Streamline Azure Tasks in VS Code Using GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot for Azure is an extension that simplifies managing Azure resources directly from VS Code. Integrated with GitHub Copilot Chat, you can perform tasks like creating and modifying resources without leaving your IDE. Just type a prompt like "@azure Help me create a blog storage resource", and Copilot guides you through the process in plain language. 

Why it stands out: 

• Your Azure Copilot: A virtual guide for quickly navigating and managing Azure resource. 

• No context switching: Skip the Azure portal—handle everything from within VS Code. 

• Simplified documentation: Get the right commands and arguments without digging through multiple tabs. 

• Instant access: Type "@azure" in GitHub Copilot Chat to unlock Azure capabilities. 

In this post, we’ll explore real-world scenarios where GitHub Copilot for Azure can accelerate cloud projects and streamline daily development. Stay tuned for more scenarios as we continue to update this guide. View the full video playlist on YouTube. 

GitHub Copilot for Azure context improvements 

Before diving into the scenarios, take a moment to watch this quick video where Chris Harris, Product Manager for GitHub Copilot for Azure, highlights recent improvements that make the experience even smarter.  

In the demo, Chris showcases how GitHub Copilot for Azure now automatically gathers context—like installed extensions and details from your codebase—and uses that information in chat to deliver faster, more accurate responses without extra prompting. 🚀

GitHub Copilot for Azure scenarios 

Whether you're deploying containers, exploring AI services, or managing cloud infrastructure, GitHub Copilot for Azure can guide you every step of the way—right from within VS Code. The following scenarios show how you can streamline tasks, boost productivity, and accelerate your journey in Azure. 

Discovering Azure services and AI templates 

Dan is a developer, and he wants to deploy containers to Azure but doesn’t know where to start. Using GitHub Copilot for Azure in VS Code, he's guided through the process of selecting an Azure service for containers, given commands that can be used to deploy sample solutions, and even provided with samples that include Azure AI features he’d like to integrate into his solution.    
 

Deploying to Azure with context 

April developed a Django app in VS Code and plans to deploy it on Azure. Using GitHub Copilot for Azure, she found helpful documentation. She provided code context and prompts to the extension, which then gave necessary code changes and terminal commands to deploy the project on Azure. 

Understanding and managing your models in Azure AI 

Bethany, an AI Engineer, wants to work with the latest AI models on Azure alongside her team. She investigates all available Azure AI Services, checks if GPT-4o models are already deployed in her team’s subscription for potential reuse in development and testing, and finally explores deploying a new GPT-4o mini model. 

Exploring your Azure Resources 

Amy, an Azure Administrator, manages her team's subscriptions. She uses GitHub Copilot for Azure to explore her accessible subscriptions and deployed resource groups through natural language queries. She finds the Azure Resource Graph queries useful for immediate use or future reference. 

Planning a SQL Server migration to Azure 

Gwen, a cloud engineer, needs to migrate a SQL Server from an on-premises environment to the cloud, prioritizing HIPAA compliance and limiting downtime. GitHub Copilot for Azure suggests a suitable Azure service and tools like Azure Database Migration Service. It creates a migration plan with links and documentation. After deployment, the extension provides details of the deployed instances for her code.  

Deploying an app to Azure Kubernetes Service 

Dan needs to deploy a containerized application to Azure Kubernetes Service but needs to know how to get started creating a cluster. Using the GitHub Copilot for Azure and Azure Kubernetes Services extensions in VS Code, he’s able to create a new cluster without leaving the editor. Once the cluster is created, he can then use GitHub Copilot for Azure to help him deploy an app manifest.   

Deploy an app to AKS using Helm 

Dan wants to deploy his Apache Superset project to an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster, heavily leveraging GitHub Copilot for Azure to streamline the process. With Copilot's guidance, Dan installs Helm dependencies, checks the status of his pods and services, and configures a load balancer service in AKS to access Superset externally. He successfully logs into Superset with the default credentials and explores dashboards and charts.  

Add Azure cache for Redis to an app 

Gwen is adding a cache to her Django app using GitHub Copilot for Azure to improve performance. She starts by building the app with azd, which sets up the environment, provisions resources, and deploys everything. With Copilot's guidance, Gwen configures her Django app to use Azure Redis Cache and after testing the cache functionality, she deploys the code changes and verifies everything is working in the Azure portal.  

Set token limits for your GenAI APIs 

Julia shares one of the common challenges encountered when managing GenAI applications – controlling token consumption to prevent unplanned usage. Using GitHub Copilot for Azure, she describes this issue in natural language, and Copilot provides ideas and Azure services to help limit token usage. She follows Copilot's guidance to implement a token limit policy, redeploys her API, and tests the changes.  

Azure Functions with OpenAI Extension 

Yohan is creating an API that generates poems using AI, leveraging Azure OpenAI bindings for Azure Functions with the help of GitHub Copilot for Azure. Copilot guides him through creating Azure resources, configuring his app, and deploying a GPT-4 Mini model. After updating his local settings and obtaining the endpoint and API key, he deploys his code to Azure and verifies everything is working.   

Deploy an AI RAG app to ACA using AZD 

Wassim received an urgent request to build a RAG prototype for an internal project and used GitHub Copilot for Azure to find a sample and deploy it to Azure Container Apps. After installing the extension in VS Code, he asked Copilot to find a LlamaIndex sample. He initialized his project, deployed the sample, and encountered a configuration issue. Copilot helped him fix it by suggesting changes to his Bicep file and container config. After redeploying, Wassim successfully ran the app.  

Conclusion 

GitHub Copilot for Azure is transforming how developers interact with Azure—making it easier than ever to explore services, deploy applications, and manage cloud resources without leaving VS Code. In this post, you've seen several scenarios where GitHub Copilot for Azure helps developers, admins, and engineers accelerate their workflows. Whether you're new to Azure or managing enterprise workloads, these examples show how natural language prompts like “@azure Help me...” can unlock powerful capabilities and enhance your overall efficiency and productivity.  

Ready to try it out? Download the extension from the VS Code Marketplace and start streamlining your Azure development today.
 
 https://aka.ms/GetGitHubCopilotForAzure 

 To learn more about the new GitHub Copilot for Azure extension, check out the  Streamline Your Azure Workflow: Introducing GitHub Copilot for Azure in VS Code blog post.