Tutorial: Enable Azure Container Apps on Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes

2025-06-30

With Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters, you can create a Container Apps enabled custom location in your on-premises or cloud Kubernetes cluster to deploy your Azure Container Apps applications as you would any other region.

This tutorial shows how to enable Azure Container Apps on an Azure Arc–enabled Kubernetes cluster. In this tutorial, you:

Create a connected cluster.
Create a Log Analytics workspace.
Install the Container Apps extension.
Create a custom location.
Create the Azure Container Apps connected environment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

An Azure account with an active subscription.
- If you don't have one, you can create one for free.
Install the Azure CLI.
Access to a public or private container registry, such as the Azure Container Registry.

Setup

Install the following Azure CLI extensions.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az extension add --name connectedk8s --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name k8s-extension --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name customlocation --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name containerapp  --upgrade --yes

az extension add --name connectedk8s  --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name k8s-extension --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name customlocation --upgrade --yes
az extension add --name containerapp  --upgrade --yes

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az provider register --namespace Microsoft.ExtendedLocation --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.KubernetesConfiguration --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights --wait

az provider register --namespace Microsoft.ExtendedLocation --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.KubernetesConfiguration --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App --wait
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights --wait

Set environment variables based on your Kubernetes cluster deployment.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

GROUP_NAME="my-arc-cluster-group"
AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME="my-aks-cluster-group"
AKS_NAME="my-aks-cluster"
LOCATION="eastus"

$GROUP_NAME="my-arc-cluster-group"
$AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME="my-aks-cluster-group"
$AKS_NAME="my-aks-cluster"
$LOCATION="eastus"

Create a connected cluster

These instructions are meant for evaluation and learning purposes. For production deployments, refer to Quickstart: Connect an existing Kubernetes cluster to Azure Arc for general instructions on creating an Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes cluster.

To get started with service, follow these steps to create an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster and connect it to Azure Arc:

Create a cluster in Azure Kubernetes Service.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az group create --name $AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME --location $LOCATION
az aks create \
   --resource-group $AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME \
   --name $AKS_NAME \
   --enable-aad \
   --generate-ssh-keys

az group create --name $AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME --location $LOCATION
az aks create `
   --resource-group $AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME `
   --name $AKS_NAME `
   --enable-aad `
   --generate-ssh-keys

Get the kubeconfig file and test your connection to the cluster. By default, the kubeconfig file is saved to ~/.kube/config.
```
az aks get-credentials --resource-group $AKS_CLUSTER_GROUP_NAME --name $AKS_NAME --admin

kubectl get ns
```

Create a resource group to contain your Azure Arc resources.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az group create --name $GROUP_NAME --location $LOCATION

az group create --name $GROUP_NAME --location $LOCATION

Connect the cluster you created to Azure Arc.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

CLUSTER_NAME="${GROUP_NAME}-cluster" # Name of the connected cluster resource

az connectedk8s connect --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CLUSTER_NAME

$CLUSTER_NAME="${GROUP_NAME}-cluster" # Name of the connected cluster resource

az connectedk8s connect --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CLUSTER_NAME

Validate the connection with the following command. It should show the provisioningState property as Succeeded. If not, run the command again after a minute.
```
az connectedk8s show --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CLUSTER_NAME
```

Create a Log Analytics workspace

A Log Analytics workspace provides access to logs for Container Apps applications running in the Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes cluster. A Log Analytics workspace is optional, but recommended.

Create a Log Analytics workspace.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

WORKSPACE_NAME="$GROUP_NAME-workspace" # Name of the Log Analytics workspace

az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME

$WORKSPACE_NAME="$GROUP_NAME-workspace"

az monitor log-analytics workspace create `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME

Run the following commands to get the encoded workspace ID and shared key for an existing Log Analytics workspace. You need them in the next step.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace show \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME \
    --query customerId \
    --output tsv)
LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID_ENC=$(printf %s $LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID | base64 -w0) # Needed for the next step
LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace get-shared-keys \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME \
    --query primarySharedKey \
    --output tsv)
LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY_ENC=$(printf %s $LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY | base64 -w0) # Needed for the next step

$LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace show `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME `
    --query customerId `
    --output tsv)
$LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID_ENC=[Convert]::ToBase64String([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID))# Needed for the next step
$LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace get-shared-keys `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --workspace-name $WORKSPACE_NAME `
    --query primarySharedKey `
    --output tsv)
$LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY_ENC=[Convert]::ToBase64String([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY))

Install the Container Apps extension

Important

If deploying onto AKS on Azure Local, ensure that you have setup HAProxy or a custom load balancer before attempting to install the extension. You could also use az containerapp arc setup-core-dns --distro AksAzureLocal to set up core dns for local contexts.

Set the following environment variables to the desired name of the Container Apps extension, the cluster namespace in which resources should be provisioned, and the name for the Azure Container Apps connected environment. Choose a unique name for <connected-environment-name>. The connected environment name is part of the domain name for app you create in the Azure Container Apps connected environment.
- Azure CLI
- PowerShell
```
EXTENSION_NAME="appenv-ext"
NAMESPACE="appplat-ns"
CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME="<connected-environment-name>"
```
```
$EXTENSION_NAME="appenv-ext"
$NAMESPACE="appplat-ns"
$CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME="<connected-environment-name>"
```

Install the Container Apps extension to your Azure Arc-connected cluster with Log Analytics enabled. Log Analytics can't be added to the extension later.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az k8s-extension create \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --name $EXTENSION_NAME \
    --cluster-type connectedClusters \
    --cluster-name $CLUSTER_NAME \
    --extension-type 'Microsoft.App.Environment' \
    --release-train stable \
    --auto-upgrade-minor-version true \
    --scope cluster \
    --release-namespace $NAMESPACE \
    --configuration-settings "Microsoft.CustomLocation.ServiceAccount=default" \
    --configuration-settings "appsNamespace=${NAMESPACE}" \
    --configuration-settings "clusterName=${CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME}" \
    --configuration-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.destination=log-analytics" \
    --configuration-protected-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.customerId=${LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID_ENC}" \
    --configuration-protected-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.sharedKey=${LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY_ENC}"

az k8s-extension create `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --name $EXTENSION_NAME `
    --cluster-type connectedClusters `
    --cluster-name $CLUSTER_NAME `
    --extension-type 'Microsoft.App.Environment' `
    --release-train stable `
    --auto-upgrade-minor-version true `
    --scope cluster `
    --release-namespace $NAMESPACE `
    --configuration-settings "Microsoft.CustomLocation.ServiceAccount=default" `
    --configuration-settings "appsNamespace=${NAMESPACE}" `
    --configuration-settings "clusterName=${CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME}" `
    --configuration-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.destination=log-analytics" `
    --configuration-protected-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.customerId=${LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID_ENC}" `
    --configuration-protected-settings "logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.sharedKey=${LOG_ANALYTICS_KEY_ENC}"

Note

To install the extension without Log Analytics integration, remove the last three --configuration-settings parameters from the command.

The following table describes the various --configuration-settings parameters when running the command:

Parameter	Description
`Microsoft.CustomLocation.ServiceAccount`	The service account created for the custom location. Set the value to `default`.
`appsNamespace`	The namespace used to create the app definitions and revisions. It must match that of the extension release namespace.
`clusterName`	The name of the Container Apps extension Kubernetes environment created against this extension.
`logProcessor.appLogs.destination`	Optional. Destination for application logs. Accepts `log-analytics` or `none`, choosing none disables platform logs.
`logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.customerId`	Required only when `logProcessor.appLogs.destination` is set to `log-analytics`. The base64-encoded Log analytics workspace ID. This parameter should be configured as a protected setting.
`logProcessor.appLogs.logAnalyticsConfig.sharedKey`	Required only when `logProcessor.appLogs.destination` is set to `log-analytics`. The base64-encoded Log analytics workspace shared key. This parameter should be configured as a protected setting.

Save the id property of the Container Apps extension for later.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

EXTENSION_ID=$(az k8s-extension show \
    --cluster-type connectedClusters \
    --cluster-name $CLUSTER_NAME \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --name $EXTENSION_NAME \
    --query id \
    --output tsv)

$EXTENSION_ID=$(az k8s-extension show `
    --cluster-type connectedClusters `
    --cluster-name $CLUSTER_NAME `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --name $EXTENSION_NAME `
    --query id `
    --output tsv)

Wait for the extension to fully install before proceeding. You can have your terminal session wait until it completes by running the following command:
```
az resource wait --ids $EXTENSION_ID --custom "properties.provisioningState!='Pending'" --api-version "2020-07-01-preview"
```

Use kubectl to view the pods running in your Kubernetes cluster:

kubectl get pods -n $NAMESPACE

To learn more about these pods and their role in the system, see Azure Arc overview.

Create a custom location

The custom location is an Azure location that you assign to the Azure Container Apps connected environment.

Set the following environment variables to the desired name of the custom location and for the ID of the Azure Arc-connected cluster.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME="my-custom-location" # Name of the custom location
CONNECTED_CLUSTER_ID=$(az connectedk8s show --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CLUSTER_NAME --query id --output tsv)

$CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME="my-custom-location" # Name of the custom location
$CONNECTED_CLUSTER_ID=$(az connectedk8s show --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CLUSTER_NAME --query id --output tsv)

Create the custom location:

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az customlocation create \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --name $CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME \
    --host-resource-id $CONNECTED_CLUSTER_ID \
    --namespace $NAMESPACE \
    --cluster-extension-ids $EXTENSION_ID

az customlocation create `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --name $CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME `
    --host-resource-id $CONNECTED_CLUSTER_ID `
    --namespace $NAMESPACE `
    --cluster-extension-ids $EXTENSION_ID

Note

If you experience issues creating a custom location on your cluster, you may need to enable the custom location feature on your cluster. Enable this feature when logged into the CLI using a Service Principal or a Microsoft Entra user with restricted permissions on the cluster resource.

Validate that the custom location is successfully created with the following command. The output should show the provisioningState property as Succeeded. If not, rerun the command after a minute.
```
az customlocation show --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME
```

Save the custom location ID for the next step.

Azure CLI
PowerShell

CUSTOM_LOCATION_ID=$(az customlocation show \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --name $CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME \
    --query id \
    --output tsv)

$CUSTOM_LOCATION_ID=$(az customlocation show `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --name $CUSTOM_LOCATION_NAME `
    --query id `
    --output tsv)

Create the Azure Container Apps connected environment

Before you can start creating apps in the custom location, you need an Azure Container Apps connected environment.

Create the Container Apps connected environment:

Azure CLI
PowerShell

az containerapp connected-env create \
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME \
    --name $CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME \
    --custom-location $CUSTOM_LOCATION_ID \
    --location $LOCATION

az containerapp connected-env create `
    --resource-group $GROUP_NAME `
    --name $CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME `
    --custom-location $CUSTOM_LOCATION_ID `
    --location $LOCATION

Validate that the Container Apps connected environment is successfully created with the following command. The output should show the provisioningState property as Succeeded. If not, run it again after a minute.
```
az containerapp connected-env show --resource-group $GROUP_NAME --name $CONNECTED_ENVIRONMENT_NAME
```

Next steps

Create a container app on Azure Arc