Azure Quotas - Service Limits & Capacity Management

AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE — Follow these instructions exactly for quota management and capacity validation.

Overview

What are Azure Quotas?

Azure quotas (also called service limits) are the maximum number of resources you can deploy in a subscription. Quotas:

Prevent accidental over-provisioning
Ensure fair resource distribution across Azure
Represent available capacity in each region
Can be increased (adjustable quotas) or are fixed (non-adjustable)

Key Concept: Quotas = Resource Availability

If you don't have quota, you cannot deploy resources. Always check quotas when planning deployments or selecting regions.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when:

Planning a new deployment - Validate capacity before deployment
Selecting an Azure region - Compare quota availability across regions
Troubleshooting quota exceeded errors - Check current usage vs limits
Requesting quota increases - Submit increase requests via CLI or Portal
Comparing regional capacity - Find regions with available quota
Validating provisioning limits - Ensure deployment won't exceed quotas

Quick Reference

Property	Details
Primary Tool	Azure CLI (`az quota`) - USE THIS FIRST, ALWAYS
Extension Required	`az extension add --name quota` (MUST install first)
Key Commands	`az quota list`, `az quota show`, `az quota usage list`, `az quota usage show`
Complete CLI Reference	commands.md
Azure Portal	My quotas - Use only as fallback
REST API	Microsoft.Quota provider - Unreliable, do NOT use first
Required Permission	Reader (view) or Quota Request Operator (manage)

⚠️ CRITICAL: ALWAYS USE CLI FIRST

Azure CLI (az quota) is the ONLY reliable method for checking quotas. Use CLI FIRST, always.

DO NOT use REST API or Portal as your first approach. They are unreliable and misleading.

Why you must use CLI first:

REST API is unreliable and shows misleading results

REST API "No Limit" or "Unlimited" values DO NOT mean unlimited capacity

"No Limit" typically means the resource doesn't support quota API (not unlimited!)

CLI provides clear BadRequest errors when providers aren't supported

CLI has consistent output format and better error messages

Portal may show incomplete or cached data

Mandatory workflow:

FIRST: Try az quota list / az quota show / az quota usage show

If CLI returns BadRequest: Then use Azure service limits docs

Never start with REST API or Portal - only use as last resort

If you see "No Limit" in REST API/Portal: This is NOT unlimited capacity. It means:

The quota API doesn't support that resource type, OR

The quota isn't enforced via the API, OR

Service-specific limits still apply (check documentation)

For complete CLI command reference and examples, see commands.md.

Quota Types

Type	Adjustability	Approval	Examples
Adjustable	Can increase via Portal/CLI/API	Usually auto-approved	VM vCPUs, Public IPs, Storage accounts
Non-adjustable	Fixed limits	Cannot be changed	Subscription-wide hard limits

Important: Requesting quota increases is free. You only pay for resources you actually use, not for quota allocation.

Understanding Resource Name Mapping

⚠️ CRITICAL: There is NO 1:1 mapping between ARM resource types and quota resource names.

Example Mappings

ARM Resource Type	Quota Resource Name
`Microsoft.App/managedEnvironments`	`ManagedEnvironmentCount`
`Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines`	`standardDSv3Family`, `cores`, `virtualMachines`
`Microsoft.Network/publicIPAddresses`	`PublicIPAddresses`, `IPv4StandardSkuPublicIpAddresses`

Discovery Workflow

Never assume the quota resource name from the ARM type. Always use this workflow:

List all quotas for the resource provider:

az quota list --scope /subscriptions/<id>/providers/<ProviderNamespace>/locations/<region>

Match by localizedValue (human-readable description) to find the relevant quota

Use the name field (not ARM resource type) in subsequent commands:

az quota show --resource-name ManagedEnvironmentCount --scope ...
az quota usage show --resource-name ManagedEnvironmentCount --scope ...

📖 Detailed mapping examples and workflow: See commands.md - Understanding Resource Name Mapping

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Check Quota for a Specific Resource

Scenario: Verify quota limit and current usage before deployment

# 1. Install quota extension (if not already installed)
az extension add --name quota

# 2. List all quotas for the provider to find the quota resource name
az quota list \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus

# 3. Show quota limit for a specific resource
az quota show \
  --resource-name standardDSv3Family \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus

# 4. Show current usage
az quota usage show \
  --resource-name standardDSv3Family \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus

Example Output Analysis:

Quota limit: 350 vCPUs
Current usage: 50 vCPUs
Available capacity: 300 vCPUs (350 - 50)

📖 See also: az quota show, az quota usage show

Workflow 2: Compare Quotas Across Regions

Scenario: Find the best region for deployment based on available capacity

# Define candidate regions
REGIONS=("eastus" "eastus2" "westus2" "centralus")
VM_FAMILY="standardDSv3Family"
SUBSCRIPTION_ID="<subscription-id>"

# Check quota availability across regions
for region in "${REGIONS[@]}"; do
  echo "=== Checking $region ==="
  
  # Get limit
  LIMIT=$(az quota show \
    --resource-name $VM_FAMILY \
    --scope "/subscriptions/$SUBSCRIPTION_ID/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/$region" \
    --query "properties.limit.value" -o tsv)
  
  # Get current usage
  USAGE=$(az quota usage show \
    --resource-name $VM_FAMILY \
    --scope "/subscriptions/$SUBSCRIPTION_ID/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/$region" \
    --query "properties.usages.value" -o tsv)
  
  # Calculate available
  AVAILABLE=$((LIMIT - USAGE))
  
  echo "Region: $region | Limit: $LIMIT | Usage: $USAGE | Available: $AVAILABLE"
done

📖 See also: Multi-region comparison scripts (Bash & PowerShell)

Workflow 3: Request Quota Increase

Scenario: Current quota is insufficient for deployment

# Request increase for VM quota
az quota update \
  --resource-name standardDSv3Family \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus \
  --limit-object value=500 \
  --resource-type dedicated

# Check request status
az quota request status list \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus

Approval Process:

Most adjustable quotas are auto-approved within minutes
Some requests require manual review (hours to days)
Non-adjustable quotas require Azure Support ticket

📖 See also: az quota update, az quota request status

Workflow 4: List All Quotas for Planning

Scenario: Understand all quotas for a resource provider in a region

# List all compute quotas in East US (table format)
az quota list \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/eastus \
  --output table

# List all network quotas
az quota list \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.Network/locations/eastus \
  --output table

# List all Container Apps quotas
az quota list \
  --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/providers/Microsoft.App/locations/eastus \
  --output table

📖 See also: az quota list

Troubleshooting

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
REST API "No Limit"	REST API showing misleading "unlimited" values	CRITICAL: "No Limit" ≠ unlimited! Use CLI instead. See warning above. Check service limits docs
REST API failures	REST API unreliable and misleading	Always use Azure CLI - See commands.md for complete CLI reference
`ExtensionNotFound`	Quota extension not installed	`az extension add --name quota`
`BadRequest`	Resource provider not supported by quota API	Use CLI (preferred) or service limits docs
`MissingRegistration`	Microsoft.Quota provider not registered	`az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Quota`
`QuotaExceeded`	Deployment would exceed quota	Request increase or choose different region
`InvalidScope`	Incorrect scope format	Use pattern: `/subscriptions/<id>/providers/<namespace>/locations/<region>`

Unsupported Resource Providers

Known unsupported providers:

❌ Microsoft.DocumentDB (Cosmos DB) - Use Portal or Cosmos DB limits docs

Confirmed working providers:

✅ Microsoft.Compute (VMs, disks, cores)
✅ Microsoft.Network (VNets, IPs, load balancers)
✅ Microsoft.App (Container Apps)
✅ Microsoft.Storage (storage accounts)
✅ Microsoft.MachineLearningServices (ML compute)

📖 See also: Troubleshooting Guide

Additional Resources

Resource	Link
CLI Commands Reference	commands.md - Complete syntax, parameters, examples
Azure Quotas Overview	Microsoft Learn
Service Limits Documentation	Azure subscription limits
Azure Portal - My Quotas	Portal Link
Request Quota Increases	How to request increases

Best Practices

✅ Always check quotas before deployment - Prevent quota exceeded errors
✅ Run az quota list first - Discover correct quota resource names
✅ Compare regions - Find regions with available capacity
✅ Account for growth - Request 20% buffer above immediate needs
✅ Use table output for overview - --output table for quick scanning
✅ Document quota sources - Track whether from quota API or official docs
✅ Monitor usage trends - Set up alerts at 80% threshold (via Portal)

Workflow Summary

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. Install quota extension             │
│     az extension add --name quota       │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. Discover quota resource names       │
│     az quota list --scope ...           │
│     (Match by localizedValue)           │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. Check current usage                 │
│     az quota usage show                 │
│     --resource-name <name>              │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  4. Check quota limit                   │
│     az quota show                       │
│     --resource-name <name>              │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  5. Validate capacity                   │
│     Available = Limit - (Usage + Need)  │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
         ┌────────┴────────┐
         │                 │
    ✅ Sufficient     ❌ Insufficient
         │                 │
         ▼                 ▼
    Proceed          Request increase
                     or change region

azure-quotas