Express
Express is the fastest, most opinionated way to create an HTTP-first container app in Azure Container Apps. Use it when you want to get a web app or API running quickly without choosing advanced infrastructure settings up front.
Express is a creation and management experience for container apps. You can start from the quickstart image or provide your own container image, and the portal creates a container app with curated defaults. Jobs, Dynamic Sessions, and Sandboxes remain separate Azure Container Apps capabilities with distinct lifecycles.
For current supported regions, requirements, and tooling, see the Express overview and Express FAQ.
At a glance
| Express concept | What it means |
|---|---|
| Experience | Streamlined creation and management experience for HTTP-first container apps. |
| App Type | Select Express for an Express environment mode with curated defaults. Expand Advanced settings when you need additional configuration. |
| Optimized for | First successful deployment with fewer upfront decisions. |
| Default app settings | External HTTP ingress, target port 80, and scale from zero. |
| Choose Express | Choose Express rather than Standard when its defaults and available controls fit your workload. |
What is Express?
Express is a streamlined Container Apps experience for HTTP workloads. In the Create Container App flow, App Type offers Express and Standard. First-time create opens with Express selected and Advanced settings collapsed.
Selecting Express uses Express environment mode, while selecting Standard uses Workload Profiles environment mode. Advanced settings is an accordion available for both App Types and does not change the environment mode. A locked environment pins the compatible App Type, while Advanced settings remain available.
What Express optimizes for
Express optimizes for the first successful deployment:
- Fewer required decisions during create.
- HTTP-focused defaults.
- A quickstart image when you do not bring your own image yet.
- External ingress enabled by default.
- A small scale range that can start at zero.
- Portal readiness behavior that can surface a newly created app as soon as the app responds through ingress.
This makes Express a good fit for prototypes, demos, simple APIs, and web apps where the defaults match your needs.
The Express mental model
| Part | Role in the Express model |
|---|---|
| Bring a container image | Start with the quickstart image or provide an HTTP container image. |
| Let the portal choose defaults | Use curated create-time settings when they fit your workload. |
| Scale from zero for HTTP traffic | Start at 0 minimum replicas and scale for HTTP demand. |
| Manage it like a container app | Inspect, observe, and configure supported app settings after creation. |
Bring a container image
Express still runs a container app. You can start with the quickstart image or provide your own image from a registry. The image should expose an HTTP service on the port you configure.
For general container image guidance, see Containers in Azure Container Apps.
Let the portal choose defaults
The current portal Express create flow applies these defaults:
| Setting | Portal Express default |
|---|---|
| Image | Quickstart image |
| Ingress | Enabled |
| Ingress traffic | External |
| Target port | 80 |
| Minimum replicas | 0 |
| Maximum replicas | 1 |
You can replace the quickstart image and adjust the fields the Express flow exposes. Expand Advanced settings in either Express or Standard for more create-time configuration. Select Standard when you require the Workload Profiles environment path or capabilities that are currently unavailable for Express, such as custom VNet, monitoring, or zone redundancy during create.
Scale from zero for HTTP traffic
Express is designed for HTTP-first apps that can scale from zero. The portal default minimum replica count is 0, and the default maximum replica count is 1.
Manage it like a container app
After creation, manage an Express workload as a container app in the Azure Container Apps portal. You can inspect the app, view logs and metrics that are available for the mode, and change supported configuration.
For the general app model, see Container apps.
Express and Standard
Choose the App Type that matches the environment mode and capabilities your workload needs.
| App Type | Best for | Mental model |
|---|---|---|
| Express | HTTP-first apps where speed and curated defaults matter most. | The portal uses Express environment mode and starts with simple app defaults. |
| Standard | Apps that need the Workload Profiles environment path or capabilities not currently available for Express. | The portal uses Workload Profiles environment mode and provides broader platform control. |
For either App Type, expand Advanced settings to configure environment variables, command and arguments, scaling, networking, and environment options. Some advanced controls, including custom VNet, monitoring, and zone redundancy, are currently unavailable for Express.
Do not assume an Express app can be converted to Standard later. Express and Standard use different environment modes, and a locked environment pins the compatible App Type.
:::
When to use Standard instead of Express
Choose Standard when:
- The workload is not HTTP-first.
- You need the Workload Profiles environment path.
- You need create-time capabilities that are currently unavailable for Express, including custom VNet, monitoring, or zone redundancy.
- You need to use a compatible existing non-Express environment.
For additional configuration without changing App Type, expand Advanced settings in either Express or Standard. For run-to-completion work, use Jobs instead.
If you are unsure, start from the app concept and decide whether the Express defaults match the workload.
Relationship to Sandboxes
Express is an App Type in the shared Create Container App experience, with curated defaults and tier-specific capability restrictions. To learn more about its positioning and current limitations, see the Express FAQ. For a local comparison of isolated execution models, see Dynamic Sessions and Sandboxes.
Related content
- Express overview: Current Microsoft Learn guidance for Express.
- Express FAQ: Feature gaps, requirements, commercial terms, and migration caveats.
- Container apps: The app model behind Express.
- Dynamic Sessions and Sandboxes: Compare isolated execution models related to the Sandboxes platform positioning.