Do you like to complete your work effortlessly? Why wouldn’t anyone will?

I am talking about running containers on Azure without using any virtual machine. Yes, that’s good for me. If it is so for you, let’s dig in.

Containers:

Containers are the standard collections of codes and their dependencies so that an application can run in a faster and more reliable manner. It helps remove platform dependencies that signify we can run applications from one computer environment to another.

It sounds something similar to virtual machines. Isn’t it?

So let me quickly make that difference between virtual machines and containers in your mind.

Virtual Machines v/s Containers:

In the virtual machine, the host has an infrastructure, and on top of it, there is a hypervisor responsible for hosting and managing virtual machines. The virtual machine contains a guest operating system, and hence we need to virtualize the whole operating system to run an application. While in containers, we have an infrastructure and a host operating system over it. The host operating system holds runtime over it, which is responsible for hosting and running containers.

The significant difference we can look out for is that we have a host operating in containers, unlike the guest operating system in virtual machines. Hence, we don’t need to virtualize the operating system. We can directly run our applications.

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Containers over virtual machine:

  • We don’t need to create those images for virtual machines required to develop operating systems, and hence we need fewer developers while using containers over virtual machines.
  • Since we don’t need a guest operating system, the resources consumed while using containers are pretty minor compared to virtual machines.
  • The sizes are smaller in containers than in virtual machines, and the reason again goes to the guest operating system.
  • Smaller sizes lead to faster setups and reduced and more simplified updates.

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Azure container instances:

Azure container instances help individuals run contains over the Azure public cloud without using high-level services and virtual machines.

Now you know well about containers and Azure container instances. Let me help you to understand how to deploy Azure container resources.

The deployment will go under two tasks, one for creating Azure container instances and another one for verifying the deployment.

  • Creating Azure container instances:

  1. Sign in to Azure Portal.
  2. Search and select Container Instances in the search bar and click on Create.Creating Azure Container Instance - Thinkcloudly
  3. In the Container Instance dashboard, provide the following details as shown in the figure. Create a new Resource Group and give the container a unique name.Basics Details For Creating Azure Container Instances - Thinkcloudly

Add all other details and Images as mcr.microsoft.com/azuredocs/aci-HelloWorld.Adding Details And Images In Azure Conatiner Instances - Thinkcloudly

Click on Next: Networking.

  1. Configure the Networking Tab. Add unique DNS Name Label mycontainerdnsxxxxx and replace xxxxx with some memorable characters.Adding Unique DNS Name In Azure Container Instances - Thinkcloudy

Note: Your container can be accessed at DNS-name-label.region.azurecontainer.io. If you receive a DNS name label not available error message following the deployment, specify a different DNS name label (replacing the xxxxx) and re-deploy.

  1. Click on Review + Create to start the validation process.
  2. After the Validation Process is Passed, click on Create and wait for deployment.

You have successfully deployed your first container instance. Now you can monitor the deployment and notifications page.

  • Verifying Deployment:

  1. After the deployment, click on Go to Resources, or you can open Resources from the Azure Portal.Opening Resources in Azure - Thinkcloudly
  2. In the Overview Tab in my container, check the status that should be running.
  3. Copy the FQDN and browse it in the new tab. The welcome page should display.Browsing FQDN In Azure - Thinkcloudly

The welcome page should display as shown in the figure.Welcome Page For Azure Container Instances - Thinkcloudly

Congratulations! You have deployed your first application to a container in Azure Container Instances.

Concluding Points:

  • Containers are the standard collections of codes and their dependencies so that an application can run in a faster and more reliable manner.
  • Containers don’t use guest operating systems, and hence they are more efficient to call in use.
  • Containers are smaller, faster, simplified, and need fewer developers overhead than virtual machines.
  • Learning containers are insanely exciting and worthy of the invested time. You can look over our courses to learn more.