Setting Up Azure Windows Docker Environment for Development

To set up an Azure Windows Docker environment for development, you'll need to create a new Azure Virtual Machine. This can be done through the Azure portal or using the Azure CLI.

The VM will need to be running Windows Server 2019 Datacenter, which is the recommended operating system for Docker development on Azure.

You'll also need to install Docker Desktop on your VM, which can be done by following the instructions in the Azure documentation.

Once Docker Desktop is installed, you can create a new Docker container using the Docker CLI, which will allow you to start developing your applications in the Azure Windows Docker environment.

To begin, you'll need to have a basic understanding of Docker and its benefits. Docker is a containerization platform that allows you to package, ship, and run any application as a lightweight and portable container.

First, make sure you have Docker installed on your system. You can download the Docker Community Edition from the official Docker website. Docker Community Edition is free and available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Next, you'll need to create an Azure account if you don't already have one. Azure offers a free tier that allows you to get started with 12 months of free services, including Azure Container Registry. This is a great way to try out Azure Windows Docker without incurring any costs.

Before you can start using Azure Windows Docker, you'll need to install the Azure CLI on your system. The Azure CLI is a command-line interface that allows you to manage Azure resources from the command line. You can download the Azure CLI from the official Azure website.

Azure Windows Docker requires you to have a Windows 10 or later version installed on your system. This is because Azure Windows Docker uses the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to run Linux containers on Windows. WSL allows you to run a Linux environment directly on Windows without the need for a virtual machine.

To build your environment with Docker, you can follow a full guide found in the resources section.

Building a container is straightforward, just issue a docker build command and give it a name and tag.

To run your Docker container locally, you might want to expose a port if you have HTTP triggered functions, and set up any environment variables to connection strings your function needs.

We'll start by building our environment with Docker, a full guide for which can be found here.

Docker provides a way to package and deploy applications in containers, which allows for consistent and reliable results across different environments.

To get started, we'll need to use the Docker CLI, which we can connect to via the Docker command line interface in a PowerShell prompt.

We can set a couple of environment variables to avoid specifying the --tlsverify flag and the host (-H) on every command, and Docker will use those as defaults for the rest of this PowerShell session.

This will save us some typing and make our commands more concise.

We can then run commands like listing Docker images, which should include the windowsservercore image, the base for any Windows Docker images we'll be building.

We can create and run a temporary container from the windowsservercore image, which will start a command prompt and allow us to interact with it.

The --rm flag tells Docker not to save the container, and the -it flag allows us to interact with the command prompt.

By running the command to see what version of .NET is available, we can find that version 4.6 of the .NET Framework is available.

Check your localhost, 1443. It should have a Database named AdventureWorks2017 and contain contents such as Tables and Views. If not, right-click on localhost, 1443 and choose Refresh. You can also restart your Azure Data Studio application.

Using the CLI, you can connect to your Windows Docker host and list its Docker images. This is done by running the Docker command line interface in a PowerShell prompt.

To connect to the host, you can use the Docker command line interface, and list its Docker images, which should include the windowsservercore image. This image is the base for any Windows Docker images.

Instead of specifying the --tlsverify flag and the host (-H) on every command, you can set a couple of environment variables, which will make your Docker commands more efficient. These variables are set as defaults for the rest of this PowerShell session.

You can then run the images command like this, without having to specify the --tlsverify flag and the host (-H) each time. This will list the Docker images on your host, including the windowsservercore image, which is listed twice because it has two different tags.

To create and run a temporary container from the windowsservercore image, you can use the Docker command line interface, and run the following command. This will create a temporary container and start a command prompt, allowing you to interact with it using standard DOS commands.

The command prompt inside the container will appear, and you can use it to poke around and explore the container's contents. One thing you might want to do is check what version of .NET is available, which can be done by running a specific command inside the container.

Troubleshooting can be a challenge when working with Azure Windows Docker. A common issue is container crashes due to insufficient resources, which can be resolved by increasing the CPU and memory allocation in the Docker container settings.

To troubleshoot container crashes, check the Docker logs for error messages that indicate the cause of the issue. For example, if the container is running out of memory, the logs may show a "OOM" error.

If you're experiencing issues with network connectivity, verify that the Azure Virtual Network (VNet) is properly configured and that the Docker container is using the correct subnet and IP address.

Running into issues with Docker in Azure Virtual Machine can be frustrating, especially when it's worked fine in the past.

After a long period of searching on Google and reviewing GitHub issues, the absence of virtualization support was a common indication of the problem.

Looking at the Task Manager can help confirm if virtualization support is indeed missing.

It's strange because running Docker in Azure Virtual Machine has worked fine for me in the past, but this time it's not working as expected.

Checking the Task Manager can give you a clear indication of whether virtualization support is present or not.

Removing unnecessary files and programs can free up space on your computer and improve performance.

A cluttered desktop can slow down your computer, so it's a good idea to regularly clean up any unused icons or files.

Old or duplicate files can take up a lot of space on your computer, so it's a good idea to regularly back up and delete them.

Temporary files can also take up space on your computer, and deleting them can help improve performance.

Some programs can be uninstalled directly from the control panel, while others may require you to delete the program files manually.