Cloud Shell, Portal App Ease Azure Management

Azure Cloud Shell, in preview, delivers a command-line interface within the Web-based Azure Portal, providing access to several utilities for managing Azure deployments. The feature could make it easier for IT staff and developers to use command-line tools (rather than graphical user interfaces) when working with Azure by reducing the overhead to launch, configure, and maintain the tools, especially when working across multiple workstations. Azure Portal App, in preview for Android and iOS devices, could help customers manage and monitor Azure more flexibly. However, the Shell’s PowerShell support is in limited preview, and the App is not yet available on Windows devices.

Command-Line Tools Have Been Valuable, but Awkward

The recently redesigned Azure Portal presents graphical user interfaces for customers to provision, manage, and monitor resources deployed in Azure. The Portal can be customized with dashboards tailored to customer needs, and it is typically used to view metrics in graphical formats and perform ad hoc tasks and investigations on Azure deployments. However, IT staff and developers often rely on command-line tools for routine tasks such as creating and running scripts, working with source code repositories, and issuing database commands.