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Run containerized workloads on a provisioned machine (preview)

This article describes how to run containerized workloads on a provisioned machine for small form factor deployments of Azure Local.

The image includes Docker by default. If you want a lightweight Kubernetes environment, you can also install the open-source K3s distribution.

To compare these options before you choose one, see Container orchestrators.

Important

This feature is currently in PREVIEW. See the Supplemental Terms of Use for Microsoft Azure Previews for legal terms that apply to Azure features that are in beta, preview, or otherwise not yet released into general availability.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure that you have:

  • Successfully created a provisioned machine that you can reach over SSH
  • A Windows PC on the same local network as the provisioned machine
  • Azure CLI installed and signed in

Choose your approach

  • Use Docker if you want the fastest way to run a container on a single device.
  • Use K3s if you want Kubernetes APIs, kubectl workflows, or a lightweight orchestration layer.
  • Use AKS if you want an end-to-end Microsoft stack with a Microsoft managed Kubernetes solution.

Use Docker on the provisioned device

Docker is already installed on the provisioned device image, so you can start immediately.

Docker is a good fit when you want:

  • A simple runtime on a single device
  • A fast way to validate a containerized application
  • A lightweight workflow for troubleshooting or early testing

Verify that Docker is installed

Run the following command:

docker --version

Pull and run a container from Azure Container Registry

If you don't already have an Azure Container Registry, complete step 1. Otherwise, skip to step 2.

  1. Create an Azure Container Registry by following Quickstart: Create a container registry in the portal.

    Note

    Use the same Location and Resource Group as your provisioned machine.

  2. Sign in to your registry from the terminal:

    docker login <YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME>.azurecr.io

    Replace YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME with your registry name. You can find the authentication server name on the Overview page of the registry in the Azure portal.

  3. When prompted for credentials, open the Azure portal and select Access keys under Settings for your container registry.

  4. Enable Admin user if it isn't already enabled.

  5. Copy the Username value and paste it into the terminal.

  6. Select Show, copy the password, and paste it into the terminal.

  7. After sign-in succeeds, Docker displays Login Succeeded.

    Note

    Docker stores credentials in ~/.docker/config.json. For production workloads, consider using an Azure Container Registry credential helper instead.

  8. Pull, tag, and push the public hello-world test image. Replace YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME with your registry name.

    docker pull hello-world
docker tag hello-world <YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME>.azurecr.io/hello-world:latest
docker push <YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME>.azurecr.io/hello-world:latest

    Note

    To confirm the push succeeded, open the registry in the Azure portal, select Services > Repositories, and verify that hello-world appears.

  9. On your provisioned machine, pull and run the image from Container Registry.

    docker pull <YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME>.azurecr.io/hello-world:latest
docker run <YOUR_REGISTRY_NAME>.azurecr.io/hello-world:latest

  10. If the container runs successfully, you see the standard Hello from Docker! output.

    Screenshot showing the Hello from Docker output.

  11. To list all containers, run:

    docker ps -a

Review the Docker deployment

Confirm that:

  • Docker is installed on the provisioned device.
  • Docker sign-in to Container Registry succeeds.
  • The hello-world image is pushed to your registry.
  • The provisioned machine pulls the image from Container Registry successfully.
  • The container runs and displays Hello from Docker!.

Next steps

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