Overview: Azure CLI terminology and support levels

This article explains Azure CLI terminologies. There are syntax components, reference types, and statuses.

Azure CLI syntax components

The Azure CLI syntax is a combination of groups, references, commands, and parameters. Often, the complete reference command is referred to as a command.

Azure Service	Reference group	Reference subgroup	Command	Full reference command	Parameter Examples
Azure CLI	az config			az config	--local, --output, -o
Azure Network	az network	application-gateway	create	az network application-gateway create	--name, --resource-group, --capacity
Azure DevOps	az pipelines	agent	list	az pipelines agent list	--pool-id, --agent-name, --demands

A reference subgroup can have multiple levels, such as az network application-gateway private-link ip-config add.

Reference Group	Subgroup 1	Subgroup 2	Subgroup 3	Command
network	application-gateway	private-link	ip-config	add

See Reference list A to Z for a complete list of reference commands.

What is reference type?

Azure CLI commands are either part of the core Azure CLI service or they're an extension. Extensions are optional add-ons. The reference type determines the release schedule, status, and installation method as described here:

Term	Core	Extension
References	Are part of the primary Azure CLI service	Are optional reference commands that must be installed
Install	Jointly with the MSI installer	Individually with az extension add
Released	On a schedule	As new features or updates become available
Status	Can be GA (Generally Available), preview or deprecated	Also can be GA, preview or deprecated

To get a list of command groups, run az.

# Get list of all command groups
az

For a list of extensions, use az extension list-available --output table commands.

# Get list of extensions
az extension list-available --output table

Core

Azure CLI references that are published as a permanent part of the Azure CLI are referred to as core references. All core references install with the Azure CLI, and you can't choose a subset of references. If you run the Azure CLI through Azure Cloud Shell, core references are always up to date.

Extension

Extensions aren't shipped as part of the Azure CLI but run as Azure CLI commands. Some extensions are a permanent part of the Azure CLI, but often, an extension gives you access to preview and experimental commands. A single reference group, such as az iot hub, can have both core and extension commands. Here are two examples:

Full reference command	Is Core	Is Extension
az iot hub list	yes
az iot hub job list		yes

You're prompted to install an extension upon first use. You can also install an extension by running the az extension add command.

You can learn more about extension references including installation and updating in Use extensions with the Azure CLI. See Available extensions for the Azure CLI for a complete list of extension reference commands.

What is reference status?

Regardless of reference type, Azure CLI references fall into three status categories: GA (Generally Available), public preview or deprecated. It's the reference command status (not type) that determines stability.

	GA	Public preview	Deprecated
Stability	Permanent	Can change in response to customer feedback. Is subject to the terms of Microsoft Azure Previews.	Will be removed.

Most commands and parameters for a single reference have a single status, but this isn't always the case. A GA reference that is being built out to offer more commands can include both GA and preview reference commands. As new parameters are added to increase functionality, a single command can also have parameters that fall under different status categories. Here are example references that have different statuses:

Full reference command	Parameters	Type	GA	Public preview	Deprecated
az network dns zone list	All	Core	yes
az network dns zone create	--name, --resource-group, --if-none-match, --parent-name	Core	yes
	--existingParameter5	Core			yes
	--newParameter6	Core		yes
az network vhub list	All	Extension	yes
az network vhub create	--address-prefix, --name, --resource-group, -vwan, --location, --sku	Extension	yes
	--existingParameter7	Extension		yes
	--newParameter8	Extension	yes
az network firewall create	All	Extension		yes

The previous table is only an example and doesn't represent the current reference statuses for az network.

See also

• Azure CLI support lifecycle