Azure Container Instances (ACI)

Overview

Azure Container Instances (ACI) offers the fastest and simplest way to run a container in Azure. It allows you to run containers without managing any virtual machines or higher-level orchestration services. It’s a great solution for simple applications, build tasks, or batch jobs.

Getting Started: Running Your First Container

This guide will walk you through the process of deploying and running a single container using Azure CLI. We'll use a simple Nginx web server image.

Prerequisites

• An Azure account with an active subscription. If you don't have one, create a free account before you begin.
• The Azure CLI installed and configured. You can install it from the official Azure documentation.

Step 1: Log in to Azure

Open your terminal or command prompt and log in to your Azure account:

This command will open a browser window for you to authenticate.

Step 2: Set Your Azure Subscription

If you have multiple subscriptions, ensure you're working with the correct one:

Replace <YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID> with your actual Azure subscription ID.

Step 3: Create a Resource Group

Resource groups are logical containers for your Azure resources. Let's create one:

You can choose a different name or location if you prefer.

Step 4: Run a Container

Now, let's deploy and run a container from the official Nginx image. This command creates a container group with a single container that exposes port 80:

Explanation of the command:

• --resource-group myResourceGroup: Specifies the resource group to use.
• --name mynginxcontainer: Assigns a name to your container group.
• --image nginx: Pulls the latest Nginx image from Docker Hub.
• --dns-name-label mynginxweb: Creates a DNS name for the container, making it accessible via a public IP address (e.g., mynginxweb.eastus.azurecontainer.io).
• --ports 80: Exposes port 80 on the container.

Step 5: Verify Deployment

You can check the status of your container group:

Look for the IP address and the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) in the output.

Step 6: Access Your Container

Open a web browser and navigate to the FQDN you obtained in the previous step. You should see the default Nginx welcome page.

(Remember to replace mynginxweb and eastus with your chosen DNS name label and location if you changed them).

Step 7: Clean Up Resources

To avoid ongoing charges, it's good practice to delete resources you no longer need. You can delete the entire resource group:

Advanced Concepts

Container Groups with Multiple Containers

ACI allows you to deploy multiple containers within a single container group. These containers can share a network namespace and storage volumes, enabling them to communicate easily and share data.

Volume Mounting

You can mount Azure File shares to your containers, providing persistent storage and enabling data sharing between containers in the same group.

Environment Variables and Secrets

Securely manage sensitive information like API keys and database connection strings using Azure Key Vault integration or by directly defining environment variables.

When to Use ACI

• Simple web applications.
• Batch processing and scheduled tasks.
• Development and testing environments.
• CI/CD pipelines for build or test steps.
• Microservices that require quick deployment.

ACI is designed for simplicity and speed. For complex, highly available, or long-running orchestrated workloads, consider other Azure container services like AKS or Azure Container Apps.

For more detailed information, explore the official Azure Container Instances documentation.