azlin destroy¶

Destroy VM and optionally entire resource group

Description¶

The azlin destroy command is an alias for azlin kill with additional options. It deletes a VM and all associated resources (disk, network interface, public IP), with options for dry-run testing and resource group deletion.

Use with caution - this operation is irreversible.

Usage¶

azlin destroy [OPTIONS] VM_NAME

Arguments¶

Options¶

Examples¶

Basic Destruction¶

azlin destroy azlin-vm-12345

Dry Run (Preview)¶

# See what would be deleted without actually deleting
azlin destroy my-vm --dry-run

Output:

DRY RUN - Nothing will be deleted

Would delete:
  VM: my-vm
  OS Disk: my-vm_OsDisk_1234
  NIC: my-vm-nic
  Public IP: my-vm-ip

Total resources: 4

Force Destroy¶

# Skip confirmation prompt
azlin destroy my-vm --force

Destroy with Resource Group¶

azlin destroy my-vm --rg my-resource-group

Delete Entire Resource Group¶

# WARNING: Deletes ALL resources in the group
azlin destroy my-vm --delete-rg --force

What Gets Deleted¶

By default: - VM itself - OS disk - Data disks (if any) - Network interface (NIC) - Public IP address (if assigned)

With --delete-rg: - Everything above, PLUS - All other VMs in the resource group - All storage accounts - All network resources - Virtual networks - ALL resources in the group

Behavior¶

Standard Destroy¶

1. Validation - Checks VM exists
2. Resource Discovery - Identifies associated resources
3. Confirmation - Prompts for confirmation (unless --force)
4. Deletion - Deletes VM and associated resources
5. Cleanup - Verifies all resources deleted

Dry Run¶

Shows exactly what would be deleted without making changes. Safe to run anytime.

Delete Resource Group¶

EXTREME CAUTION: This deletes the ENTIRE resource group including all VMs, storage, networks, and other resources. Cannot be undone.

Troubleshooting¶

VM Not Found¶

Symptoms: "VM 'NAME' not found"

Solutions:

# List VMs to find correct name
azlin list

# Check resource group
azlin list --rg my-resource-group

Deletion Fails¶

Symptoms: Some resources fail to delete

Solutions:

# Check Azure Portal for dependencies
# Some resources may have locks or dependencies

# Retry with explicit resource group
azlin destroy my-vm --rg my-resource-group --force

# Or use Azure Portal to investigate and delete manually

Accidental Deletion¶

Symptoms: Deleted wrong VM

Solutions:

# If you have snapshots, restore
azlin snapshot list
azlin snapshot restore my-vm snapshot-name

# Otherwise, recreate and sync
azlin new --name my-vm
azlin sync --vm-name my-vm

Safety Best Practices¶

Always Dry Run First¶

# ALWAYS run dry-run first
azlin destroy my-vm --dry-run

# Review output carefully
# Only proceed if correct
azlin destroy my-vm --force

Never Use --delete-rg Lightly¶

# NEVER run this without extreme caution
# azlin destroy my-vm --delete-rg

# This deletes EVERYTHING in the resource group
# Only use if you're absolutely certain

Create Snapshots First¶

# Snapshot before destroying
azlin snapshot create my-vm

# Then destroy
azlin destroy my-vm --force

# Can restore if needed
azlin snapshot restore my-vm my-vm-snapshot-...

Verify Context¶

# Check what subscription you're in
azlin context current

# Ensure correct context before destroying
azlin context use correct-context
azlin destroy my-vm --dry-run
azlin destroy my-vm --force

Comparison with azlin kill¶

Related Commands¶

• azlin kill - Simple VM deletion
• azlin killall - Delete all VMs in resource group
• azlin prune - Delete inactive VMs
• azlin snapshot create - Create snapshot before destroying

Source Code¶

• cli.py - Command definition
• vm_operations.py - Deletion logic

See Also¶

• All VM commands
• Restoring Snapshots
• Scheduled Backups