Securing an Azure Container Registry with Azure Container Apps

Introduction

In today's cloud-native landscape, ensuring the security of container registries is paramount. This post will guide you through the process of configuring a secure connection between your Azure Container Registry (ACR) and Azure Container Apps. By implementing user-assigned managed identities and private endpoint connections, you'll significantly enhance the security of your container deployments.

Benefits of Secure Connection

• Reduced Attack Surface: Private endpoint connections limit access to your ACR to only the authorized resources within your virtual network, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access.
• Enhanced Compliance: Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) using managed identities aligns with industry best practices and helps meet compliance requirements.
• Improved Security Posture: By restricting access and applying appropriate permissions, you can strengthen the overall security of your container environment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin following the steps outlined in this post, ensure you have the following:

• Azure Subscription: An active Azure subscription is required to create and manage resources.
• Azure Container Registry (ACR): A container registry containing your container images.
• Virtual Network and Subnet: A virtual network with a subnet where you'll create the private endpoint.
• Service Bus Namespace (Optional): If you plan to use Service Bus integration with your Container Apps, you'll need a Service Bus namespace.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a User-Assigned Managed Identity:

   • Navigate to the Azure Portal and search for "Managed Identity."
   • Click on "Create" and provide the necessary details (resource group, region, and name).
   • Review and create the identity.

2. Grant AcrPull Permissions to the Managed Identity:

   • Open your ACR resource in the Azure Portal.
   • Go to "Access Control (IAM)" and click "+ Add."
   • Select "Add Role Assignment."
   • Search for and select the "AcrPull" role.
   • Assign the role to your user-assigned managed identity.

3. Configure a Private Endpoint Connection:

   • In your ACR resource, select "Networking" underneath "Settings"
   • Select the "Private Access" tab and click "Create a private endpoint connection."
   • Provide the necessary details for your endpoint.
   • Ensure the "Target Sub-resource" is set to "registry."
   • Select your virtual network and subnet.
   • Enable private DNS integration.
   • Review and create the private endpoint.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully established a secure connection between your Azure Container Registry and Azure Container Apps. The combination of user-assigned managed identities and private endpoint connections provides a robust security posture for your container deployments. This ensures that only authorized entities can access your container images, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

Next Steps
In the next guide, we'll delve into creating and configuring a container app using Azure Container Apps.