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name: databricks-install-auth description: | Install and configure Databricks CLI and SDK authentication. Use when setting up a new Databricks integration, configuring tokens, or initializing Databricks in your project. Trigger with phrases like "install databricks", "setup databricks", "databricks auth", "configure databricks token", "databricks CLI". allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(pip:), Bash(databricks:), Grep version: 1.0.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io

Databricks Install & Auth

Overview

Set up Databricks CLI and SDK with authentication credentials.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+ with pip
• Databricks workspace URL (e.g., https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net)
• Personal Access Token or OAuth credentials
• Admin access for Unity Catalog setup

Instructions

Step 1: Install Databricks CLI and SDK

# Install CLI v2 (recommended)
pip install databricks-cli

# Install Python SDK
pip install databricks-sdk

# Install dbx for local development
pip install dbx

Step 2: Configure Authentication

Option A: Personal Access Token (Simplest)

# Interactive configuration
databricks configure --token

# Enter workspace URL: https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net
# Enter token: dapi1234567890abcdef...

Option B: Environment Variables

# Set environment variables
export DATABRICKS_HOST="https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net"
export DATABRICKS_TOKEN="dapi1234567890abcdef..."

# Or create .env file
cat > .env << 'EOF'
DATABRICKS_HOST=https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net
DATABRICKS_TOKEN=dapi1234567890abcdef...
EOF

Option C: OAuth (Recommended for Production)

# Using OAuth U2M (user-to-machine)
databricks configure --oauth

# Using OAuth M2M (service principal)
export DATABRICKS_HOST="https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net"
export DATABRICKS_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export DATABRICKS_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"

Step 3: Configure Profiles (Multi-Workspace)

# ~/.databrickscfg
[DEFAULT]
host = https://adb-dev-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net
token = dapi_dev_token...

[staging]
host = https://adb-staging-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net
token = dapi_staging_token...

[production]
host = https://adb-prod-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net
token = dapi_prod_token...

Step 4: Verify Connection

# Test CLI connection
databricks workspace list /

# Test with specific profile
databricks workspace list / --profile staging

# Test SDK connection
python -c "
from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient
w = WorkspaceClient()
print(f'Connected to: {w.config.host}')
print(f'Clusters: {len(list(w.clusters.list()))}')
"

Output

• Databricks CLI installed and configured
• Python SDK installed
• Authentication credentials stored
• Connection verified to workspace

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Invalid token	Expired or incorrect token	Generate new PAT in User Settings
Workspace not found	Wrong host URL	Verify workspace URL format
Permission denied	Token lacks permissions	Request admin access or correct scopes
Connection refused	Network/firewall issue	Check VPN, firewall rules
SSL certificate error	Corporate proxy	Set --insecure or configure proxy

Examples

Python SDK Initialization

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient

# Auto-detect from environment/config file
w = WorkspaceClient()

# Explicit configuration
w = WorkspaceClient(
    host="https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net",
    token="dapi1234567890abcdef..."
)

# With profile
w = WorkspaceClient(profile="production")

Service Principal Authentication

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient
from databricks.sdk.config import Config

config = Config(
    host="https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net",
    client_id="your-client-id",
    client_secret="your-client-secret"
)
w = WorkspaceClient(config=config)

Azure AD Authentication

from databricks.sdk import WorkspaceClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential

# Uses Azure AD managed identity
w = WorkspaceClient(
    host="https://adb-1234567890.1.azuredatabricks.net",
    credentials_provider=DefaultAzureCredential()
)

Resources

• Databricks CLI Documentation
• Databricks SDK for Python
• Authentication Methods
• Personal Access Tokens

Next Steps

After successful auth, proceed to databricks-hello-world for your first cluster and notebook.