---
title: Azure Container Apps overview
description: Learn about common scenarios and uses for Azure Container Apps.
services: container-apps
author: craigshoemaker
ms.service: azure-container-apps
ms.topic: overview
ms.date: 07/07/2026
ms.author: cshoe
ms.custom: build-2023
---

# Azure Container Apps overview

Azure Container Apps is a serverless platform for running containerized applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. Instead of configuring servers, orchestrating containers, and handling deployment details yourself, let Container Apps provide the up-to-date resources that keep your applications stable, secure, and scalable. This approach reduces operational overhead and helps you save on costs.

Common uses of Azure Container Apps include:

- Deploying API endpoints
- Hosting background processing jobs
- Handling event-driven processing
- Running microservices

Additionally, applications built on Azure Container Apps can dynamically scale based on the following characteristics:

- HTTP traffic
- Event-driven processing
- CPU or memory load
- Any [KEDA-supported scaler](https://keda.sh/docs/latest/scalers/)

:::image type="content" source="media/overview/azure-container-apps-example-scenarios.png" alt-text="Example scenarios for Azure Container Apps.":::

To begin working with Container Apps, select the description that best describes your situation.

| | Description | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| **I'm new to containers**| Start here if you have yet to build your first container but are curious how containers can serve your development needs. | [Learn more about containers](start-containers.md) |
| **I'm using serverless containers** | Container Apps provides automatic scaling, reduces operational complexity, and allows you to focus on your application rather than infrastructure.<br><br>Start here if you're interested in the management, scalability, and pay-per-use features of cloud computing. | [Learn more about serverless containers](start-serverless-containers.md) |

## Features

With Azure Container Apps, you can:

- [**Use the Azure CLI extension, Azure portal or ARM templates**](get-started.md) to manage your applications.

- [**Enable HTTPS or TCP ingress**](ingress-overview.md) without having to manage other Azure infrastructure.

- [**Build microservices with Dapr**](microservices.md) and [access its rich set of APIs](./dapr-overview.md).

- [**Run jobs**](jobs.md) on-demand, on a schedule, or based on events.

- [**Run Azure Functions**](../container-apps/functions-overview.md) for [event-driven scenarios](../azure-functions/functions-scenarios.md) using triggers, bindings, and automatic scaling.

- [**Use specialized hardware**](plans.md) for access to increased compute resources.

- [**Run multiple container revisions**](application-lifecycle-management.md) and manage the container app's application lifecycle.

- [**Autoscale**](scale-app.md) your apps based on any KEDA-supported scale trigger. Most applications can scale to zero<sup>1</sup>.

- [**Split traffic**](revisions.md) across multiple versions of an application for Blue/Green deployments and A/B testing scenarios.

- [**Use internal ingress and service discovery**](connect-apps.md) for secure internal-only endpoints with built-in DNS-based service discovery.

- [**Run containers from any registry**](containers.md), public or private, including Docker Hub and Azure Container Registry (ACR).

- [**Provide an existing virtual network**](vnet-custom.md) when creating an environment for your container apps.

- [**Securely manage secrets**](manage-secrets.md) directly in your application.

- [**Monitor logs**](log-monitoring.md) using Azure Log Analytics.

- [**Generous quotas**](quotas.md), which can be overridden to increase limits on a per-account basis.

<sup>1</sup> Applications that [scale on CPU or memory load](scale-app.md) can't scale to zero.

## Introductory video

> [!VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/embed/OxmVds31qL8]

## Next steps

> [!div class="nextstepaction"]
> [Deploy your first container app](get-started.md)