---
name: azure-ai-contentunderstanding-py
description: |
Azure AI Content Understanding SDK for Python. Use for multimodal content extraction from documents, images, audio, and video.
Triggers: "azure-ai-contentunderstanding", "ContentUnderstandingClient", "multimodal analysis", "document extraction", "video analysis", "audio transcription".
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Microsoft
version: "1.0.0"
package: azure-ai-contentunderstanding
---
# Azure AI Content Understanding SDK for Python
Multimodal AI service that extracts semantic content from documents, video, audio, and image files for RAG and automated workflows.
## Installation
```bash
pip install azure-ai-contentunderstanding
```
## Environment Variables
```bash
CONTENTUNDERSTANDING_ENDPOINT=https://<resource>.cognitiveservices.azure.com/ # 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.
```python
import os
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding import ContentUnderstandingClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential
endpoint = os.environ["CONTENTUNDERSTANDING_ENDPOINT"]
# 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 ContentUnderstandingClient(endpoint=endpoint, credential=credential) as client:
analyzers = list(client.list_analyzers())
```
## Core Workflow
Content Understanding operations are asynchronous long-running operations:
1. **Begin Analysis** — Start the analysis operation with `begin_analyze()` (returns a poller)
2. **Poll for Results** — Poll until analysis completes (SDK handles this with `.result()`)
3. **Process Results** — Extract structured results from `AnalyzeResult.contents`
## Prebuilt Analyzers
| Analyzer | Content Type | Purpose |
|----------|--------------|---------|
| `prebuilt-documentSearch` | Documents | Extract markdown for RAG applications |
| `prebuilt-imageSearch` | Images | Extract content from images |
| `prebuilt-audioSearch` | Audio | Transcribe audio with timing |
| `prebuilt-videoSearch` | Video | Extract frames, transcripts, summaries |
| `prebuilt-invoice` | Documents | Extract invoice fields |
## Analyze Document
```python
import os
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding import ContentUnderstandingClient
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
endpoint = os.environ["CONTENTUNDERSTANDING_ENDPOINT"]
with ContentUnderstandingClient(
endpoint=endpoint,
credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
) as client:
# Analyze document from URL
poller = client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="prebuilt-documentSearch",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/document.pdf")]
)
result = poller.result()
# Access markdown content (contents is a list)
content = result.contents[0]
print(content.markdown)
```
## Access Document Content Details
```python
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import MediaContentKind, DocumentContent
content = result.contents[0]
if content.kind == MediaContentKind.DOCUMENT:
document_content: DocumentContent = content # type: ignore
print(document_content.start_page_number)
```
## Analyze Image
```python
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
poller = client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="prebuilt-imageSearch",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/image.jpg")]
)
result = poller.result()
content = result.contents[0]
print(content.markdown)
```
## Analyze Video
```python
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
poller = client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="prebuilt-videoSearch",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/video.mp4")]
)
result = poller.result()
# Access video content (AudioVisualContent)
content = result.contents[0]
# Get transcript phrases with timing
for phrase in content.transcript_phrases:
print(f"[{phrase.start_time} - {phrase.end_time}]: {phrase.text}")
# Get key frames (for video)
for frame in content.key_frames:
print(f"Frame at {frame.time}: {frame.description}")
```
## Analyze Audio
```python
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
poller = client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="prebuilt-audioSearch",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/audio.mp3")]
)
result = poller.result()
# Access audio transcript
content = result.contents[0]
for phrase in content.transcript_phrases:
print(f"[{phrase.start_time}] {phrase.text}")
```
## Custom Analyzers
Create custom analyzers with field schemas for specialized extraction:
```python
# Create custom analyzer
analyzer = client.create_analyzer(
analyzer_id="my-invoice-analyzer",
analyzer={
"description": "Custom invoice analyzer",
"base_analyzer_id": "prebuilt-documentSearch",
"field_schema": {
"fields": {
"vendor_name": {"type": "string"},
"invoice_total": {"type": "number"},
"line_items": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"description": {"type": "string"},
"amount": {"type": "number"}
}
}
}
}
}
}
)
# Use custom analyzer
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
poller = client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="my-invoice-analyzer",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/invoice.pdf")]
)
result = poller.result()
# Access extracted fields
print(result.fields["vendor_name"])
print(result.fields["invoice_total"])
```
## Analyzer Management
```python
# List all analyzers
analyzers = client.list_analyzers()
for analyzer in analyzers:
print(f"{analyzer.analyzer_id}: {analyzer.description}")
# Get specific analyzer
analyzer = client.get_analyzer("prebuilt-documentSearch")
# Delete custom analyzer
client.delete_analyzer("my-custom-analyzer")
```
## Async Client
```python
import asyncio
import os
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.aio import ContentUnderstandingClient
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import AnalyzeInput
from azure.identity.aio import DefaultAzureCredential
async def analyze_document():
endpoint = os.environ["CONTENTUNDERSTANDING_ENDPOINT"]
async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential:
async with ContentUnderstandingClient(
endpoint=endpoint,
credential=credential
) as client:
poller = await client.begin_analyze(
analyzer_id="prebuilt-documentSearch",
inputs=[AnalyzeInput(url="https://example.com/doc.pdf")]
)
result = await poller.result()
content = result.contents[0]
return content.markdown
asyncio.run(analyze_document())
```
## Content Types
| Class | For | Provides |
|-------|-----|----------|
| `DocumentContent` | PDF, images, Office docs | Pages, tables, figures, paragraphs |
| `AudioVisualContent` | Audio, video files | Transcript phrases, timing, key frames |
Both derive from `MediaContent` which provides basic info and markdown representation.
## Model Imports
```python
from azure.ai.contentunderstanding.models import (
AnalyzeInput,
AnalyzeResult,
MediaContentKind,
DocumentContent,
AudioVisualContent,
)
```
## Client Types
| Client | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| `ContentUnderstandingClient` | Sync client for all operations |
| `ContentUnderstandingClient` (aio) | Async client for all operations |
## Best Practices
1. **Pick sync OR async and stay consistent.** Do not mix `azure.ai.contentunderstanding` sync clients with `azure.ai.contentunderstanding.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 ContentUnderstandingClient(...) as client:` (sync) or `async with ContentUnderstandingClient(...) as client:` (async). For async `DefaultAzureCredential` from `azure.identity.aio`, also use `async with credential:` so tokens and transports are cleaned up.
3. **Use `begin_analyze` with `AnalyzeInput`** — this is the correct method signature
4. **Access results via `result.contents[0]`** — results are returned as a list
5. **Use prebuilt analyzers** for common scenarios (document/image/audio/video search)
6. **Create custom analyzers** only for domain-specific field extraction
7. **Use async client** for high-throughput scenarios with `azure.identity.aio` credentials
8. **Handle long-running operations** — video/audio analysis can take minutes
9. **Use URL sources** when possible to avoid upload overhead
## Reference Files
| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| [references/capabilities.md](references/capabilities.md) | Additional non-hero capabilities, operation-group coverage, and production checklists. |
| [references/non-hero-scenarios.md](references/non-hero-scenarios.md) | Dedicated non-hero examples for secondary/advanced scenarios. |