az-bicep

Install Bicep CLI

$ az bicep install

$ az bicep build [[-f|--file]] [path/to/file.bicep]

$ az bicep decompile [[-f|--file]] [path/to/template_file.json]

$ az bicep upgrade

$ az bicep version

$ az bicep list-versions

$ az bicep uninstall

az bicep <SUBCOMMAND> [--debug] [--help] [--output FORMAT] [--query JMESPATH] [--subscription ID] [--verbose]

--debug
    Increase logging verbosity to show all debug logs.

--help -h
    Show help message and exit.

--only-show-errors
    Only show errors, suppressing warnings.

--output -o
    Output format: json|jsonc|table|tsv|yaml|yamlc|none (default: none).

--query
    JMESPath query string for output filtering.

--subscription
    Name or ID of Azure subscription.

--verbose
    Increase logging verbosity (use --debug for full logs).

az bicep is a command group in the Azure CLI for working with Bicep, a declarative language for deploying Azure infrastructure. Bicep simplifies authoring Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates using a concise syntax, avoiding complex JSON.

Key capabilities include:
• build: Compiles .bicep files to ARM JSON templates for deployment.
• decompile: Reverse-engineers ARM JSON back to readable Bicep code.
• lint: Checks Bicep files for style, best practices, and errors.
• publish: Uploads Bicep modules to Azure Template Specs for reuse.
• restore: Downloads external modules and caches them locally.
• Other subcommands: install, outline, test, version.

Ideal for CI/CD pipelines, local testing, and modular infrastructure code. Requires Azure CLI 2.28+ and authentication via az login. Enhances productivity over raw ARM templates.

Requires Azure CLI 2.28+ and az login. Some subcommands need standalone Bicep CLI via az bicep install. Not all features available in older versions.

build, decompile, install, lint, outline, publish, restore, test, version.

az bicep build main.bicep --outfile main.json
az bicep lint main.bicep

Introduced in Azure CLI 2.28.0 (Nov 2021) alongside Bicep v0.4. Evolved with Bicep releases; now supports modules, linting, and testing for better IaC workflows.

az deployment(1), az group deployment(1), bicep(1)