YAML reference: Azure Container Instances

This article covers the syntax and properties for the YAML file supported by Azure Container Instances to configure a container group. Use a YAML file to input the group configuration to the az container create command in the Azure CLI.

A YAML file is a convenient way to configure a container group for reproducible deployments. It's a concise alternative to using a Resource Manager template or the Azure Container Instances SDKs to create or update a container group.

Schema

The schema for the YAML file follows, including comments to highlight key properties. For a description of the properties in this schema, see the Property values section.

name: string  # Name of the container group
apiVersion: '2021-10-01'
location: string
tags: {}
identity: 
  type: string
  userAssignedIdentities: {}
properties: # Properties of container group
  containers: # Array of container instances in the group
  - name: string # Name of an instance
    properties: # Properties of an instance
      image: string # Container image used to create the instance
      command:
      - string
      ports: # External-facing ports exposed on the instance, must also be set in group ipAddress property 
      - protocol: string
        port: integer
      environmentVariables:
      - name: string
        value: string
        secureValue: string
      resources: # Resource requirements of the instance
        requests:
          memoryInGB: number
          cpu: number
          gpu:
            count: integer
            sku: string
        limits:
          memoryInGB: number
          cpu: number
          gpu:
            count: integer
            sku: string
      volumeMounts: # Array of volume mounts for the instance
      - name: string
        mountPath: string
        readOnly: boolean
      livenessProbe:
        exec:
          command:
          - string
        httpGet:
          httpHeaders:
          - name: string
            value: string
          path: string
          port: integer
          scheme: string
        initialDelaySeconds: integer
        periodSeconds: integer
        failureThreshold: integer
        successThreshold: integer
        timeoutSeconds: integer
      readinessProbe:
        exec:
          command:
          - string
        httpGet:
          httpHeaders:
          - name: string
            value: string
          path: string
          port: integer
          scheme: string
        initialDelaySeconds: integer
        periodSeconds: integer
        failureThreshold: integer
        successThreshold: integer
        timeoutSeconds: integer
  imageRegistryCredentials: # Credentials to pull a private image
  - server: string
    username: string
    password: string
    identity: string
    identityUrl: string
  restartPolicy: string
  ipAddress: # IP address configuration of container group
    ports:
    - protocol: string
      port: integer
    type: string
    ip: string
    dnsNameLabel: string
    dnsNameLabelReusePolicy: string
  osType: string
  volumes: # Array of volumes available to the instances
  - name: string
    azureFile:
      shareName: string
      readOnly: boolean
      storageAccountName: string
      storageAccountKey: string
    emptyDir: {}
    secret: {}
    gitRepo:
      directory: string
      repository: string
      revision: string
  diagnostics:
    logAnalytics:
      workspaceId: string
      workspaceKey: string
      workspaceResourceId: string
      logType: string
      metadata: {}
  subnetIds: # Subnet to deploy the container group into
    - id: string
      name: string
  dnsConfig: # DNS configuration for container group
    nameServers:
    - string
    searchDomains: string
    options: string
  sku: string # SKU for the container group
  encryptionProperties:
    vaultBaseUrl: string
    keyName: string
    keyVersion: string
  initContainers: # Array of init containers in the group
  - name: string
    properties:
      image: string
      command:
      - string
      environmentVariables:
      - name: string
        value: string
        secureValue: string
      volumeMounts:
      - name: string
        mountPath: string
        readOnly: boolean

Property values

The following tables describe the values you need to set in the schema.

Microsoft.ContainerInstance/containerGroups object

ContainerGroupIdentity object

ContainerGroupProperties object

Container object

ImageRegistryCredential object

IpAddress object

Volume object

ContainerGroupDiagnostics object

ContainerGroupSubnetIds object

DnsConfiguration object

EncryptionProperties object

InitContainerDefinition object

ContainerProperties object

Port object

AzureFileVolume object

GitRepoVolume object

LogAnalytics object

InitContainerPropertiesDefinition object

ContainerPort object

EnvironmentVariable object

ResourceRequirements object

VolumeMount object

ContainerProbe object

ResourceRequests object

ResourceLimits object

ContainerExec object

ContainerHttpGet object

HttpHeaders object

GpuResource object

Next steps

See the tutorial Deploy a multi-container group using a YAML file.

See examples of using a YAML file to deploy container groups in a virtual network or that mount an external volume.