Environments in Azure are often separated into multiple subscriptions, in some cases multiple tenants. This sectioning can also result in multiple user accounts, and managing multiple Azure credentials can be challenging. Luckily, Azure PowerShell has this capability called context.

Although the documentation is solid on the topic. It doesn’t necessarily provide the backdrop for when you will need to use this feature.

A few weeks ago I had to move a set of APIs from one instance of Azure API management to another. With PowerShell contexts, I could download the API from the origin and import it to the new instance.

Connecting to multiple Azure environments using context

To hold credential information, like user and subscription. PowerShell uses context objects. By using AzContext comandlets You can have multiple Powershell Azure contexts available in the same PowerShell session. This allows for easy switching between multiple environments and profiles. Including different tenants.

Below is an example of how you can connect to multiple tenants and switch between the credentials and contexts. I recommend using friendly names which will make them easier to identify.

Azure PowerShell context