Core Container Concepts on Azure
This section delves into the fundamental concepts you need to grasp to effectively deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications on Microsoft Azure.
Containers
A container is a standard unit of software that packages up code and all its dependencies so the application runs quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another. Azure supports popular containerization technologies like Docker.
Key benefits include:
- Portability: Run consistently across different environments.
- Isolation: Applications and their dependencies are isolated from the host and other containers.
- Efficiency: Lightweight compared to virtual machines.
Container Orchestration
As you scale your containerized applications, managing individual containers becomes complex. Orchestration platforms automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Azure provides powerful orchestration services:
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
AKS is Azure's managed Kubernetes service. It simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes. AKS handles complex tasks like node provisioning, upgrades, and scaling, allowing you to focus on your applications.
Azure Container Instances (ACI)
ACI offers the fastest and simplest way to run a container in Azure. It allows you to deploy containers without managing underlying virtual machines or orchestration services. It's ideal for simple applications, batch jobs, or task automation.
Azure Container Apps
Container Apps is a fully managed serverless container service that enables you to run microservices and containerized applications on serverless infrastructure. It's built on open standards like Kubernetes and Dapr, offering simplified operations and built-in features like traffic splitting, auto-scaling, and integrated observability.
Container Registries
A container registry is a repository for storing and managing container images. Azure provides Azure Container Registry (ACR) as a managed, private registry service that stores and manages container images used by all types of Azure container deployments.
Key features of ACR include:
- Private storage for Docker and Open Container Initiative (OCI) images.
- Integration with Azure services for seamless deployment.
- Geo-replication for high availability and low latency.
- Security features like vulnerability scanning.
Container Images and Manifests
A container image is a lightweight, standalone, executable package of software that includes everything needed to run an application: code, runtime, system tools, system libraries, and settings. Container manifests describe the configuration and layers of a container image.
Common image commands:
docker build -t my-app:latest .
docker push myregistry.azurecr.io/my-app:latestNetworking for Containers
Azure provides robust networking capabilities for containerized applications. This includes:
- Virtual Networks (VNet): Securely isolate your container deployments.
- Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across container instances.
- Service Discovery: Enable containers to find and communicate with each other.
- Ingress Controllers: Manage external access to services within a Kubernetes cluster.
Security and Compliance
Securing your containerized workloads is paramount. Azure offers:
- Managed Identities: Securely authenticate to Azure services without managing credentials.
- Network Security Groups (NSGs): Control inbound and outbound network traffic.
- Azure Policy: Enforce organizational standards and assess compliance.
- Vulnerability Scanning: Integrate with ACR to scan images for known vulnerabilities.