Kristen Womack delves into Azure Developer CLI (azd) extensions, outlining their features, use cases, installation process, and ways developers can build and contribute extensions to optimize Azure workflow customization.

Exploring Azure Developer CLI (azd) Extensions: Customizing Your Azure Development Workflow

Author: Kristen Womack

The Azure Developer CLI (azd) now supports extensibility via a feature known as extensions, giving developers the power to tailor workflows and introduce new CLI capabilities. This guide will help you understand what azd extensions are, explore their main features, provide step-by-step examples, and show how you can start building and contributing your own extensions.

What Are azd Extensions?

Azd extensions are modular plugins that expand the functionality of the Azure Developer CLI. By integrating with the azd command ecosystem, extensions enable:

New CLI commands designed for specific developer scenarios or workflows
Custom automation, such as multi-step command sequences
Integration with both Azure and third-party services directly from the CLI
Project or team-specific customization (e.g., tailored engineering processes)

Extensions are currently in alpha. To enable them, run:

azd config set alpha.extensions on

After enabling, manage extensions with commands under the azd extension namespace (e.g., azd extension list, azd extension install, azd extension uninstall).

Key Features of azd Extensions

Custom Commands & Namespaces: Create or install extensions that define new commands or hierarchical command sets (e.g., azd ai setup, azd demo context).
Modularity: Install only the extensions you need—keep the CLI lean and focused.
Automated Workflows: Extensions can prompt users, execute sequences, and react to events during CLI execution.
External Service Integration: Extensions can interact with Azure services beyond the core CLI or with third-party platforms (like GitHub or internal APIs).
Extension Registries: Install from the official registry, or add your own (e.g., a private company registry) for distributing internal tools.
Lifecycle Management via CLI: Install, upgrade, or remove extensions entirely from the CLI, simplifying setup and maintenance.

How Are Extensions Delivered?

Extensions are distributed via registries, similar to NuGet or npm feeds. The default registry is official and curated by the azd team, with possible additions for company/private and experimental (“dev”) sources.

Key CLI commands:

azd extension list (use --installed for your extensions)
azd extension install <extension-name>
azd extension upgrade <extension-name> / --all for mass upgrades
azd extension uninstall <extension-name>

Hands-On: Trying the azd Demo Extension

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have azd version >= 1.17.0
(Optional) Initialize a sample azd project:
```
azd init -t hello-azd
```

Enable Extensions:

azd config set alpha.extensions on

Install the Demo Extension:

azd extension install microsoft.azd.demo

Verify Installation:

azd extension list --installed

You should see microsoft.azd.demo listed.

Explore Demo Extension Commands:

azd demo

azd demo version – Print the extension’s version
azd demo context – Output project/environment context
azd demo colors – Display formatted/colorized terminal output
azd demo prompt – Interactive CLI prompt (checkbox-style menu)
azd demo listen – Show event listening (extension hooks)

Uninstalling:

azd extension uninstall microsoft.azd.demo

Use Cases and Scenarios for azd Extensions

1. AI and Machine Learning Workflows

Prototype or integrate with Azure AI services directly via an extension (e.g., azd ai setup). Extensions offer an interactive flow to provision AI resources, connect data, and more—reducing manual Azure portal navigation.

2. Custom DevOps and Pipeline Tasks

Automate project-specific CI/CD processes, perform linting/security checks, or interface with external DevOps tools like GitHub and Azure DevOps Boards using azd extensions (e.g., filing issues, running pipelines).

3. Enhanced Resource Management

Add commands for quota checks, resource cleanup, or managing special Azure settings not covered by the core azd CLI.

4. Team/Domain-Specific Extensions

Support the unique workflows of different engineering teams, such as data science (triggering pipelines, ML experiments) or web development (CDN/CDN integrations, test generators).

5. Third-Party Integrations

Create plugins for services like Stripe or SendGrid (e.g., automate API key setup, webhook registration) as part of your deployment workflow.

6. Streamlining Inner-Loop Tooling

Automate repetitive development tasks: generate project files, wrap Docker commands, or spin up dev containers—all integrated directly into the azd ecosystem.

Building Extensions: Using the Developer Extension

A special extension (microsoft.azd.extensions) can help you scaffold and build new extensions.

Install Developer Extension:

azd extension install microsoft.azd.extensions

Initialize New Extension Project:

azd x init

Follow prompts to configure your extension’s base command namespace (e.g., azd test).

Test Your Extension:

# azd [command] -h

You can now build out custom functionality after scaffolding is complete.

Contributing to azd Extensions

The Azure Developer CLI is fully open-source (GitHub repo). Ways to contribute:

Build and (in the near future) publish your own extensions
Submit issues, discussions, or pull requests for CLI or extension framework improvements
Participate in community discussion to help shape direction
Contribute documentation updates, tutorials, or code samples

Final Thoughts

The azd extension framework offers substantial power to customize and integrate Azure developer workflows. Whether automating AI setup, managing resources, implementing domain-specific tooling, or streamlining developer onboarding, azd extensions are set to become an essential part of modern Azure development. Now is the perfect time for Azure developers to experiment and contribute to this evolving ecosystem.

References:

This post appeared first on “Microsoft DevBlog”. Read the entire article here