Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy Azure Container Instances (ACI) 🚀

Azure Container Instances (ACI) allows you to run containers without managing servers. It’s a quick and easy way to deploy Docker containers in the cloud.

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🛠️ Step 1: Sign in to Azure Portal

1. Go to Azure Portal.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Azure account.

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📦 Step 2: Create an Azure Container Instance

1. Click “Create a resource” (top left corner).
2. Search for “Container Instances” and select “Create”.

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🔧 Step 3: Configure Basic Settings

✅ Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
✅ Resource Group: Create a new one or use an existing one.
✅ Container Name: Enter a unique name (e.g., myContainerInstance).
✅ Region: Choose a data center closest to your users.
✅ Image Source:

• Quick start image (for testing)
• Azure Container Registry (if using a private image)
• Docker Hub (for public images)
  ✅ Image Name: Use a public image (e.g., nginx:latest).
  ✅ OS Type: Choose Linux or Windows.

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🌐 Step 4: Configure Networking

✅ DNS Name Label: Enter a unique label (e.g., mycontainer123).
✅ Port: Enter 80 (if deploying a web app).
✅ Restart Policy:

• Always (keeps running)
• Never (one-time execution)
• On failure (restarts on errors)

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✅ Step 5: Review & Create

1. Click “Review + Create”.
2. Verify settings and click “Create”.
3. Wait for the deployment to complete (~2 minutes).

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🚀 Step 6: Access Your Running Container

1. Go to Azure Portal → Container Instances.
2. Click on your container.
3. Copy the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name).
4. Open it in your browser (http://mycontainer123.region.azurecontainer.io).
5. 🎉 If using nginx, you should see the default Welcome to Nginx! page!

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💻 Step 7: Deploy a Custom Container via Azure CLI

Alternatively, you can create a container using Azure CLI.

1. Login to Azure:
   az login
2. Create a Resource Group (if not created earlier):
   az group create –name MyResourceGroup –location eastus
3. Deploy a Container (Example: Nginx):

 az container create –resource-group MyResourceGroup \

 –name mynginxcontainer \

  –image nginx \

  –dns-name-label mynginx123 \

  –ports 80

4. Get Container Details:
   az container show –resource-group MyResourceGroup –name mynginxcontainer –query ipAddress.fqdn –output tsv
5. Copy the URL and open it in a browser.

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🔄 Step 8: Manage & Scale Your Container

1. View Running Containers:
   az container list –output table
2. Check Logs:
   az container logs –resource-group MyResourceGroup –name mynginxcontainer
3. Delete the Container (if no longer needed):
   az container delete –resource-group MyResourceGroup –name mynginxcontainer

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🗑️ Step 9: Cleanup Resources (To Avoid Costs)

1. If you no longer need the container:

az group delete –name MyResourceGroup –yes –no-wait