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--- title: "Tutorial: Create an Azure Files volume mount in Azure Container Apps" description: Learn to create an Azure Files storage mount in Azure Container Apps services: container-apps author: craigshoemaker ms.service: azure-container-apps ms.custom: devx-track-azurecli ms.topic: tutorial ms.date: 06/09/2025 ms.author: cshoe --- # Tutorial: Create an Azure Files volume mount in Azure Container Apps Learn to write to permanent storage in a container app using an Azure Files storage mount. For more information about storage mounts, see [Use storage mounts in Azure Container Apps](storage-mounts.md). In this tutorial, you learn how to: > [!div class="checklist"] > * Create a Container Apps environment > * Create an Azure Storage account > * Define a file share in the storage account > * Link the environment to the storage file share > * Mount the storage share in an individual container > * Verify the storage mount by viewing the website access log > [!NOTE] > Azure Container Apps supports mounting file shares using SMB and NFS protocols. This tutorial demonstrates mounting an Azure Files share using the SMB protocol. To learn more about mounting NFS shares, see [Use storage mounts in Azure Container Apps](storage-mounts.md). ## Prerequisites - Install the latest version of the [Azure CLI](/cli/azure/install-azure-cli). ## Set up the environment The following commands define environment variables and ensure your Container Apps extension is up to date. 1. Sign in to the Azure CLI. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az login ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az login ``` --- 1. Set up environment variables used in various commands to follow. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli RESOURCE_GROUP="my-container-apps-group" ENVIRONMENT_NAME="my-storage-environment" LOCATION="canadacentral" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $RESOURCE_GROUP="my-container-apps-group" $ENVIRONMENT_NAME="my-storage-environment" $LOCATION="canadacentral" ``` --- 1. Ensure you have the latest version of the Container Apps Azure CLI extension. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az extension add -n containerapp --upgrade ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az extension add -n containerapp --upgrade ``` --- 1. Register the `Microsoft.App` namespace. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App ``` --- 1. Register the `Microsoft.OperationalInsights` provider for the Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace if you haven't used it before. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights ``` --- ## Create an environment The following steps create a resource group and a Container Apps environment. 1. Create a resource group. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az group create \ --name $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --location $LOCATION \ --query "properties.provisioningState" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az group create ` --name $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --location $LOCATION ` --query "properties.provisioningState" ``` --- Once created, the command returns a "Succeeded" message. At the end of this tutorial, you can delete the resource group to remove all the services created during this article. 1. Create a Container Apps environment. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp env create \ --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --location "$LOCATION" \ --query "properties.provisioningState" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp env create ` --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --location "$LOCATION" ` --query "properties.provisioningState" ``` --- Once created, the command returns a "Succeeded" message. Storage mounts are associated with a Container Apps environment and configured within individual container apps. ## Set up a storage account Next, create a storage account and establish a file share to mount to the container app. 1. Define a storage account name. This command generates a random suffix to the storage account name to ensure uniqueness. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME="myacastorageaccount$RANDOM" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME="myacastorageaccount$(Get-Random -Maximum 10000)" ``` --- 1. Create an Azure Storage account. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az storage account create \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME \ --location "$LOCATION" \ --kind StorageV2 \ --sku Standard_LRS \ --enable-large-file-share \ --query provisioningState ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az storage account create ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME ` --location "$LOCATION" ` --kind StorageV2 ` --sku Standard_LRS ` --enable-large-file-share ` --query provisioningState ``` --- Once created, the command returns a "Succeeded" message. 1. Define a file share name. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```bash STORAGE_SHARE_NAME="myfileshare" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $STORAGE_SHARE_NAME="myfileshare" ``` --- 1. Create the Azure Storage file share. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az storage share-rm create \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --storage-account $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME \ --name $STORAGE_SHARE_NAME \ --quota 1024 \ --enabled-protocols SMB \ --output table ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az storage share-rm create ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --storage-account $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME ` --name $STORAGE_SHARE_NAME ` --quota 1024 ` --enabled-protocols SMB ` --output table ``` --- 1. Get the storage account key. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```bash STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY=`az storage account keys list -n $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME --query "[0].value" -o tsv` ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY=$(az storage account keys list -n $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME --query "[0].value" -o tsv) ``` --- The storage account key is required to create the storage link in your Container Apps environment. Container Apps does not support identity-based access to Azure file shares. 1. Define the storage mount name. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```bash STORAGE_MOUNT_NAME="mystoragemount" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $STORAGE_MOUNT_NAME="mystoragemount" ``` --- This value is the name used to define the storage mount link from your Container Apps environment to your Azure Storage account. ## Create the storage mount Now you can update the container app configuration to support the storage mount. 1. Create the storage link in the environment. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp env storage set \ --access-mode ReadWrite \ --azure-file-account-name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME \ --azure-file-account-key $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY \ --azure-file-share-name $STORAGE_SHARE_NAME \ --storage-name $STORAGE_MOUNT_NAME \ --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --output table ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp env storage set ` --access-mode ReadWrite ` --azure-file-account-name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME ` --azure-file-account-key $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_KEY ` --azure-file-share-name $STORAGE_SHARE_NAME ` --storage-name $STORAGE_MOUNT_NAME ` --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --output table ``` --- This command creates a link between container app environment and the file share created with the `az storage share-rm` command. Now that the storage account and environment are linked, you can create a container app that uses the storage mount. 1. Define the container app name. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```bash CONTAINER_APP_NAME="my-container-app" ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell $CONTAINER_APP_NAME="my-container-app" ``` --- 1. Create the container app. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp create \ --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --environment $ENVIRONMENT_NAME \ --image nginx \ --min-replicas 1 \ --max-replicas 1 \ --target-port 80 \ --ingress external \ --query properties.configuration.ingress.fqdn ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp create ` --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --environment $ENVIRONMENT_NAME ` --image nginx ` --min-replicas 1 ` --max-replicas 1 ` --target-port 80 ` --ingress external ` --query properties.configuration.ingress.fqdn ``` --- This command displays the URL of your new container app. 1. Copy the URL and paste into your web browser to navigate to the website. Once the page loads, you'll see the "Welcome to nginx!" message. Keep this browser tab open. You'll return to the website during the storage mount verification steps. Now that you've confirmed the container app is configured, you can update the app to with a storage mount definition. 1. Export the container app's configuration. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp show \ --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --output yaml > app.yaml ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp show ` --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --output yaml > app.yaml ``` --- > [!NOTE] > While this application doesn't have secrets, many apps do feature secrets. By default, when you export an app's configuration, the values for secrets aren't included in the generated YAML. > > If you don't need to change secret values, then you can remove the `secrets` section and your secrets remain unaltered. Alternatively, if you need to change a secret's value, make sure to provide both the `name` and `value` for all secrets in the file before attempting to update the app. Omitting a secret from the `secrets` section deletes the secret. 1. Open *app.yaml* in a code editor. 1. Replace the `volumes: null` definition in the `template` section with a `volumes:` definition referencing the storage volume. The template section should look like the following: ```yml template: containers: - image: nginx imageType: ContainerImage name: my-container-app resources: cpu: 0.5 ephemeralStorage: 2Gi memory: 1Gi volumeMounts: - volumeName: my-azure-file-volume mountPath: /var/log/nginx initContainers: null revisionSuffix: '' scale: cooldownPeriod: 300 maxReplicas: 1 minReplicas: 1 pollingInterval: 30 rules: null serviceBinds: null terminationGracePeriodSeconds: null volumes: - name: my-azure-file-volume storageName: mystoragemount storageType: AzureFile ``` The new `template.volumes` section includes the following properties. | Property | Description | |--|--| | `name` | This value matches the volume created by calling the `az containerapp env storage set` command. | | `storageName` | This value defines the name used by containers in the environment to access the storage volume. | | `storageType` | This value determines the type of storage volume defined for the environment. In this case, an Azure Files mount is declared. | The `volumes` section defines volumes at the app level that your application container or sidecar containers can reference via a `volumeMounts` section associated with a container. 1. Add a `volumeMounts` section to the `nginx` container in the `containers` section. ```yml containers: - image: nginx name: my-container-app volumeMounts: - volumeName: my-azure-file-volume mountPath: /var/log/nginx ``` The new `volumeMounts` section includes the following properties: | Property | Description | |--|--| | `volumeName` | This value must match the name defined in the `volumes` definition. | | `mountPath` | This value defines the path in your container where the storage is mounted. | 1. Update the container app with the new storage mount configuration. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp update \ --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --yaml app.yaml \ --output table ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp update ` --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ` --yaml app.yaml ` --output table ``` --- ## Verify the storage mount Now that the storage mount is established, you can manipulate files in Azure Storage from your container. Use the following commands to observe the storage mount at work. 1. Open an interactive shell inside the container app to execute commands inside the running container. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az containerapp exec \ --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az containerapp exec ` --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME ` --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP ``` --- This command may take a moment to open the remote shell. Once the shell is ready, you can interact with the storage mount via file system commands. For more information see [Connect to a container console in Azure Container Apps](/azure/container-apps/container-console). 1. Change into the nginx */var/log/nginx* folder. ```sh cd /var/log/nginx ``` 1. Return to the browser and navigate to the website and refresh the page a few times. The requests made to the website create a series of log stream entries. 1. Return to your terminal and list the values of the `/var/log/nginx` folder. ```sh ls ``` Note how the *access.log* and *error.log* files appear in this folder. These files are written to the Azure Files mount in your Azure Storage share created in the previous steps. 1. View the contents of the *access.log* file. ```sh cat access.log ``` 1. Exit out of the container's interactive shell to return to your local terminal session. ```sh exit ``` 1. Now, you can view the files in the Azure portal to verify they exist in your Azure Storage account. Print the name of your randomly generated storage account. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```bash echo $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell echo $STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME ``` --- 1. Navigate to the Azure portal and open up the storage account created in this procedure. 1. Under **Data Storage** select **File shares**. 1. Select **myshare** to view the *access.log* and *error.log* files. ## Clean up resources If you're not going to continue to use this application, run the following command to delete the resource group along with all the resources created in this article. # [Bash](#tab/bash) ```azurecli az group delete \ --name $RESOURCE_GROUP ``` # [PowerShell](#tab/powershell) ```powershell az group delete ` --name $RESOURCE_GROUP ``` --- ## Next steps > [!div class="nextstepaction"] > [Connect container apps together](connect-apps.md)