing resources and services on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
The az bicep command group is specifically related to the Bicep language and tooling. Here’s an overview of its functionality:
- Bicep Language Compilation: Bicep is a domain-specific language (DSL) that simplifies the authoring and management of Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates. The az bicep command group includes commands for compiling Bicep files (.bicep) into Azure Resource Manager templates (.json). This compilation process converts Bicep code into equivalent ARM template syntax that Azure understands.
- Bicep Deployment: The az bicep command group also provides commands for deploying Bicep templates to Azure. You can use these commands to create and manage Azure resources defined in Bicep templates. The deployment process involves validating the Bicep template, provisioning the specified resources, and managing the lifecycle of the deployed resources.
- Template Decompilation: Bicep allows you to decompile existing ARM templates into Bicep files for easier management and modification. The az bicep command group provides commands to decompile ARM templates (.json) into Bicep files (.bicep), making it convenient to migrate existing infrastructure-as-code templates to the Bicep language.
- Interactive Mode: The az bicep command group supports an interactive mode, allowing you to author Bicep files using an interactive editing experience. With this mode, you can quickly generate Bicep code snippets, validate Bicep files, and deploy resources directly from the interactive environment.
- Integration with Azure CLI: The az bicep command group is integrated with the Azure CLI, which means it seamlessly works alongside other Azure CLI commands and functionalities. You can use the Azure CLI to authenticate, manage subscriptions, and interact with Azure services while utilizing the Bicep-specific commands for managing Bicep templates and deployments.
Bicep is designed to simplify the process of deploying and managing Azure resources using ARM templates. The az bicep command group extends the capabilities of the Azure CLI by providing commands for working with Bicep files, compiling them into ARM templates, deploying resources, and decompiling existing ARM templates into Bicep format.
az bicep Command Examples
1. Install Bicep CLI:
# az bicep install
2. Build a Bicep file:
# az bicep build --file /path/to/file.bicep
3. Attempt to decompile an ARM template file to a Bicep file:
# az bicep decompile --file /path/to/template_file.json
4. Upgrade Bicep CLI to the latest version:
# az bicep upgrade
5. Display the installed version of Bicep CLI:
# az bicep version
6. List all available versions of Bicep CLI:
# az bicep list-versions
7. Uninstall Bicep CLI:
# az bicep uninstall