Getting Started: Launching Your First Container in Azure
Azure Container Instances (ACI) is a serverless container service in Microsoft Azure, allowing you to run containers without managing the underlying infrastructure. It provides fast deployment, automatic scaling, and supports both Linux and Windows containers. ACI is ideal for quick, isolated workloads, microservices, and applications with varying resource demands.
What We’re Learning Today
In this blog, we’ll guide you through creating your first container instance with step-by-step instructions. Follow along to seamlessly deploy and manage containers in Azure, even if it’s your first time.
- Log in to the Azure portal.
- Search for ‘Container Instances’ and select it.
3. You will currently see no containers running. Let’s create and launch one. Click on ‘Create Container Instance’ for the next steps.
4. In the ‘Basic Section,’ fill in the values as specified above.
A. Subscription: Choose your subscription.
B. Resource Group: Select the appropriate resource group.
C. Container Name: Provide a name for the container.
D. Region: Choose the desired region.
E. Image Source: In the image source, you have three options: Quick Start image, Azure Container Registry, and Other Registry. For this demo, I’m using a predefined image from QuickStart Images — specifically, the ‘Hello World Image.’ If you’re using Azure Container Registry, enter the image name. If using Other Registry, like Docker Hub or ECR, specify the private registry details. Then, proceed to select ‘Networking.’
5. In the Networking section, choose the ‘Public’ option to allow access to your images over the public internet. Alternatively, you can select ‘Private’ or ‘None’ for more restricted access.
6. Afterward, you can directly click on the ‘Review + Create’ option. You can explore other pages for more in-depth information, but for this demo, it’s sufficient.
7. Here, you can see that my validation has passed, and now I am clicking on the ‘Create’ button.
8. Here, you can observe that my deployment has been completed. Now, click on ‘Go to resources’.
9. You may notice that the ‘Start’ button is disabled, indicating that my container is running. Navigate to the ‘Container’ option in the left-side menu to explore more details.
10. Here, you can view details such as the running container, the images it’s using, the container’s status, restart count, and events like push, pull, and start related to the container.
11. Additionally, if you wish to connect to the container, you’ll find the ‘Connect’ option available there.
12. Let’s go back to the ‘Overview’ option, copy the public IP from there, and paste it into your browser with port 80, as our application is configured to use that port.
13. Now, for deletion, locate the ‘Delete’ option, confirm your intention to delete, and your container will be removed.
Summary:
In summary, we covered the step-by-step process of creating and deploying an Azure Container Instance. From configuring basic settings and networking to monitoring containers, we explored key aspects of the deployment. Remember to review and create, ensuring validation passes before clicking ‘Create.’ Finally, you can easily manage and, if needed, delete your container instance for a seamless Azure experience.
Resources: Azure Container Instances | Microsoft Azure
