Container Security on Azure

Container security is not a single tool or practice — it is a set of layered defences applied throughout the container lifecycle, from building images to running containers in production. Azure provides a rich set of security features across ACR, ACI, AKS, and Container Apps. This lesson covers the key security principles, tools, and best practices for securing containers on Azure.

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The Container Security Lifecycle

Security must be applied at every stage:

+--------+    +---------+    +--------+    +---------+    +---------+
|  Build |    |  Store  |    | Deploy |    |   Run   |    | Monitor |
|--------|    |---------|    |--------|    |---------|    |---------|
| Secure |    | Scan    |    | Admit  |    | Isolate |    | Detect  |
| images |    | images  |    | only   |    | &       |    | &       |
| & code |    | in ACR  |    | trusted|    | Restrict|    | Respond |
+--------+    +---------+    +--------+    +---------+    +---------+

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Build Phase: Secure Images

Use Minimal Base Images

The fewer packages in your image, the smaller the attack surface: