Azure Bot Service Management SDK for Python

Manage Azure Bot Service resources including bots, channels, and connections.

Installation

pip install azure-mgmt-botservice
pip install azure-identity

Environment Variables

AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID=<your-subscription-id>  # Required for all auth methods
AZURE_RESOURCE_GROUP=<your-resource-group>  # Required for all auth methods
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.

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential
from azure.mgmt.botservice import AzureBotService
import os

# 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 AzureBotService(
    credential=credential,
    subscription_id=os.environ["AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"]
) as client:
    # Use `client` for all subsequent operations (see examples below)
    ...

Create a Bot

from azure.mgmt.botservice import AzureBotService
from azure.mgmt.botservice.models import Bot, BotProperties, Sku
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
import os

resource_group = os.environ["AZURE_RESOURCE_GROUP"]
bot_name = "my-chat-bot"

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
with AzureBotService(
    credential=credential,
    subscription_id=os.environ["AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"]
) as client:
    bot = client.bots.create(
        resource_group_name=resource_group,
        resource_name=bot_name,
        parameters=Bot(
            location="global",
            sku=Sku(name="F0"),  # Free tier
            kind="azurebot",
            properties=BotProperties(
                display_name="My Chat Bot",
                description="A conversational AI bot",
                endpoint="https://my-bot-app.azurewebsites.net/api/messages",
                msa_app_id="<your-app-id>",
                msa_app_type="MultiTenant"
            )
        )
    )

print(f"Bot created: {bot.name}")

Get Bot Details

bot = client.bots.get(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name
)

print(f"Bot: {bot.properties.display_name}")
print(f"Endpoint: {bot.properties.endpoint}")
print(f"SKU: {bot.sku.name}")

List Bots in Resource Group

bots = client.bots.list_by_resource_group(resource_group_name=resource_group)

for bot in bots:
    print(f"Bot: {bot.name} - {bot.properties.display_name}")

List All Bots in Subscription

all_bots = client.bots.list()

for bot in all_bots:
    print(f"Bot: {bot.name} in {bot.id.split('/')[4]}")

Update Bot

bot = client.bots.update(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    properties=BotProperties(
        display_name="Updated Bot Name",
        description="Updated description"
    )
)

Delete Bot

client.bots.delete(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name
)

Configure Channels

Add Teams Channel

from azure.mgmt.botservice.models import (
    BotChannel,
    MsTeamsChannel,
    MsTeamsChannelProperties
)

channel = client.channels.create(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    channel_name="MsTeamsChannel",
    parameters=BotChannel(
        location="global",
        properties=MsTeamsChannel(
            properties=MsTeamsChannelProperties(
                is_enabled=True
            )
        )
    )
)

Add Direct Line Channel

from azure.mgmt.botservice.models import (
    BotChannel,
    DirectLineChannel,
    DirectLineChannelProperties,
    DirectLineSite
)

channel = client.channels.create(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    channel_name="DirectLineChannel",
    parameters=BotChannel(
        location="global",
        properties=DirectLineChannel(
            properties=DirectLineChannelProperties(
                sites=[
                    DirectLineSite(
                        site_name="Default Site",
                        is_enabled=True,
                        is_v1_enabled=False,
                        is_v3_enabled=True
                    )
                ]
            )
        )
    )
)

Add Web Chat Channel

from azure.mgmt.botservice.models import (
    BotChannel,
    WebChatChannel,
    WebChatChannelProperties,
    WebChatSite
)

channel = client.channels.create(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    channel_name="WebChatChannel",
    parameters=BotChannel(
        location="global",
        properties=WebChatChannel(
            properties=WebChatChannelProperties(
                sites=[
                    WebChatSite(
                        site_name="Default Site",
                        is_enabled=True
                    )
                ]
            )
        )
    )
)

Get Channel Details

channel = client.channels.get(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    channel_name="DirectLineChannel"
)

List Channel Keys

keys = client.channels.list_with_keys(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    channel_name="DirectLineChannel"
)

# Access Direct Line keys
if hasattr(keys.properties, 'properties'):
    for site in keys.properties.properties.sites:
        print(f"Site: {site.site_name}")
        print(f"Key: {site.key}")

Bot Connections (OAuth)

Create Connection Setting

from azure.mgmt.botservice.models import (
    ConnectionSetting,
    ConnectionSettingProperties
)

connection = client.bot_connection.create(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name,
    connection_name="graph-connection",
    parameters=ConnectionSetting(
        location="global",
        properties=ConnectionSettingProperties(
            client_id="<oauth-client-id>",
            client_secret="<oauth-client-secret>",
            scopes="User.Read",
            service_provider_id="<service-provider-id>"
        )
    )
)

List Connections

connections = client.bot_connection.list_by_bot_service(
    resource_group_name=resource_group,
    resource_name=bot_name
)

for conn in connections:
    print(f"Connection: {conn.name}")

Client Operations

Operation	Method
client.bots	Bot CRUD operations
client.channels	Channel configuration
client.bot_connection	OAuth connection settings
client.direct_line	Direct Line channel operations
client.email	Email channel operations
client.operations	Available operations
client.host_settings	Host settings operations

SKU Options

SKU	Description
F0	Free tier (limited messages)
S1	Standard tier (unlimited messages)

Channel Types

Channel	Class	Purpose
MsTeamsChannel	Microsoft Teams	Teams integration
DirectLineChannel	Direct Line	Custom client integration
WebChatChannel	Web Chat	Embeddable web widget
SlackChannel	Slack	Slack workspace integration
FacebookChannel	Facebook	Messenger integration
EmailChannel	Email	Email communication

Best Practices

1. Pick sync OR async and stay consistent. Do not mix azure.xxx sync clients with azure.xxx.aio async clients in the same call path. Choose one mode per module.
2. Always use context managers for clients and async credentials. Wrap every client in with Client(...) as client: (sync) or async with Client(...) as client: (async). For async DefaultAzureCredential from azure.identity.aio, also use async with credential: so tokens and transports are cleaned up.
3. Use DefaultAzureCredential for code that runs locally. Use a specific token credential for code that runs in Azure.
4. Start with F0 SKU for development, upgrade to S1 for production
5. Store MSA App ID/Secret securely — use Key Vault
6. Enable only needed channels — reduces attack surface
7. Rotate Direct Line keys periodically
8. Use managed identity when possible for bot connections
9. Configure proper CORS for Web Chat channel

Reference Files

File	Contents
references/capabilities.md	Additional non-hero capabilities, operation-group coverage, and production checklists.
references/non-hero-scenarios.md	Dedicated non-hero examples for secondary/advanced scenarios.