Module 2: Installing AZD | AZD for Beginners

"Five minutes of setup and you'll have the one tool that deploys entire apps to Azure. Let's get it installed."

Level: Beginner · Time: ~1 day · Prerequisites: Module 1

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Install azd on Windows, macOS, or Linux
Get and sign in to an Azure account
Verify your setup works
Understand the supporting tools azd relies on

To deploy to Azure you need an Azure account (a free account includes credits to experiment). azd itself is free and open-source. You'll also want Git installed, since templates are usually cloned from GitHub.

Inside that account lives at least one subscription — the billing boundary that groups and pays for the resources you create. When you sign up, Azure sets one up for you automatically, so as a beginner you rarely think about it beyond selecting it later during a deploy. The free account typically comes with a starter credit plus a set of always-free services, which is more than enough to work through this track without spending anything.

Concept: azd doesn't replace your Azure account — it uses it. Your account is where the resources get created and billed; azd is the tool that creates them for you.

2. Installing azd

Pick the one-liner for your operating system:

bash

[object Object],
winget install microsoft.azd

,[object Object],
brew tap azure/azd && brew install azd

,[object Object],
curl -fsSL https://aka.ms/install-azd.sh | bash

Each command pulls the latest release straight from Microsoft's official source, so you always get a current, signed build. Confirm it worked:

bash

azd version

That prints which version you have — useful when a tutorial assumes a recent release. To upgrade later, simply re-run the same install command for your OS and azd replaces the old build in place.

Common mistake: Seeing "command not found" right after installing. Close and reopen your terminal (or restart your shell) so it picks up the newly installed tool on your PATH.

3. Signing In to Azure

Before azd can create resources, log in to your Azure account:

bash

azd auth login

This opens a browser window where you sign in. Once done, azd can act on your behalf to provision and deploy.

On a machine with no browser — a remote server or a locked-down container — run azd auth login --use-device-code instead. azd prints a short code and a URL; you open that URL on any other device, enter the code, and you're signed in without a local browser.

Explain like I'm new: azd auth login is like showing your ID badge at the door. After that, azd is allowed to build things in your Azure account — nothing happens in the cloud until you've badged in.

4. The Supporting Cast

azd stands on a few other tools it may install or use:

Tool	Role
Azure CLI (`az`)	Fine-grained Azure operations azd calls underneath
Bicep	The language for your infrastructure as code
Git	Cloning templates and version control
Docker	Building container images (for container-based apps)

You don't need to master these now — azd orchestrates them. Bicep in particular ships with the Azure CLI, and azd can install or update it on demand, so there's usually nothing extra to set up. Docker only matters once you deploy container-based apps, so you can install it later if a template needs it.

Try this: Run azd version and az version. Seeing both report cleanly is a good sign your environment is ready for the rest of this track.

5. Two Ways to Work

You can install everything locally on your machine, or skip setup entirely with a dev container or GitHub Codespace that comes pre-loaded with azd and its tools (the next module). Local gives you full control; containers give you a clean, identical environment in seconds.

Real-world use case: A workshop with 30 attendees on different laptops avoids "it won't install on mine" chaos by using Codespaces — everyone gets the same ready-to-go environment with azd already installed, and starts building immediately.

✅ Checkpoint

What single command signs azd in to your Azure account?
Why might azd say "command not found" right after install?
Name two tools azd uses under the hood.

Answers: 1) azd auth login. 2) The terminal hasn't reloaded its PATH — reopen it. 3) Any two: Azure CLI (az), Bicep, Git, Docker.

Key Takeaway: Getting started with azd means installing it with a single command for your OS, signing in with azd auth login, and verifying with azd version. It relies on supporting tools — the Azure CLI, Bicep, Git, and Docker — but orchestrates them for you. When local setup is a hassle, a dev container or Codespace gives you a ready-made environment.

Further Learning

Part of "AZD for Beginners." Adapted from Microsoft's open AZD curriculum (MIT License).