How to use the command 'az advisor' (with examples)

The az advisor command is part of the Azure command-line interface (CLI) and allows the management of Azure subscription information. It provides functionality to manage Azure Advisor configurations and recommendations, which can help optimize your Azure resources and improve the overall performance, security, and reliability of your Azure deployments.

Use case 1: List Azure Advisor configuration for the entire subscription

Code:

az advisor configuration list

Motivation: The motivation behind using this command is to get an overview of the Azure Advisor configuration for the entire subscription. This can be useful to understand the current configuration settings and evaluate if any changes are required to optimize the resources.

Explanation:

• az advisor configuration list - This command lists the Azure Advisor configuration for the entire subscription.

Example output:

{
    "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-1234567890ab/providers/Microsoft.Advisor/configurations/default",
    "name": "default",
    "type": "Microsoft.Advisor/configurations",
    "properties": {
        "categoryLevels": {
            "cost": "Info",
            "highAvailability": "Info",
            "performance": "Info",
            "security": "Info",
            "faultTolerance": "Info"
        },
        "exclude": {},
        "include": {},
        "lowRecommendationImpact": "Moderate",
        "excludeControls": {},
    }
}

Use case 2: Show Azure Advisor configuration for the given subscription or resource group

Code:

az advisor configuration show --resource_group resource_group

Motivation: The motivation behind using this command is to view the Azure Advisor configuration for a specific subscription or resource group. This can help in understanding the specific configuration settings and making any necessary adjustments.

Explanation:

• az advisor configuration show - This command shows the Azure Advisor configuration.
• --resource_group - Specifies the resource group for which to show the Azure Advisor configuration.

Example output:

{
    "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-1234567890ab/providers/Microsoft.Advisor/configurations/default",
    "name": "default",
    "type": "Microsoft.Advisor/configurations",
    "properties": {
        "categoryLevels": {
            "cost": "Info",
            "highAvailability": "Info",
            "performance": "Info",
            "security": "Info",
            "faultTolerance": "Info"
        },
        "exclude": {},
        "include": {},
        "lowRecommendationImpact": "Moderate",
        "excludeControls": {},
    }
}

Use case 3: List Azure Advisor recommendations

Code:

az advisor recommendation list

Motivation: The motivation behind using this command is to get a list of Azure Advisor recommendations. By listing the recommendations, you can identify areas in your Azure deployments that can be optimized or improved.

Explanation:

• az advisor recommendation list - This command lists the Azure Advisor recommendations.

Example output:

[
    {
        "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-1234567890ab/resourceGroups/my-resource-group/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/my-vm/providers/Microsoft.Advisor/recommendations/1",
        "name": "1",
        "type": "Microsoft.Advisor/recommendations",
        "properties": {
            "shortDescription": "Enable Disk Encryption for the VM.",
            "category": "Security",
            "severity": "Medium",
            "risk": "Medium",
            "impact": "Low",
            "recommendedAction": "Enable Disk Encryption.",
            "impactedField": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
        }
    },
    {
        "id": "/subscriptions/12345678-1234-1234-1234-1234567890ab/resourceGroups/my-resource-group/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/my-storage-account/providers/Microsoft.Advisor/recommendations/2",
        "name": "2",
        "type": "Microsoft.Advisor/recommendations",
        "properties": {
            "shortDescription": "Enable Blob Service Encryption for the storage account.",
            "category": "Security",
            "severity": "High",
            "risk": "High",
            "impact": "Moderate",
            "recommendedAction": "Enable Blob Service Encryption.",
            "impactedField": "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts"
        }
    }
]

Use case 4: Enable Azure Advisor recommendations

Code:

az advisor recommendation enable --resource_group resource_group

Motivation: The motivation behind using this command is to enable Azure Advisor recommendations for a specific resource group. Enabling the recommendations can help optimize the resources in the resource group and improve the overall performance, security, and reliability.

Explanation:

• az advisor recommendation enable - This command enables Azure Advisor recommendations.
• --resource_group - Specifies the resource group for which to enable the Azure Advisor recommendations.

Example output: None

Use case 5: Disable Azure Advisor recommendations

Code:

az advisor recommendation disable --resource_group resource_group

Motivation: The motivation behind using this command is to disable Azure Advisor recommendations for a specific resource group. Disabling the recommendations can be useful if you don’t want to receive recommendations for resources in the resource group.

Explanation:

• az advisor recommendation disable - This command disables Azure Advisor recommendations.
• --resource_group - Specifies the resource group for which to disable the Azure Advisor recommendations.

Example output: None

Conclusion:

The az advisor command provides a convenient way to manage Azure Advisor configurations and recommendations. By utilizing the various subcommands, you can list configurations, enable or disable recommendations, and gather insights to optimize your Azure resources. Using this command helps improve the performance, security, and reliability of your Azure deployments.