azure-sdk-for-python

The Azure SDK for Python is a collection of Python packages that let developers write code to interact with Microsoft Azure cloud services. Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform, offering services for storing files, running databases, sending messages, managing virtual machines, and much more. This repository is where those Python packages are built and maintained.

The packages are split into two broad categories. Client libraries let your application use an existing Azure service, for example uploading a file to Azure storage or reading records from a database. Management libraries let you create and configure Azure resources themselves, for example setting up a new storage account or adjusting network rules, all from Python code rather than clicking through the Azure website.

Within each category there are newer and older versions. The newer releases follow a consistent design pattern across all services, sharing common features like automatic retries when a network call fails, consistent error messages, and a shared login system called Azure Identity that handles the authentication your code needs to talk to Azure. Older versions of the same libraries are still available and cover a wider range of services, but they do not all follow the same design rules.

Each service has its own separate package rather than one giant download. If you only need to work with Azure storage, you install just the storage package. If you also need to send emails, you add that package separately. Instructions for each package live in a README file inside its own folder under the /sdk directory in the repository.

The SDK collects anonymous usage data by default and sends it to Microsoft. This can be turned off by passing a custom policy object when you create a client, as shown in a code example in the README.

Documentation, code samples, and a migration guide for moving from older library versions to newer ones are all linked from the README and hosted on Microsoft's developer documentation site.