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The ContainerResource class represents a Docker container that can be run as part of your distributed application. It provides extensive configuration options for images, volumes, networking, and runtime behavior.

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Class Definition

public class ContainerResource : Resource,
    IResourceWithEnvironment,
    IResourceWithArgs,
    IResourceWithEndpoints,
    IResourceWithWaitSupport,
    IResourceWithProbes
{
    public ContainerResource(string name, string? entrypoint = null);
    
    public string? Entrypoint { get; set; }
}

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Constructor

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name
string
required
Unique name for the container resource. Used for service discovery and references.
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entrypoint
string
Optional custom entrypoint that overrides the container image’s default ENTRYPOINT.

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Properties

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Entrypoint
string?
Gets or sets the container entrypoint. null means use the default from the image.

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Creating Containers

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Basic Container

builder.AddContainer("redis", "redis");

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From Dockerfile

builder.AddDockerfile("myapp", "./src/MyApp");

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Image Configuration

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Image Methods

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WithImage(image, tag)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Sets the container image and optional tag.Parameters:
  • image - Image name (e.g., “redis”, “postgres”)
  • tag - Optional tag (defaults to “latest”)
Example:
builder.AddContainer("app", "placeholder")
       .WithImage("myapp", "v2.0");
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WithImageTag(tag)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Changes the image tag without modifying the image name.Example:
builder.AddContainer("postgres", "postgres")
       .WithImageTag("16-alpine");
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WithImageRegistry(registry)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Sets the container registry to pull the image from.Example:
builder.AddContainer("app", "myapp")
       .WithImageRegistry("myregistry.azurecr.io");
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WithImageSHA256(sha256)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Pins the image to a specific SHA256 digest for immutability.Example:
builder.AddContainer("nginx", "nginx")
       .WithImageSHA256("a1b2c3d4e5f6...");

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Storage Configuration

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Volumes

Volumes are managed by Docker and persist data between container restarts. 
builder.AddContainer("postgres", "postgres")
       .WithVolume("postgres-data", "/var/lib/postgresql/data");
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WithVolume(name, target, isReadOnly)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Adds a Docker volume to the container.Parameters:
  • name - Volume name (null creates anonymous volume)
  • target - Mount path inside container
  • isReadOnly - Whether the volume is read-only

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Bind Mounts

Bind mounts map host directories/files into the container. 
builder.AddContainer("nginx", "nginx")
       .WithBindMount("./nginx.conf", "/etc/nginx/nginx.conf", isReadOnly: true);
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WithBindMount(source, target, isReadOnly)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Mounts a host directory or file into the container.Parameters:
  • source - Host path (relative to app host directory or absolute)
  • target - Mount path inside container
  • isReadOnly - Whether the mount is read-only
Relative paths are resolved from the app host project directory (builder.AppHostDirectory).

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Runtime Configuration

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Entrypoint and Command

builder.AddContainer("app", "alpine")
       .WithEntrypoint("/bin/sh");

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Container Lifetime

builder.AddContainer("redis", "redis")
       .WithLifetime(ContainerLifetime.Session);
// Container is removed when app stops
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WithLifetime(lifetime)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Sets the container lifetime behavior.Values:
  • ContainerLifetime.Session - Container is removed when app stops (default)
  • ContainerLifetime.Persistent - Container persists across app restarts
Persistent containers are useful for databases but can accumulate over time. Clean them up manually when no longer needed.

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Image Pull Policy

builder.AddContainer("app", "myapp")
       .WithImagePullPolicy(ImagePullPolicy.Always);
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WithImagePullPolicy(policy)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Controls when the container runtime pulls the image.Values:
  • ImagePullPolicy.Always - Always pull the image
  • ImagePullPolicy.IfNotPresent - Pull only if not cached locally
  • ImagePullPolicy.Never - Never pull, fail if not cached

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Container Runtime Arguments

Pass arguments directly to the container runtime (docker run or podman run). 
builder.AddContainer("ml-app", "tensorflow-gpu")
       .WithContainerRuntimeArgs("--gpus", "all");
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WithContainerRuntimeArgs(args)
IResourceBuilder<ContainerResource>
Adds arguments to the container runtime command (not the container entrypoint).Parameters:
  • args - String arguments passed to docker/podman run
These are advanced arguments passed to the container runtime. Use with caution as they can affect security and stability.

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Networking

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Endpoints

builder.AddContainer("api", "api-image")
       .WithHttpEndpoint(port: 8080, name: "http");
See IResourceBuilder - Endpoints for detailed endpoint configuration.

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Complete Examples

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PostgreSQL Database

Production PostgreSQL
var postgres = builder.AddContainer("postgres", "postgres", "16-alpine")
    .WithEnvironment("POSTGRES_USER", "admin")
    .WithEnvironment("POSTGRES_PASSWORD", builder.AddParameter("db-password", secret: true))
    .WithEnvironment("POSTGRES_DB", "myapp")
    .WithVolume("postgres-data", "/var/lib/postgresql/data")
    .WithBindMount("./db/init", "/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d", isReadOnly: true)
    .WithEndpoint(targetPort: 5432, port: 5432, name: "postgres")
    .WithLifetime(ContainerLifetime.Persistent);

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Nginx Reverse Proxy

Custom Nginx
builder.AddContainer("nginx", "nginx", "alpine")
    .WithBindMount("./nginx/nginx.conf", "/etc/nginx/nginx.conf", isReadOnly: true)
    .WithBindMount("./nginx/conf.d", "/etc/nginx/conf.d", isReadOnly: true)
    .WithBindMount("./static", "/usr/share/nginx/html", isReadOnly: true)
    .WithHttpEndpoint(port: 80, name: "http")
    .WithHttpsEndpoint(port: 443, name: "https");

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Custom Application Container

Full Configuration
var apiKey = builder.AddParameter("api-key", secret: true);
var cache = builder.AddRedis("cache");

builder.AddDockerfile("myapp", "./src/MyApp")
    .WithEnvironment("ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT", "Production")
    .WithEnvironment("API_KEY", apiKey)
    .WithEnvironment("REDIS_HOST", cache.GetEndpoint("tcp"))
    .WithHttpsEndpoint(port: 8443)
    .WithVolume("app-data", "/app/data")
    .WithBindMount("./config", "/app/config", isReadOnly: true)
    .WithReference(cache)
    .WithImagePullPolicy(ImagePullPolicy.Always)
    .WithLifetime(ContainerLifetime.Session);

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