SKILL.md
Azure Identity SDK for Python
Authentication library for Azure SDK clients using Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).
Installation
pip install azure-identity
Environment Variables
# Service Principal (for production/CI)
AZURE_TENANT_ID=<your-tenant-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<your-client-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-client-secret>
# User-assigned Managed Identity (optional)
AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<managed-identity-client-id>
DefaultAzureCredential
The recommended credential for most scenarios. Tries multiple authentication methods in order:
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.storage.blob import BlobServiceClient
# Works in local dev AND production without code changes
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
client = BlobServiceClient(
account_url="https://<account>.blob.core.windows.net",
credential=credential
)
Credential Chain Order
| Order | Credential | Environment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EnvironmentCredential | CI/CD, containers |
| 2 | WorkloadIdentityCredential | Kubernetes |
| 3 | ManagedIdentityCredential | Azure VMs, App Service, Functions |
| 4 | SharedTokenCacheCredential | Windows only |
| 5 | VisualStudioCodeCredential | VS Code with Azure extension |
| 6 | AzureCliCredential | az login |
| 7 | AzurePowerShellCredential | Connect-AzAccount |
| 8 | AzureDeveloperCliCredential | azd auth login |
Customizing DefaultAzureCredential
# Exclude credentials you don't need
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(
exclude_environment_credential=True,
exclude_shared_token_cache_credential=True,
managed_identity_client_id="<user-assigned-mi-client-id>" # For user-assigned MI
)
# Enable interactive browser (disabled by default)
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(
exclude_interactive_browser_credential=False
)
