Install Azure CLI on Alpine Linux

[jiasli]

Users frequently face issues while installing Azure CLI on Alpine Linux docker containers (#7437, #8863, #9167, #4352) , this issue serves as an official installation guide. We will consider moving it to the How to install the Azure CLI official document if it is proven to be useful.

Azure CLI official docker image

The official Azure CLI docker image is built upon Alpine Linux. We recommend using it whenever possible. You may also take the Dockerfile as a reference.

Install Azure CLI step-by-step

Select base image

python:alpine

The official Python docker image is preferred as the base image.

$ docker run -it --rm python:alpine sh

alpine

If you would like to use the original official Alpine docker image, you need to install pip and python:

$ docker run -it --rm alpine
# apk add py3-pip

Install dependencies

As Alpine Linux is not manylinux2010 (or greater) compatible, using pip to install libraries like cryptography will fail without underlying dependencies. Install dependencies with:

# apk add gcc musl-dev python3-dev libffi-dev openssl-dev cargo make

See https://cryptography.io/en/latest/installation/#building-cryptography-on-linux

Install Azure CLI

Simply upgrade pip and use pip to install Azure CLI:

# pip install --upgrade pip
# pip install azure-cli

Use Dockerfile

Here are the Dockerfiles you may use as a starting point:

Create Dockerfile

python:alpine as base image

FROM python:alpine
RUN apk add gcc musl-dev python3-dev libffi-dev openssl-dev cargo make
RUN pip install --upgrade pip
RUN pip install azure-cli
CMD sh

alpine as base image

FROM alpine
RUN apk add py3-pip
RUN apk add gcc musl-dev python3-dev libffi-dev openssl-dev cargo make
RUN pip install --upgrade pip
RUN pip install azure-cli
CMD sh

Build the image

$ docker build --tag azure-cli-alpine-test .

Run az commands

$ docker run -it --rm azure-cli-alpine-test az --version

[benjamin-goldman]

so we dont think this will work reliably.

[jiasli]

so we dont think this will work reliably.

It will. If you see any errors or problems, please reply to this GitHub issue (#19591) with the error message you see.

[OmegaVVeapon]

These instructions are great and they 100% work, I'm just curious, why not just use the official MS azure-cli image?

Seems to already be alpine-based.

❯ docker run -it --rm mcr.microsoft.com/azure-cli:latest sh
/ # cat /etc/alpine-release
3.14.2
/ # apk --version
apk-tools 2.12.7, compiled for x86_64.
/ # az --version 2>&1 | grep -i azure-cli
azure-cli                         2.29.0

[sebnyberg]

@OmegaVVeapon With Alpine being an OS, there's a plethora of cloud-provider-agnostic images based on alpine - like postgres:11-alpine, golang:17-alpine etc. Image creators can't (and shouldn't) make decisions about the cloud provider.

[jiasli]

I don't get your point about cloud provider. The Azure CLI docker image is simply using the public alpine image:

azure-cli/Dockerfile

Line 8 in 14d5784

FROM python:${PYTHON_VERSION}-alpine3.14

The Azure CLI image is not related to Azure as a cloud provider at all.

[sebnyberg]

I may have misunderstood your comment @OmegaVVeapon

What I was trying to say is that these install instructions are helpful/necessary whether or not the azure-cli image is based on Alpine. It doesn't make sense to change the base to azure-cli for most scenarios.

For example, if I want Postgres/Alpine/Azure CLI, it makes more sense to do this:

FROM postgres:11-alpine

RUN apk add gcc musl-dev python3-dev libffi-dev openssl-dev cargo make
RUN pip install azure-cli

Rather than to base the image on azure-cli and complement with contents of the Postgres Dockerfile

FROM azure-cli

// [...]

[jiasli]

@sebnyberg, this is exactly why I posted this GitHub issue! 😉