GitHub Copilot for Azure: The End-to End Setup Process

1. TL;DR
2. A More Detailed Description

TL;DR

GitHub Copilot for Azure is a GitHub Copilot extension; assisting with all things related to Azure cloud. To use it, perform the following:

1. Create Azure account; your identity needs access to at least one subscription
2. Confirm Azure Copilot is enabled (it’s enabled by default)
3. Create account on GitHub.com
4. Enable GitHub Copilot for your GitHub.com account
5. Install VS Code (or start a GitHub Codespace)
6. Install “GitHub Copilot for Azure” extension
7. (optional) Install other VS Code extensions to improve Azure effeciency
8. Sign into your Azure account with “GitHub Copilot for Azure”
9. Get familiar with GH Copilot and the “for Azure” extension

A More Detailed Description

1. Obviously, you need an Azure account with access to a subscription. If you are reading this blog, you probably have one, but you can always Try Azure for free
2. Make sure Azure Copilot is enabled on your tenant. This is enabled for all users by default, but your tenant administrator may have disabled this. If that is the case, you need to contact them and request the enable it for your identity.
   • Log into Azure Portal
   • At the top of each page, there is an omni-search bar (G + / is keyboard shortcut). Next to the search field, there is a “Copilot” icon – click that.
   • A pane will open (on the right side). As long as this doesn’t say something like “You don’t have access to Copilot” you are in business.
3. Create a GitHub.com account (or log into your existing account)
4. Enable GitHub Copilot for your GitHub.com account (30-day trial or purchase)
5. Install VS Code on your local system or launch a Codespace on GitHub.
6. Visit Extensions Marketplace, find, and install “GitHub Copilot for Azure“
7. This automatically installs a required dependencies (like GitHub Copilot Chat)
8. (optional) If you frequently use VS Code and Azure, consider related extensions. Personally, I have found the list below helpful – but it really depends on the kind of activities you perform in Azure (don’t be tricked! check the extension publisher):
   • Azure Tools (which installs a collection of Azure related extensions)
   • Azure Machine Learning
   • Azure IoT Hub
   • Azure Kubernetes Service
   • Azure API Management
   • Azure Automation
   • Azure Policy
   • Azure Pipelines
   • Azure Terraform
   • Bicep
9. This first time you use GHCP4AZ, it will ask you to sign into Azure. If you belong to multiple tenants, you need to select a single tenant. You can always change this tenant by running @azure /changeTenant in the Copilot Chat window or performing the click sequence in Set your default tenant.
10. If you haven’t used GitHub Copilot before take a look at Microsoft’s free Introduction to GitHub Copilot mini-course (it is worth the few minutes) and review other postings specifically about using GitHub Copilot for Azure.