Introduction

With Container orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm, you can add instances quite easily. Depending on the type of clustering you need or use for your application, some scenarios are easier to implement than others.

Several Cloud Providers have the possibility to run your Payara Platform Docker Images on their infrastructure. In this blog, I will describe to you how you can run your application on Microsoft Azure using a Docker Container. All the steps required to perform this are described using the Azure Portal (web-based application) and the Azure Command line.

Kubernetes is most commonly used with Docker managed containers, although it doesn't strictly depend on it. Kubernetes defines a Container Runtime Interface (CRI) that container platforms must implement in order to be compatible. These implementations are colloquially known as "shims". This makes Kubernetes platform agnostic so that instead of Docker you're free to use other platforms with corresponding shims, such as CRI-O or KataContainers.

The concept of a Docker node and instance are introduced in Payara Server 5.192 as a tech preview. The aim of these is to provide better native integration of Payara Server with Docker.

There's a lot of noise revolving around Docker at the moment, and with the current industry focus on the cloud, there's a good reason for that.

I hope you would already know why you might want to use Payara Platform in your business, so in this blog I'm going to focus more on why you'd specifically want to use it with Docker in a "business" context. For a start, if you're unfamiliar with Docker, please refer back to our introductory blog: What is Docker and How is it Used with the Payara Platform for a primer.

What is Docker?

Docker is a platform which makes it easier to create, deploy and run your applications using containers. A container bundles all the software needed to run it. By packaging the required dependencies, it makes it easy to run it on any machine, regardless of small configuration differences.

Azure Container Instances allow you to rapidly deploy containers to the Microsoft Azure cloud without having to manage virtual machines and the corresponding infrastructure. Container Instances can be used to rapidly deploy Java EE and MicroProfile applications using Payara Micro as the underlying platform for your Cloud Native applications.

The Payara Platform is perfect for deploying Jakarta EE and MicroProfile applications on Microsoft Azure. One rapid option for deploying on Azure is to use Azure Application Services, especially Web App for Containers. The WebApp for Containers service allows you to rapidly deploy production Payara Micro applications onto Azure in seconds, allowing both rapid horizontal and vertical scaling on demand.

Webアプリケーションを開発する際における最大の挑戦の一つは、商用環境へのリリース時にアプリケーションをどのように調整すべきかを理解することです。これはJavaのエンタープライズ・アプリケーションをPayara Serverへデプロイする場合でも例外ではありません。

Back in 2016, we wrote about the importance of automation in taking applications from development to production with Payara Server. Since then, there have been a lot of changes both in Payara Server and Payara Micro and the wider tech landscape.