Exercise - Tag, query, and clean up resources

This guided project consists of the following exercises:

• Open Cloud Shell and explore the environment
• Create and list resources with CLI commands
• Tag, query, and clean up resources

In this exercise, you apply tags from the CLI, use JMESPath queries to filter and shape command output, compare your CLI work to the portal view, and then clean up by deleting the resource group. This completes the full resource lifecycle from the command line.

This exercise includes the following tasks:

• Tag the resource group
• Tag individual resources
• Query resources with JMESPath filters
• Compare CLI output to the portal
• Delete the resource group from the CLI

Outcome: Resources tagged from the CLI, queried with filters, and the resource group deleted from the command line.

Task 1: Tag the resource group

Apply tags to the resource group using a single command. Tags assigned from the CLI follow the same key-value format you use in the portal but are faster to apply across multiple resources.

1. Run the following command to add tags to the resource group:

   az group update \
     --name rg-gp-cli-demo \
     --tags environment=test department=it-ops
   

2. Confirm the JSON output includes the tags section with both key-value pairs.

3. Run the following command to verify the tags:

   az group show --name rg-gp-cli-demo --query tags
   

4. Confirm the output shows environment: test and department: it-ops.

Task 2: Tag individual resources

Apply tags to each storage account. In a real environment, consistent tagging across resources enables cost tracking and automated governance.

1. Run the following command to tag the first storage account (use your actual storage account name):

   az resource tag \
     --tags environment=test department=development \
     --ids $(az storage account show --name stgpclidemo01 --resource-group rg-gp-cli-demo --query id --output tsv)
   

2. Run the following command to tag the second storage account with different values:

   az resource tag \
     --tags environment=test department=operations \
     --ids $(az storage account show --name stgpclidemo02 --resource-group rg-gp-cli-demo --query id --output tsv)
   

3. Confirm both commands return JSON output with the expected tags.

Task 3: Query resources with JMESPath filters

Use the --query parameter to extract specific fields from CLI output. JMESPath is a built-in query language that lets you filter and reshape JSON results without piping to external tools.

1. Run the following command to list resource names and their tags:

   az resource list \
     --resource-group rg-gp-cli-demo \
     --query "[].{Name:name, Department:tags.department, Environment:tags.environment}" \
     --output table
   

2. Confirm the table shows each resource with its Department and Environment tag values.

3. Run the following command to list only resources tagged with department=development:

   az resource list \
     --resource-group rg-gp-cli-demo \
     --query "[?tags.department=='development'].{Name:name, Type:type}" \
     --output table
   

4. Confirm only the first storage account appears in the filtered output.

5. Run the following command to count the resources in the resource group:

   az resource list \
     --resource-group rg-gp-cli-demo \
     --query "length([])"
   

6. Confirm the output shows 2.

Task 4: Compare CLI output to the portal

Open the portal alongside Cloud Shell to confirm the CLI and portal show the same data. This reinforces that both tools manage the same underlying resources.

1. In the Azure portal (above the Cloud Shell pane), search for Resource groups in the portal search bar and select Resource groups.
2. Select rg-gp-cli-demo from the list.
3. Confirm the portal shows the same two storage accounts.
4. In the left menu, select Tags.
5. Confirm the environment and department tags match what you set from the CLI.
6. Return to the rg-gp-cli-demo resource group overview.
7. Select one of the storage accounts.
8. In the left menu, select Tags.
9. Confirm the resource-level tags match what you set from the CLI.

Task 5: Delete the resource group from the CLI

Clean up all resources with a single command. Deleting a resource group removes everything inside it, which is why organizing resources into groups is a best practice.

1. Run the following command to delete the resource group and all resources inside it:

   az group delete --name rg-gp-cli-demo --yes --no-wait
   

2. The --yes flag skips the confirmation prompt. The --no-wait flag returns control immediately while deletion continues in the background.

3. Run the following command to check the deletion status:

   az group show --name rg-gp-cli-demo --output table
   

4. If the group still exists, the output shows it. If it's been deleted, you receive a "not found" error, which confirms successful removal.

5. Wait a minute and run the command again to confirm the resource group is fully deleted.