# azure-cosmos-db-py

Guides building Azure Cosmos DB NoSQL services with Python and FastAPI. Implements dual authentication, clean service layers, and Pydantic models.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, GitHub Copilot · 2 installs · ★ 3149
- Author: Microsoft
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/HEAD/.github/plugins/azure-sdk-python/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py

## What it does

This skill generates code patterns for Azure Cosmos DB NoSQL integrations within FastAPI applications. It organizes code into a three-tier design: FastAPI endpoints, a dedicated service layer for business logic, and a singleton client module that wraps sync and async calls.

Authentication focuses on security. Production setups rely on `DefaultAzureCredential` to eliminate hardcoded connection strings, while local development falls back to the Cosmos DB emulator with `COSMOS_KEY`. Without `azure-cosmos` and `azure-identity` installed in the Python environment, the implementation cannot run.

Code templates strictly require context managers to close sockets and release transport layers deterministically. Data models follow a five-tier Pydantic hierarchy separating request schemas, API responses, and database records marked with `doc_type`.

## Requirements
- Works with: Azure

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill azure-cosmos-db-py -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/

### Codex

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install microsoft/skills azure-cosmos-db-py
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/skills --path .github/plugins/azure-sdk-python/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/HEAD/.github/plugins/azure-sdk-python/skills/azure-cosmos-db-py/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- configure CosmosClient using DefaultAzureCredential alongside the local emulator
- build a five-tier Pydantic model structure for document serialization
- write FastAPI service classes with partition-key-aware document queries
- manage database client lifecycles using context managers

## Example prompts
- Set up an Azure Cosmos DB service layer in FastAPI with DefaultAzureCredential
- Generate Pydantic schemas and CRUD queries for a Cosmos DB document container
- Configure a singleton Cosmos client that supports the local emulator and managed identities

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 9fd02c732392fa88.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 9fd02c732392fa88
````text
---
name: azure-cosmos-db-py
description: Build Azure Cosmos DB NoSQL services with Python/FastAPI following production-grade patterns. Use when implementing database client setup with dual auth (DefaultAzureCredential + emulator), service layer classes with CRUD operations, partition key strategies, parameterized queries, or TDD patterns for Cosmos. Triggers on phrases like "Cosmos DB", "NoSQL database", "document store", "add persistence", "database service layer", or "Python Cosmos SDK".
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Microsoft
  version: "1.0.0"
  package: azure-cosmos
---

# Cosmos DB Service Implementation

Build production-grade Azure Cosmos DB NoSQL services following clean code, security best practices, and TDD principles.

## Installation

```bash
pip install azure-cosmos azure-identity
```

## Environment Variables

```bash
COSMOS_ENDPOINT=https://<account>.documents.azure.com:443/  # Required for all auth methods
COSMOS_DATABASE_NAME=<database-name>  # Required for all auth methods
COSMOS_CONTAINER_ID=<container-id>  # Required for all auth methods
# For emulator only (not production)
COSMOS_KEY=<emulator-key>  # Only required for key-based auth or emulator
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production
```

## Authentication & Lifecycle

> **🔑 Two rules apply to every code sample below:**
>
> 1. **Prefer `DefaultAzureCredential`.** It works locally (Azure CLI / VS Code / Developer CLI) and in Azure (managed identity, workload identity) with no code change. Avoid connection strings, account/API keys — they bypass Entra audit and rotation.
>    - Local dev: `DefaultAzureCredential` works as-is.
>    - Production: set `AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod` (or `AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>`) to constrain the credential chain to production-safe credentials.
> 2. **Wrap every client in a context manager** so HTTP transports, sockets, and token caches are released deterministically:
>    - Sync: `with <Client>(...) as client:`
>    - Async: `async with <Client>(...) as client:` **and** `async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential:` (from `azure.identity.aio`)
>
> Snippets may abbreviate this setup, but production code should always follow both rules.

**DefaultAzureCredential (preferred)**:
```python
import os
from azure.cosmos import CosmosClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential

# Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(require_envvar=True)
# Or use a specific credential directly in production:
# See https://learn.microsoft.com/python/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-python#credential-classes
# credential = ManagedIdentityCredential()

with CosmosClient(
    url=os.environ["COSMOS_ENDPOINT"],
    credential=credential
) as client:
    # Use client here (see following sections for operations)
    ...
```

**Emulator (local development)**:
```python
from azure.cosmos import CosmosClient

with CosmosClient(
    url="https://localhost:8081",
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 9fd02c732392fa88

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 9fd02c732392fa88 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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