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Azure Container Instance

Azure Container Instances (ACI) is a simple and efficient way to run containers in the cloud. This document guides you through launching an ACI instance and running an Appsmith container. The data persists in Azure Storage Account File Share.

note

Azure only supports CIFS file shares and doesn't support NFS file shares.

Prerequisites​​

Before launching an ACI instance, you need to have an Azure subscription and have the Azure CLI installed on your machine.

  • Azure Subscription - If you don't have an Azure subscription, you can sign up for a free trial.
  • Azure CLI.
  • Whitelist cs.appsmith.com in your firewall settings to allow outbound HTTPS traffic. If using Azure Firewall, add these domains under Application Rules.

Configure variables​

Update the following values starting with 'my' where necessary, and enter them in your shell/terminal.

resourceGroupName="myResourceGroup"
aciName="myAppsmithACI"
storageAccountName="mystorageaccount$RANDOM"
aciLocation="southindia"
fileShareName="myFileShareName"
dnsNameLabel="myDNSLabel"

Create a resource group (optional)​

You can skip this step if you want to use an existing resource group.

az group create --name $resourceGroupName --location $aciLocation

Create a storage account (optional)​

You can skip this step if you want to use an existing storage account.

az storage account create --resource-group $resourceGroupName --name $storageAccountName --location $aciLocation --sku Standard_LRS

Get the storage account key​

storageAccountKey=$(az storage account keys list --resource-group $resourceGroupName --account-name $storageAccountName --query "[0].value"  --output tsv)

Create a file share​

az storage share create --name $fileShareName --account-name $storageAccountName --account-key $storageAccountKey

Install Appsmith​

  • Create an Azure container instance for Appsmith with:

    az container create \
    --resource-group $resourceGroupName \
    	--name $aciName \
    	--image appsmith/appsmith-ee \
    	--ip-address public \
    	--dns-name-label $dnsNameLabel \
    	--ports 80 443 \
    	--cpu 2 \
    	--memory 4 \
    	--azure-file-volume-account-name $storageAccountName \
    	--azure-file-volume-account-key $storageAccountKey \
    	--azure-file-volume-share-name $fileShareName \
    	--azure-file-volume-mount-path "/appsmith-stacks/" \

Install Appsmith Community​

To install the Appsmith open source edition (Appsmith Community), replace appsmith-ee with appsmith-ce while creating an Azure container instance file on this page.

Post-installation configuration​

Once you have completed the installation process, consider performing the tasks below to configure and manage your Appsmith instance, enhancing its security and performance, specifically if it's intended for production use.


Configure Single Sign-on (SSO)

Configure SSO to allow users to sign in using your identity provider. Learn more about configuring SSO.

Configure Email Service

Set up an email service to enable Appsmith to send notifications and alerts. Learn more about configuring email services.

Set Up Custom Domain and SSL

Set up a custom domain for your Appsmith instance and secure it with SSL. Learn more about setting up custom domains and SSL.

Backup and Restore

Ensure the safety of your Appsmith instance data by regularly backing up and restoring it when needed. Learn more about Backup and Restore.

Best Practices & Things Not to Do When Deploying Appsmith on Azure ACI​

When deploying Appsmith on Azure Container Instances (ACI), it's crucial to avoid certain architectural decisions that can lead to performance issues, data inconsistency, or outright application failure. The following anti-patterns are particularly relevant when using Azure Files or network-mounted file systems.

Avoid Using Azure Files (or Any Network-Mounted File System) for Appsmith Storage​

While Azure Files offers a convenient way to persist data, it is not suitable for hosting Appsmith's core components such as MongoDB, Redis, or internal file storage.

Common Mistakes​

  1. Running internal MongoDB, Redis, or file storage on Azure Files

    • Appsmith is not designed to work efficiently with network-mounted volumes as primary persistent stores.
    • Issues observed:
      • Sluggish performance.
      • Data corruption.
      • Intermittent failures and inconsistencies.
      • App crashes on startup or under load.

  2. Using Azure Files to store runtime data for internal services

    • These services (MongoDB, Redis) are latency-sensitive and require fast local or SSD-backed storage to function properly.

To ensure a stateless, reliable, and production-grade deployment, follow these best practices:

  • Run Appsmith container on ACI using Azure Files only for minimal required mounts (e.g., config files, if needed).
  • Use external managed services for critical components:
    • MongoDB: Use a cloud-managed MongoDB (e.g., MongoDB Atlas) hosted in Azure or nearby region.
    • Redis: Use Azure Cache for Redis or provision your own Redis cluster.
    • PostgreSQL: Use Azure Database for PostgreSQL to support advanced features like Workflows and SAML SSO.

This approach ensures your Appsmith instance is:

  • Stateless
  • Easy to scale and recover
  • Less prone to I/O bottlenecks and crashes

Troubleshooting​

If you are facing issues during deployment, refer to the guide on troubleshooting deployment errors. If you continue to face issues, contact the support team using the chat widget at the bottom right of this page.

See also​