DATABRICKS CLI — COMPLETE COMMAND DOCUMENTATION
A complete operational guide for managing Azure Databricks using the CLI — covering authentication, workspaces, compute, jobs, Unity Catalog, secrets, DBFS, Git repos, and Infrastructure-as-Code via Asset Bundles.
Architectural Overview
The CLI communicates with Azure Databricks via REST APIs using OAuth-based authentication:
Local Machine (CLI)
↓
OAuth Authentication
↓
Azure Databricks Workspace
↓
Clusters / Jobs / Unity Catalog / Warehouses
1. Installation & Setup
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| winget –version | Verify Windows Package Manager is installed |
| winget install Databricks.DatabricksCLI | Install the Databricks CLI |
| databricks -v | Confirm installation and check version |
| where databricks | Show CLI binary path on disk |
1.1 Check Winget
Confirm the Windows Package Manager is available before installing:
winget –version
1.2 Install Databricks CLI
winget install Databricks.DatabricksCLI
1.3 Verify Installation
databricks -v
Expected output: Databricks CLI v0.2xx.x
1.4 Check CLI Path
where databricks
2. Authentication (OAuth Based)
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks auth login –host <url> –profile DEFAULT | Log in with OAuth (opens browser) |
| databricks auth describe –profile DEFAULT | Show active profile details |
| databricks auth profiles | List all configured profiles |
| Delete .databricks folder | Log out / remove cached tokens |
2.1 Login
databricks auth login –host <workspace-url> –profile DEFAULT
# Example:
databricks auth login –host https://adb-7405609716325528.8.azuredatabricks.net/
2.2 Check Profile
databricks auth describe –profile DEFAULT
2.3 List Profiles
databricks auth profiles
2.4 Logout
Delete the token cache folder to log out:
C:\Users\<username>\.databricks
3. Current User Information
databricks current-user me
Returns: username, email address, and user ID.
4. Workspace Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks workspace list / | List root workspace contents |
| databricks workspace mkdirs /path | Create a folder |
| databricks workspace delete /path | Delete a file |
| databricks workspace delete /path –recursive | Recursively delete a folder |
| databricks workspace import /dest –file local.py –language PYTHON –format SOURCE | Upload a file |
| databricks workspace export /src –file out.py –format SOURCE | Download a file |
4.1 List Workspace Root
databricks workspace list /
4.2 Create Folder
databricks workspace mkdirs /Shared/Yash
4.3 Delete File or Folder
# Delete a single file
databricks workspace delete /Shared/Yash/file.py
# Recursive delete
databricks workspace delete /Shared/Yash –recursive
4.4 Import File
databricks workspace import /Shared/Yash/local.py \
–file local.py –language PYTHON –format SOURCE –overwrite
Verify upload:
databricks workspace list /Shared/Yash
4.5 Export File
databricks workspace export /Shared/Yash/local.py \
–file exported.py –format SOURCE
Verify locally:
dir exported.py
4.6 List Files
databricks workspace list /Shared/Yash
5. Cluster Management
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks clusters list | List all clusters |
| databricks clusters get <cluster-id> | Get full cluster details/config |
| databricks clusters start <cluster-id> | Start a terminated cluster |
| databricks clusters delete <cluster-id> | Terminate (stop) a running cluster |
| databricks clusters permanent-delete <cluster-id> | Permanently remove a cluster |
5.1 List Clusters
databricks clusters list
5.2 Get Cluster Details
databricks clusters get 0106-075344-c5jhxigd
5.3 Start Cluster
databricks clusters start 0106-075344-c5jhxigd
5.4 Terminate Cluster
databricks clusters delete 0106-075344-c5jhxigd
5.5 Permanent Delete
databricks clusters permanent-delete <cluster-id>
6. Jobs Management
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks jobs list | List all jobs |
| databricks jobs get <job-id> | Get job configuration and details |
| databricks jobs run-now <job-id> | Trigger an immediate run |
| databricks jobs list-runs | List recent job runs and statuses |
| databricks jobs cancel-run <run-id> | Cancel an active run |
| databricks jobs delete <job-id> | Delete a job definition |
6.1 List Jobs
databricks jobs list
6.2 Get Job Details
databricks jobs get 909703333311409
6.3 Run Job Now
databricks jobs run-now 909703333311409
6.4 List Runs
databricks jobs list-runs
6.5 Cancel Run
databricks jobs cancel-run 909703333311409
6.6 Delete Job
databricks jobs delete 909703333311409
7. SQL Warehouses
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks warehouses list | List all SQL warehouses |
| databricks warehouses start <id> | Start a stopped warehouse |
| databricks warehouses stop <id> | Stop a running warehouse |
7.1 List Warehouses
databricks warehouses list
7.2 Start Warehouse
databricks warehouses start dd2325bf3cbab4f6
7.3 Stop Warehouse
databricks warehouses stop dd2325bf3cbab4f6
8. Unity Catalog Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks catalogs list | List all catalogs |
| databricks catalogs get <catalog> | Get catalog metadata |
| databricks schemas list <catalog> | List schemas in a catalog |
| databricks tables list <catalog> <schema> | List tables in a schema |
| databricks tables get <catalog>.<schema>.<table> | Get full table details |
8.1 List Catalogs
databricks catalogs list
8.2 Get Catalog
databricks catalogs get fq_dev_catalog
8.3 List Schemas
databricks schemas list fq_dev_catalog
8.4 List Tables
databricks tables list <CATALOG_NAME> <SCHEMA_NAME>
# Example:
databricks tables list fq_dev_catalog gold
8.5 Get Table Details
databricks tables get <CATALOG>.<SCHEMA>.<TABLE>
# Example:
databricks tables get fq_dev_catalog.gold.sales_sample
9. Secrets Management
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks secrets create-scope <scope> | Create a new secret scope |
| databricks secrets list-scopes | List all secret scopes |
| databricks secrets put-secret <scope> <key> | Add or update a secret (prompted input) |
| databricks secrets list-secrets <scope> | List key names in a scope |
| databricks secrets delete-secret <scope> <key> | Delete a specific secret key |
| databricks secrets delete-scope <scope> | Delete entire scope + all secrets |
9.1 Create Secret Scope
databricks secrets create-scope my-scope
9.2 List All Secret Scopes
databricks secrets list-scopes
9.3 Add Secret
databricks secrets put-secret my-scope my-key
# You will be prompted (input is hidden):
Enter secret value: ****
9.4 List Secrets in Scope
databricks secrets list-secrets my-scope
# Output:
Key
my-key
9.5 Delete a Secret
databricks secrets delete-secret my-scope my-key
9.6 Delete Entire Scope
databricks secrets delete-scope my-scope
10. Repos (Git Integration)
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks repos list | List connected Git repos |
| databricks repos create –url <git-url> –provider github | Connect a new repo |
| databricks repos delete <repo-id> | Disconnect a repo |
10.1 List Repos
databricks repos list
10.2 Create Repo
databricks repos create –url https://github.com/repo.git –provider github
10.3 Delete Repo
databricks repos delete <repo-id>
11. Files (DBFS)
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks fs ls dbfs:/ | List root DBFS contents |
| databricks fs cp local.csv dbfs:/tmp/ | Copy a file to DBFS |
| databricks fs ls dbfs:/tmp/ | Verify uploaded file |
| databricks fs rm dbfs:/tmp/local.csv | Remove a file from DBFS |
11.1 List DBFS
databricks fs ls dbfs:/
11.2 Copy File to DBFS
databricks fs cp local.csv dbfs:/tmp/local.csv
11.3 Verify Upload
databricks fs ls dbfs:/tmp/
11.4 Remove File
databricks fs rm dbfs:/tmp/local.csv
11.5 Verify Deletion
databricks fs ls dbfs:/tmp/
12. Databricks Asset Bundles (DAB)
Asset Bundles enable Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) — deploy jobs, pipelines, and resources in a repeatable, version-controlled way.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks bundle init | Scaffold a new bundle project |
| databricks bundle validate | Validate bundle configuration |
| databricks bundle deploy -t dev | Deploy bundle to the dev target |
| databricks bundle destroy -t dev | Tear down a deployed bundle |
12.1 Initialize Project
mkdir my_dab_project
cd my_dab_project
databricks bundle init
12.2 Validate Bundle
databricks bundle validate
12.3 Deploy Bundle
databricks bundle deploy -t dev
12.4 Destroy Deployment
databricks bundle destroy -t dev
13. Debug & Advanced
Enable Debug Logs
databricks –debug clusters list
Check CLI Help
databricks –help
# Command-specific:
databricks clusters –help
14. Profile Management (Multiple Environments)
Use named profiles to switch between Dev, QA, and Prod workspaces without re-authenticating each time.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| databricks auth login –host <url> –profile PROD | Add a named profile |
| databricks clusters list –profile PROD | Run any command against a profile |
| databricks auth profiles | List all saved profiles |
Login with New Profile
databricks auth login –host <url> –profile PROD
Use a Specific Profile
databricks clusters list –profile PROD
Real Use Cases
- Automating cluster lifecycle — start/stop/terminate on a schedule via cron or CI/CD
- Deploying jobs via CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins)
- Managing Unity Catalog — create schemas, manage table permissions at scale
- Bulk workspace operations — batch import/export of notebooks across projects
- Infrastructure as Code — version-controlled deployments with Asset Bundles
Security & Best Practices
- Prefer OAuth authentication — it supports automatic token refresh
- Use profiles to isolate Dev / QA / Prod environments
- Never hardcode cluster IDs, workspace URLs, or secrets in scripts
- Use Asset Bundles for repeatable, peer-reviewed deployments
- Store credentials in Databricks Secrets — never in plain text or source repos
- Delete the .databricks cache folder when decommissioning a machine
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