az-container

Manage Azure Container Instances

TLDR

Create a container instance

$ az container create -g [resource-group] --name [container-name] --image [image:tag] --cpu [1] --memory [1]

Create with public IP and DNS name

$ az container create -g [resource-group] --name [container-name] --image [image:tag] --ports [80] --dns-name-label [myapp]

List container groups in a resource group

$ az container list -g [resource-group]

View container logs

$ az container logs -g [resource-group] --name [container-name]

Execute a command in a running container

$ az container exec -g [resource-group] --name [container-name] --exec-command "[/bin/bash]"

Show container details

$ az container show -g [resource-group] --name [container-name]

Stop a container group

$ az container stop -g [resource-group] --name [container-name]

Delete a container group

$ az container delete -g [resource-group] --name [container-name]

SYNOPSIS

az container subcommand [options]

az container manages Azure Container Instances (ACI), providing the fastest way to run containers in Azure without managing virtual machines or adopting orchestration services.ACI is ideal for isolated containers, simple applications, task automation, and build jobs. For scenarios requiring full container orchestration, use Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

PARAMETERS

-g, --resource-group value

Name of the resource group

--name value

Name of the container group

--image value

Container image (e.g., nginx:latest)

--cpu value

Number of CPU cores (default: 1)

--memory value

Memory in GB (default: 1.5)

--ports value

Space-separated list of ports to open

--dns-name-label value

DNS name label for the public IP

--os-type value

Operating system type: Linux or Windows (default: Linux)

--ip-address value

IP address type: Public or Private

--restart-policy value

Restart policy: Always, OnFailure, or Never (default: Always)

-e, --environment-variables key=value

Environment variables (space-separated key=value pairs)

--secure-environment-variables key=value

Secure environment variables (not shown in logs or portal)

--registry-login-server value

Private container registry login server

SUBCOMMANDS

Lifecycle

create, delete, start, stop, restart

Information

show, list, logs

Interaction

attach, exec, export

Profiles

container-group-profile create, container-group-profile delete, container-group-profile list

CAVEATS

Container groups with public IPs are charged even when stopped; delete to avoid charges. Windows containers have limited image support and higher resource requirements. Environment variables containing secrets should use secure values. Maximum resource limits apply per region and subscription.

HISTORY

Azure Container Instances launched in July 2017 as the first serverless container service on any public cloud. It enabled running containers without managing infrastructure, bridging the gap between VMs and full orchestration platforms.