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Confidential compute in Azure Container Apps (preview)

Confidential compute in Azure Container Apps helps protect containerized workloads while data is being processed. In this article, you learn when to use confidential compute, how it works with dedicated workload profiles, how to enable it for a container app, and how to verify that your app runs on confidential compute infrastructure.

Important

Confidential compute is currently available in preview and is supported only in specific regions and workload profile configurations.

Benefits of confidential compute

Confidential compute complements Azure encryption at rest and encryption in transit by protecting data while it's being processed. When you run workloads on a confidential compute workload profile, you get:

  • Hardware-based isolation by using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).
  • Encryption of data in memory while workloads are running.
  • Protection against unauthorized access to data in use, including access from infrastructure operators.

The Azure platform and the underlying confidential VM infrastructure provide and enforce these guarantees. For more information, see Azure confidential computing.

When to use confidential compute

Use confidential compute in Azure Container Apps when:

  • Your workloads process highly sensitive or regulated data.
  • Protecting data while it's being processed is a requirement.
  • You want the security benefits of confidential computing without managing infrastructure or modifying application code.

How confidential compute works

You enable confidential compute at the workload profile level, not at the individual container app or revision level. When you add a DC-series dedicated workload profile to your environment, any container apps assigned to that profile automatically run on confidential compute infrastructure backed by confidential VM SKUs.

You don't need to configure any per-app or per-container settings. Deploy container apps by using the same images, tooling, and workflows as non-confidential workloads. You don't need special container runtime configuration or SDKs.

Prerequisites

Before you enable confidential compute, check that you have the following items:

  1. An Azure Container Apps environment in a supported region.
  2. A dedicated workload profile that uses a DC-series workload profile type.
  3. A container app with the DC-series workload profile assigned.

Enable confidential compute

The following example creates a Container Apps environment with a DC-series workload profile and deploys a container app assigned to that profile:

  1. Create the environment with a DC-series workload profile.

    az containerapp env create \
  --name <ENVIRONMENT_NAME> \
  --resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME> \
  --location <SUPPORTED_REGION> \
  --workload-profile-type DC4 \
  --workload-profile-name my-wp-confidential

  2. Create the container app and assign it to the workload profile.

    az containerapp create \
  --name <CONTAINER_APP_NAME> \
  --resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME> \
  --environment <ENVIRONMENT_NAME> \
  --workload-profile-name my-wp-confidential \
  --image <CONTAINER_IMAGE>

The --workload-profile-name my-wp-confidential parameter assigns the app to the DC-series workload profile, which enables confidential compute.

For steps on adding and managing workload profiles, see Manage workload profiles with the Azure CLI.

Verify confidential compute configuration

Use this quick check to confirm the app is assigned to a DC-series workload profile.

Azure CLI

  1. Get the workload profile assigned to the container app.

    az containerapp show \
  --name <CONTAINER_APP_NAME> \
  --resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME> \
  --query properties.workloadProfileName \
  -o tsv

    Example output:

    my-wp-confidential

  2. Get the workload profile type for that profile in the environment.

    az containerapp env workload-profile list \
  --name <ENVIRONMENT_NAME> \
  --resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME> \
  --query "[].{name:name,workloadProfileType:workloadProfileType}"

    Example output:

    [
  {
    "name": "my-wp-confidential",
    "workloadProfileType": "DC4"
  }
]

    In this example, my-wp-confidential is a sample profile name. Your profile name can be different.

If the profile assigned to your app has a workloadProfileType value that starts with DC, such as DC4 or DC8, the app is running on confidential compute infrastructure.

Azure portal

  1. In the Azure portal, go to your container app.
  2. On the Overview page, note the Environment value and go to that environment.
  3. In the Container Apps environment, go to Workload profiles.
  4. Find the workload profile used by your app and verify that the profile type and size starts with DC, such as DC4 or DC8.

Supported workload profiles

Confidential compute is available only on DC-series dedicated workload profiles. Supported sizes include:

  • DC4
  • DC8
  • DC16
  • DC32
  • DC48
  • DC64
  • DC96

Availability of these workload profiles depends on the region. Not all regions with DC-series profiles support confidential compute. For the current list of regions where confidential compute is available, see Supported regions.

Supported regions

Azure Container Apps supports confidential compute in the UAE North region. To request region, submit an issue on GitHub.

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