> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ankra.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Azure Credentials

> Store an Azure service principal in Ankra to provision and manage Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

Azure credentials store an Azure **service principal** used to provision and manage [Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)](/guides/aks-clusters). The service principal needs the **Contributor** role on the target subscription so Ankra can create the cluster, node pools, and supporting resources.

<Note>
  Azure credentials are managed from the **portal** - there is no `ankra credentials azure` CLI command.
</Note>

## Creating an Azure Credential

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a service principal">
    Create a service principal with **Contributor** on the subscription, for example with the Azure CLI:

    ```bash theme={null}
    az ad sp create-for-rbac \
      --name ankra-aks \
      --role Contributor \
      --scopes /subscriptions/<subscription-id>
    ```

    Note the `appId` (client ID), `password` (client secret), and `tenant`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add to Ankra (UI)">
    Go to **Credentials** → **Add** → **Azure**, enter a name, and provide the **subscription ID**, **tenant ID**, **client ID**, and **client secret**. Ankra validates the service principal before storing it.
  </Step>
</Steps>