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[Feature Request] Replace entry script az.cmd with az.exe on Windows #26682
Description
Activity
This is a good proposal we need to discuss with PM.
Adding
entry_pointinsetup.pycan createaz.exe, which solves 1&2, butpython.exeis still preserved.
PyInstaller seems to be the ultimate solution.
entry_pointis not a valid option for Windows, because the generated exe file hardcodes the Python path.In particular, relocating an environment isn't supported with entry-point scripts, which pip installs with a fully-qualified shebang. Moreover, entry-point scripts in Windows are created as exe files (e.g. "pip.exe") that embed the fully-qualified path of python[w].exe in the environment, plus a zipped main.py. For example, given an environment at "C:\Temp\env", running "C:\Temp\env\Scripts\pip.exe" in turn spawns a child process with the command line: "C:\Temp\env\Scripts\python.exe" "C:\Temp\env\Scripts\pip.exe". This breaks if the environment is renamed or relocated.
This is also a prerequisite for MSIX.
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Currently on Windows, a cmd file is used as the entry point for Azure CLI:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Azure\CLI2\wbin\az.cmdThis causes several problems:
[Shell] Azure CLI receives corrupted arguments in PowerShell #15529. There was an attempt [Core] Add
az.ps1entry script for PowerShell #23514 to addaz.ps1for PowerShell, but that caused more issues and got reverted by [Core] Revert #23514: Rename entry scriptaz.ps1toazps.ps1#24015Pressing Ctrl+C can't terminate
azcommands immediately. Instead,Terminate batch job (Y/N)?is shown:az.cmdcan't be invoked by runningazin WSL, Cygwin or Git Bash. TheazBash entry script introduced by [Packaging] Add az script for Git Bash/Cygwin on Windows #13197 caused more issues: Carriage return\rbeing appended to the output #13573Describe the solution you'd like
Replace entry script
az.cmdwithaz.exeon Windows.Additional context
The current
az.cmdimplementation requires Azure CLI to bundle a Python executableC:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Azure\CLI2\python.exe. This Python interpreter is considered not secure by some restrictions and organizations, because it allows using build-in modules such asctypesto execute arbitrary native code, bypassing enforcements such as Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC).We investigated using PyInstaller years ago in {Package} Use pyinstaller to package CLI #16115 but that PR didn't get merged.
There is a similar feature request Ship azure-cli as binary instead as Python module #23397 focusing on packaging the whole Azure CLI as a standalone binary on all platforms including Linux, while this feature request only focuses on
az.exeentry point on Windows and we may still have py files in the MSI package.