What is Azure Container Instances?
Azure Container Instances (ACI) is the fastest way to run Docker containers in Azure without managing virtual machines or orchestrators. Containers start within seconds and are billed per second. ACI is suitable for isolated workloads, batch jobs, build agents, and scenarios that do not require orchestration like Kubernetes.
Core Features
- Container startup in seconds without VM provisioning
- Container Groups for multi-container scenarios with shared storage
- VNET integration for private networks
- GPU support for ML inference and rendering
- Persistent storage via Azure Files
Typical Use Cases
CI/CD pipelines use ACI for build agents that automatically terminate after the build. Data teams run batch processing as one-time jobs. Event-driven workloads start containers via Logic Apps or Event Grid.
Benefits
- No cluster management or VM infrastructure
- Per-second billing without minimum
- Fastest path from container image to running workload
- Integration with AKS as Virtual Kubelet for burst scenarios
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Container Instances and Container Apps?
Container Instances is optimized for simple, isolated containers without orchestration. Container Apps additionally offers scaling, traffic splitting, Dapr integration, and is better suited for microservices. ACI is the low-level service, Container Apps builds on top of it.
Can I use Azure Container Instances with Kubernetes?
Yes, ACI can be used as a Virtual Kubelet with AKS. AKS can automatically offload pods to ACI (burst scenario) when cluster capacity is insufficient. This enables fast scaling without node provisioning.
How long can containers run in ACI?
There is no time limit for containers in ACI. Containers can run indefinitely but are billed per second. For short jobs, ACI is cost-effective, but for continuous operation, other services are often cheaper.
Which container images can I use with ACI?
ACI supports Docker-compatible Linux and Windows containers. Images can be pulled from Azure Container Registry, Docker Hub, or other registries. Private registries are supported via credentials.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with Azure Container Instances: container migration, integration into CI/CD pipelines, and hybrid architectures with AKS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Container Instances and Container Apps?
Container Instances is optimized for simple, isolated containers without orchestration. Container Apps additionally offers scaling, traffic splitting, Dapr integration, and is better suited for microservices. ACI is the low-level service, Container Apps builds on top of it.
Can I use Azure Container Instances with Kubernetes?
Yes, ACI can be used as a Virtual Kubelet with AKS. AKS can automatically offload pods to ACI (burst scenario) when cluster capacity is insufficient. This enables fast scaling without node provisioning.
How long can containers run in ACI?
There is no time limit for containers in ACI. Containers can run indefinitely but are billed per second. For short jobs, ACI is cost-effective, but for continuous operation, other services are often cheaper.
Which container images can I use with ACI?
ACI supports Docker-compatible Linux and Windows containers. Images can be pulled from Azure Container Registry, Docker Hub, or other registries. Private registries are supported via credentials.
