Tutorial: Deploy your first container app

The Azure Container Apps service enables you to run microservices and containerized applications on a serverless platform. With Container Apps, you enjoy the benefits of running containers while you leave behind the concerns of manually configuring cloud infrastructure and complex container orchestrators.

In this tutorial, you create a secure Container Apps environment and deploy your first container app.

Note

You can also deploy this app using the az containerapp up by following the instructions in the Quickstart: Deploy your first container app with containerapp up article. The az containerapp up command is a fast and convenient way to build and deploy your app to Azure Container Apps using a single command. However, it doesn't provide the same level of customization for your container app.

Prerequisites

• An Azure account with an active subscription.
  • If you don't have one, you can create one for free.
• Install the Azure CLI.

Setup

To begin, sign in to Azure. Run the following command, and follow the prompts to complete the authentication process.

Bash

az login

Azure PowerShell

Connect-AzAccount

Bash

Next, install the Azure Container Apps extension for the CLI.

az extension add --name containerapp --upgrade

Azure PowerShell

You must have the latest Az module installed. Ignore any warnings about modules currently in use.

Install-Module -Name Az -Scope CurrentUser -Repository PSGallery -Force

Now install the Az.App module.

Install-Module -Name Az.App

Now that the current extension or module is installed, register the Microsoft.App namespace.

Note

Azure Container Apps resources have migrated from the Microsoft.Web namespace to the Microsoft.App namespace. Refer to Namespace migration from Microsoft.Web to Microsoft.App in March 2022 for more details.

Bash

az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App

Azure PowerShell

Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.App

Register the Microsoft.OperationalInsights provider for the Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace if you have not used it before.

Bash

az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights

Azure PowerShell

Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights

Next, set the following environment variables:

Bash

RESOURCE_GROUP="my-container-apps"
LOCATION="canadacentral"
CONTAINERAPPS_ENVIRONMENT="my-environment"

Azure PowerShell

$ResourceGroupName = 'my-container-apps'
$Location = 'canadacentral'
$ContainerAppsEnvironment = 'my-environment'

With these variables defined, you can create a resource group to organize the services related to your new container app.

Bash

az group create \
  --name $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --location $LOCATION

Azure PowerShell

New-AzResourceGroup -Location $Location -Name $ResourceGroupName

With the CLI upgraded and a new resource group available, you can create a Container Apps environment and deploy your container app.

Create an environment

An environment in Azure Container Apps creates a secure boundary around a group of container apps. Container Apps deployed to the same environment are deployed in the same virtual network and write logs to the same Log Analytics workspace.

Bash

To create the environment, run the following command:

az containerapp env create \
  --name $CONTAINERAPPS_ENVIRONMENT \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --location $LOCATION

Azure PowerShell

A Log Analytics workspace is required for the Container Apps environment. The following commands create a Log Analytics workspace and save the workspace ID and primary shared key to variables.

$WorkspaceArgs = @{
    Name = 'myworkspace'
    ResourceGroupName = $ResourceGroupName
    Location = $Location
    PublicNetworkAccessForIngestion = 'Enabled'
    PublicNetworkAccessForQuery = 'Enabled'
}
New-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspace @WorkspaceArgs
$WorkspaceId = (Get-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspace -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName -Name $WorkspaceArgs.Name).CustomerId
$WorkspaceSharedKey = (Get-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspaceSharedKey -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName -Name $WorkspaceArgs.Name).PrimarySharedKey

To create the environment, run the following command:

$EnvArgs = @{
    EnvName = $ContainerAppsEnvironment
    ResourceGroupName = $ResourceGroupName
    Location = $Location
    AppLogConfigurationDestination = 'log-analytics'
    LogAnalyticConfigurationCustomerId = $WorkspaceId
    LogAnalyticConfigurationSharedKey = $WorkspaceSharedKey
}

New-AzContainerAppManagedEnv @EnvArgs

Create a container app

Now that you have an environment created, you can deploy your first container app. With the containerapp create command, deploy a container image to Azure Container Apps.

Bash

az containerapp create \
  --name my-container-app \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --environment $CONTAINERAPPS_ENVIRONMENT \
  --image mcr.microsoft.com/k8se/quickstart:latest \
  --target-port 80 \
  --ingress 'external' \
  --query properties.configuration.ingress.fqdn

Note

Make sure the value for the --image parameter is in lower case.

By setting --ingress to external, you make the container app available to public requests.

Azure PowerShell

$ImageParams = @{
    Name = 'my-container-app'
    Image = 'mcr.microsoft.com/k8se/quickstart:latest'
}
$TemplateObj = New-AzContainerAppTemplateObject @ImageParams
$EnvId = (Get-AzContainerAppManagedEnv -EnvName $ContainerAppsEnvironment -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName).Id

$AppArgs = @{
    Name = 'my-container-app'
    Location = $Location
    ResourceGroupName = $ResourceGroupName
    ManagedEnvironmentId = $EnvId
    IdentityType = 'SystemAssigned'
    TemplateContainer = $TemplateObj
    IngressTargetPort = 80
    IngressExternal = $true

}
New-AzContainerApp @AppArgs

Note

Make sure the value for the Image parameter is in lower case.

By setting IngressExternal to $true, you make the container app available to public requests.

Verify deployment

Bash

The create command returns the fully qualified domain name for the container app. Copy this location to a web browser.

Azure PowerShell

Get the fully qualified domain name for the container app.

(Get-AzContainerApp -Name $AppArgs.Name -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName).IngressFqdn

Copy this location to a web browser.

The following message is displayed when the container app is deployed:

Clean up resources

If you're not going to continue to use this application, run the following command to delete the resource group along with all the resources created in this tutorial.

Caution

The following command deletes the specified resource group and all resources contained within it. If resources outside the scope of this tutorial exist in the specified resource group, they will also be deleted.

Bash

az group delete --name $RESOURCE_GROUP

Azure PowerShell

Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name $ResourceGroupName -Force

Tip

Having issues? Let us know on GitHub by opening an issue in the Azure Container Apps repo.

Next steps

Communication between microservices