azure-identity-rust

Azure Identity SDK for Rust

Authentication library for Azure SDK clients using Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).

Installation

cargo add azure_identity

Environment Variables

# Service Principal (for production/CI)
AZURE_TENANT_ID=<your-tenant-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<your-client-id>
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-client-secret>
User-assigned Managed Identity (optional)
AZURE_CLIENT_ID=<managed-identity-client-id>

DeveloperToolsCredential

The recommended credential for local development. Tries developer tools in order (Azure CLI, Azure Developer CLI):

use azure_identity::DeveloperToolsCredential;
use azure_security_keyvault_secrets::SecretClient;
let credential = DeveloperToolsCredential::new(None)?;
let client = SecretClient::new(
    "https://my-vault.vault.azure.net/",
    credential.clone(),
    None,
)?;

Credential Chain Order

| Order | Credential | Environment |
|-------|-----------|-------------|
| 1 | AzureCliCredential | az login |
| 2 | AzureDeveloperCliCredential | azd auth login |

Credential Types

| Credential | Usage |
|------------|-------|
| DeveloperToolsCredential | Local development - tries CLI tools |
| ManagedIdentityCredential | Azure VMs, App Service, Functions, AKS |
| WorkloadIdentityCredential | Kubernetes workload identity |
| ClientSecretCredential | Service principal with secret |
| ClientCertificateCredential | Service principal with certificate |
| AzureCliCredential | Direct Azure CLI auth |
| AzureDeveloperCliCredential | Direct azd CLI auth |
| AzurePipelinesCredential | Azure Pipelines service connection |
| ClientAssertionCredential | Custom assertions (federated identity) |

ManagedIdentityCredential

For Azure-hosted resources:

use azure_identity::ManagedIdentityCredential;
// System-assigned managed identity
let credential = ManagedIdentityCredential::new(None)?;
// User-assigned managed identity
let options = ManagedIdentityCredentialOptions {
    client_id: Some("<user-assigned-mi-client-id>".into()),
    ..Default::default()
};
let credential = ManagedIdentityCredential::new(Some(options))?;

ClientSecretCredential

For service principal with secret:

use azure_identity::ClientSecretCredential;
let credential = ClientSecretCredential::new(
    "<tenant-id>".into(),
    "<client-id>".into(),
    "<client-secret>".into(),
    None,
)?;

Best Practices

1. Use DeveloperToolsCredential for local dev — automatically picks up Azure CLI
2. Use ManagedIdentityCredential in production — no secrets to manage
3. Clone credentials — credentials are Arc-wrapped and cheap to clone
4. Reuse credential instances — same credential can be used with multiple clients
5. Use tokio feature — cargo add azure_identity --features tokio

Reference Links

| Resource | Link |
|----------|------|
| API Reference | https://docs.rs/azure_identity |
| Source Code | https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-rust/tree/main/sdk/identity/azure_identity |
| crates.io | https://crates.io/crates/azure_identity |

When to Use

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.

• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.

• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.