Installation¶

Install azlin on your system to start provisioning Azure VMs.

Prerequisites¶

Required¶

Azure CLI - Install Azure CLI
Azure Subscription - Create free account

Optional¶

Python 3.11+ - Only needed if using the Python bridge (azlin-py) or uvx
Cargo - Only needed if building from source
Git - For cloning repositories

Installation Methods¶

Pre-Built Binary (Recommended)Build from Source (Cargo)Using uvx (No Install)Using pip

Download the native Rust binary for instant startup:

# Linux x86_64
curl -sSL https://github.com/rysweet/azlin/releases/latest/download/azlin-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz -C ~/.local/bin

# Linux aarch64
curl -sSL https://github.com/rysweet/azlin/releases/latest/download/azlin-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | tar xz -C ~/.local/bin

# macOS x86_64
curl -sSL https://github.com/rysweet/azlin/releases/latest/download/azlin-macos-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz -C /usr/local/bin

# macOS aarch64 (Apple Silicon)
curl -sSL https://github.com/rysweet/azlin/releases/latest/download/azlin-macos-aarch64.tar.gz | tar xz -C /usr/local/bin

Build from source with the Rust toolchain:

cargo install --git https://github.com/rysweet/azlin

Run directly from GitHub without installing (requires Python and uv):

uvx --from git+https://github.com/rysweet/azlin azlin new

This runs azlin via the Python bridge. For best performance, use the pre-built binary.

Install the Python bridge permanently:

pip install git+https://github.com/rysweet/azlin

Note: This installs the Python bridge which routes to the native Rust binary if available, or falls back to the Python implementation (azlin-py).

Verify Installation¶

Check that azlin is installed correctly:

# Check version
azlin --version

# View available commands
azlin --help

Self-Update¶

azlin can update itself to the latest release:

azlin self-update

This downloads and replaces the binary with the latest version from GitHub Releases.

Azure CLI Setup¶

azlin requires Azure CLI to be installed and configured:

Install Azure CLI¶

macOSLinuxWindows

brew install azure-cli

curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

Download from Microsoft Docs

# Interactive browser login
az login

# Or use device code flow
az login --use-device-code

Verify Azure Access¶

# List subscriptions
az account list --output table

# Set default subscription (optional)
az account set --subscription "<subscription-id>"

SSH Client¶

azlin uses SSH to connect to VMs. SSH is pre-installed on macOS and Linux.

macOS/Linux¶

SSH is already installed. Verify:

ssh -V

Windows¶

Windows 10/11 includes OpenSSH by default. Verify:

ssh -V

If not installed, enable it:

# Run as Administrator
Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client

Troubleshooting Installation¶

Issue: `command not found: azlin`¶

Solution: Ensure the binary location is in your PATH:

# For pre-built binary in ~/.local/bin
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc for persistence
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Issue: `az: command not found`¶

Solution: Install Azure CLI (see above) and ensure it's in your PATH.

Issue: Permission denied downloading binary¶

Solution: Ensure the target directory exists and is writable:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

Next Steps¶

Now that azlin is installed:

Quick Start → - Create your first VM
Authentication Setup → - Configure Azure authentication
Basic Concepts → - Learn how azlin works

Installation complete? Head to the Quick Start Guide →