Authentication — Java SDK Quick Reference

Condensed from azure-identity-java. Full patterns (workload identity, certificate auth, device code, sovereign clouds) in the azure-identity-java plugin skill if installed.

Install

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-identity</artifactId>
    <version>1.15.0</version>
</dependency>

Quick Start

Auth: DefaultAzureCredential is for local development. See auth-best-practices.md for production patterns.

import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
var credential = new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build();

Best Practices

• Use DefaultAzureCredential for local development only (CLI, PowerShell, VS Code). In production, use ManagedIdentityCredential — see auth-best-practices.md
• Managed identity in production — no secrets to manage, automatic rotation
• Azure CLI for local dev — run az login before running your app
• Least privilege — grant only required permissions to service principals
• Token caching — enabled by default, reduces auth round-trips
• Environment variables — use for CI/CD, not hardcoded secrets