Azure CLI — Containers & Registry Cheat Sheet 2026

Azure CLI Containers & Registry Cheat Sheet is the complete quick-reference of Azure CLI Containers & Registry commands grouped by function. Copy any command with one click and find what you need with Ctrl+F in under 3 seconds.

Containers & Registry

Action	Command	Useful flags
Create a managed container registry	`az acr create --name <registry_name> --resource-group <resource_group> --sku <sku>`	`--name --resource-group --sku`
Login to a registry	`az acr login --name <registry_name>`	`--name`
Tag a local image for ACR	`docker tag <image_name> <registry_name>.azurecr.io/<image_name>:<tag>`
Push an image to a registry	`docker push <registry_name>.azurecr.io/<image_name>:<tag>`
Pull an image from a registry	`docker pull <registry_name>.azurecr.io/<image_name>:<tag>`
Delete an image from a registry	`az acr repository delete --name <registry_name> --repository <image_name>:<tag>`	`--name --repository`
Delete a managed container registry	`az acr delete --name <registry_name> --resource-group <resource_group> --yes`	`--name --resource-group --yes`
List images within a registry	`az acr repository list --name <registry_name> --output table`	`--name --output`
Create a container in a container group	`az container create --resource-group <resource_group> --name <name> --image <image_name> --os-type <windows\|linux> --cpu <number_of_cpu_cores> --memory <memory_in_GB>`	`--resource-group --name --image --os-type`
Execute a command from within a running container of a container group	`az container exec --resource-group <resource_group> --name <container_group_name> --exec-command "<command>"`	`--resource-group --name --exec-command`
Examine the logs of a container in a container group	`az container logs --name <name> --resource-group <resource_group>`	`--name --resource-group`
Get the details of a container group	`az container show --name <name> --resource-group <resource_group>`	`--name --resource-group`

⚠️ Dangerous / Destructive Commands

These commands are irreversible. Verify your environment (dev/staging vs prod) before running them.

Action	Command	Warning
⚠️ Acr repository	`az acr repository delete --name <registry_name> --repository <image_name>:<tag>`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete	`az acr delete --name <registry_name> --resource-group <resource_group> --yes`	Irreversible — verify the target before running

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Containers & Registry and the other groups?

Each group in this Azure CLI cheat sheet covers a distinct area. Containers & Registry focuses on its specific scope, while the other groups and the remaining groups cover networking, storage, security and diagnostics respectively.

How do I check the installed Azure CLI version?

Run the version command (usually az version or az --version). The output shows the client and, when applicable, the server version.

Why does Azure CLI return ‘permission denied’?

A ‘permission denied’ error in Azure CLI usually means the current user lacks sufficient privileges or credentials are not configured. Check: (1) assigned IAM/RBAC roles, (2) an active authentication context via the corresponding login command.

How do I filter Azure CLI output by status or name?

Use flags such as --filter, --selector or --query depending on the tool. You can also pipe into grep or jq to process JSON:

az list | grep RUNNING

What is the fastest way to debug a Azure CLI error?

Add the verbose flag (--verbose, -v or --debug) to the failing command. This reveals the underlying HTTP/API calls and the full error response body.

Official sources & references

Commands cross-checked against vendor documentation and high-authority repositories:

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