Discover the Azure Container Registry
Azure Container Registry (ACR) is a managed registry service based on the open-source Docker Registry 2.0. Create and maintain Azure container registries to store and manage your container images and related artifacts.
Use the ACR service with your existing container development and deployment pipelines, or use Azure Container Registry Tasks to build container images in Azure. Build on demand, or fully automate builds with triggers such as source code commits and base image updates.
Use cases
Pull images from an Azure container registry to various deployment targets:
- Scalable orchestration systems that manage containerized applications across clusters of hosts, including Kubernetes, DC/OS, and Docker Swarm.
- Azure services that support building and running applications at scale, including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), App Service, Batch, and Service Fabric.
Developers can also push to a container registry as part of a container development workflow. For example, target a container registry from a continuous integration and delivery tool such as Azure Pipelines or Jenkins.
Configure ACR Tasks to automatically rebuild application images when their base images are updated, or automate image builds when your team commits code to a Git repository. Create multi-step tasks to automate building, testing, and patching multiple container images in parallel in the cloud.
Azure Container Registry service tiers
Azure Container Registry is available in multiple service tiers. These tiers provide predictable pricing and several options for aligning to the capacity and usage patterns of your private Docker registry in Azure.
| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| Basic | A cost-optimized entry point for developers learning about Azure Container Registry. Basic registries have the same programmatic capabilities as Standard and Premium (such as Microsoft Entra authentication integration, image deletion, and webhooks). However, the included storage and image throughput are most appropriate for lower usage scenarios. |
| Standard | Standard registries offer the same capabilities as Basic, with increased included storage and image throughput. Standard registries should satisfy the needs of most production scenarios. |
| Premium | Premium registries provide the highest amount of included storage and concurrent operations, enabling high-volume scenarios. In addition to higher image throughput, Premium adds features such as: geo-replication for managing a single registry across multiple regions, content trust for image tag signing, and private link with private endpoints to restrict access to the registry. |
Supported images and artifacts
When images are grouped in a repository, each image is a read-only snapshot of a Docker-compatible container. Azure container registries can include both Windows and Linux images. In addition to Docker container images, Azure Container Registry stores related content formats such as Helm charts and images built to the Open Container Initiative (OCI) Image Format Specification.
Automated image builds
Use Azure Container Registry Tasks (ACR Tasks) to streamline building, testing, pushing, and deploying images in Azure. Configure build tasks to automate your container OS and framework patching pipeline, and build images automatically when your team commits code to source control.