Skip to main content
Azure Container Apps is a serverless container hosting platform that makes it simple to run containerized microservices without managing the underlying infrastructure. It sits between single-container, ad-hoc compute (Azure Container Instances) and full Kubernetes orchestration (Azure Kubernetes Service), providing built-in autoscaling, revision-based deployments, Dapr integration, and managed ingress. Why use Azure Container Apps?
  • You want partial orchestration and automatic scaling without operating a Kubernetes control plane.
  • You need revision-aware deployments and traffic splitting for safe rollouts.
  • You want simple integration with Azure Container Registry (ACR) and CI/CD pipelines.
  • If you require full Kubernetes features and granular control, use AKS instead.
Key concepts
  • Environment: a secure boundary where multiple Container Apps run and share networking and scaling infrastructure.
  • Container App: an individual microservice (one or more containers) deployed inside an Environment.
  • Revision: an immutable deployment snapshot that enables traffic splitting, rollbacks, and gradual rollouts.
  • Autoscaling: provided by KEDA, including support for scale-to-zero on the Consumption plan.
  • Dapr: optional sidecar integration for building microservices with pub/sub, state, and service invocation.
Use-case examples
  • Ingestion service: accepts and validates incoming data.
  • Processing/delivery service: transforms, enriches, or forwards data.
  • Packaging service: prepares or packages data for downstream consumers.
Relationship to ACI and AKS Platform integrations and common flow
  • Build container images in CI pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines) and push to ACR.
  • Configure Container Apps to pull images from ACR and deploy them to your Environment.
  • Optionally enable Dapr and Service Connectors to simplify communication and secret handling.
Getting started in the Azure portal
  1. Open the Azure portal and search for “Container Apps”, then click Create.
  2. Select the subscription and resource group, and enter a name for the Container App (example: demo-app).
  3. Choose or create a Container Apps Environment. Creating a new environment exposes options such as workload profiles (Consumption or Dedicated), zone redundancy, and networking choices.
A Microsoft Azure portal screen for "Create Container Apps Environment" open to the "Workload profiles" tab, showing options to add/delete profiles and a default "Consumption" profile listed. The profile shows a workload size of up to 4 vCPUs / 8 Gi, with Create and Cancel buttons at the bottom.
Environment options — what to consider
  • Workload profiles
    • Consumption: serverless billing, supports scale-to-zero, good for variable traffic.
    • Dedicated: provisioned resources for predictable workloads and higher baseline capacity.
  • Zone redundancy: enable for improved availability across availability zones.
  • Networking: choose platform-managed networking for simplicity, or attach a Virtual Network for private endpoints, VNet integration, and more advanced topologies.
  • Multiple profiles: create different workload profiles within the same Environment to support mixed resource requirements.
Deploying a quickstart container (portal)
  • Use a quickstart image (for example, a Hello World image) when experimenting.
  • Enable ingress and set the public port (commonly port 80 for HTTP).
  • Review and create the Container App. After deployment, the portal shows the app URL to access the service.
Example CLI (optional) You can also create Container Apps with the Azure CLI. Example (replace placeholders):
(Ensure you have the Container Apps extension and are signed in: az extension add --name containerapp and az login.) After deployment — next steps in the portal
  • Add additional containers or sidecars to the Container App.
  • Configure scaling rules and min/max replicas.
  • Set up continuous deployment from ACR or GitHub Actions.
  • Configure custom domains, Dapr, and Service Connectors.
  • Manage revisions for blue-green or canary rollouts.
Scaling and revisions Azure Container Apps uses KEDA for autoscaling, and the Consumption plan supports scale-to-zero. You can configure scale rules like http-scaler, CPU-based rules, or custom event-driven scalers, and define minimum and maximum replica counts.
A screenshot of the Microsoft Azure portal on the "demo-app | Scale and replicas" page for a container app, showing a revision selector and scale rule settings with min/max replicas set to 0–10. The scale rule list shows an "http-scaler" (HTTP scaling) and the left sidebar displays navigation items like Overview, Revisions, Containers, and Settings.
Revisions and release patterns
  • Each deployment produces an immutable revision. Revisions enable traffic splitting (e.g., 90/10 for canary releases) and easy rollback to a previous revision.
  • Use revision labels and traffic weights to perform gradual rollouts or blue-green deployments.
Additional platform features
  • Dapr integration: toggle on Dapr to use service invocation, pub/sub, bindings, and state stores without wiring plumbing code.
  • Service Connectors: connect to Azure services (Cosmos DB, Storage, etc.) with simplified configuration and managed secrets.
  • Continuous deployment: hook Container Apps to ACR, GitHub Actions, or Azure Pipelines for automated image build and deployment workflows.
When enabling public ingress (HTTP), evaluate authentication, network controls, and private networking as part of your security posture. For production, prefer managed identities, private endpoints, or an authentication gateway depending on requirements.
Summary Azure Container Apps provides a low-friction, managed platform for running microservices with built-in autoscaling, revisions, and service integrations — without the operational overhead of managing Kubernetes. Use ACI for ad-hoc single-container tasks and AKS when you need full Kubernetes control. Container Apps are an excellent middle ground for scalable, feature-rich, and managed containerized applications. Links and references

Watch Video