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MicrosoftDocs/azure-container-registry

MicrosoftDocs

azure-container-registry

Expert knowledge for Azure Container Registry development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when managing ACR auth, geo-replication, connected registries, image signing/Defender scans, or caching rules, and other Azure Container Registry related development tasks. Not for Azure Container Apps (use azure-container-apps), Azure Container Instances (use azure-container-instances), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) (use azure-kubernetes-service), Azure Red Hat OpenShift (use azure-redhat-openshift).

v1.0Latest
New~4.6kUpdated Jun 26, 2026

Azure Container Registry Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Container Registry. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

  • Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
  • Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category Lines Description
Troubleshooting L37-L52 Diagnosing and fixing ACR issues: health checks, error codes, login/auth, network, performance, transfer, logs, artifact cache/streaming, Arc extension, and customer-managed keys.
Best Practices L53-L60 Best practices for ACR operations: managing public image dependencies, safe image deletion and storage cleanup, and robust image tagging/versioning strategies.
Decision Making L61-L67 Guidance on choosing ACR auth for Kubernetes, migrating image signing from Docker Content Trust to Notary, and planning/configuring geo-replication for multi-region registries.
Architecture & Design Patterns L68-L73 Patterns for ACR performance and governance: caching image pulls, geo-replication strategies, connected registries for edge/offline, and gated import workflows for public images.
Limits & Quotas L74-L79 Details on ACR SKUs (Basic/Standard/Premium) feature differences, performance and throughput limits, and how image storage capacity and quotas are calculated and enforced.
Security L80-L118 Securing Azure Container Registry: auth methods (Entra, managed identity, tokens), RBAC/ABAC, network/firewall/VNet rules, encryption keys, image signing/verification, policy/compliance, and Defender scans.
Configuration L119-L137 Configuring ACR behavior: caching and wildcard rules, purge/retention/soft delete, delete locks, tasks (YAML, timers, patching, agent pools), webhooks, and monitoring metrics/logs.
Integrations & Coding Patterns L138-L154 Integrating ACR with Kubernetes, ACI, GitHub Actions, Helm, ORAS, and ACR Transfer; configuring auth, caching, webhooks, and image signing/verification workflows.
Deployment L155-L159 Using ARM templates to automate ACR quick tasks and data transfer, and deploying/managing ACR connected registries via Azure Arc extension

Troubleshooting

Topic URL
Run az acr check-health for quick ACR diagnostics https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-check-health
Troubleshoot common Azure Container Registry issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-faq
Interpret az acr check-health error codes and fixes https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-health-error-reference
View and manage Azure Container Registry task run logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-logs
Troubleshoot Azure Container Registry Transfer issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-transfer-troubleshooting
Troubleshoot Azure Container Registry network connectivity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-troubleshoot-access
Troubleshoot ACR login, authentication, and authorization issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-troubleshoot-login-authn-authz
Troubleshoot Azure Container Registry performance problems https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-troubleshoot-performance
Troubleshoot Azure Container Registry artifact cache issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/troubleshoot-artifact-cache
Diagnose and fix Azure Container Registry artifact streaming issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/troubleshoot-artifact-streaming
Troubleshoot connected registry Arc extension issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/troubleshoot-connected-registry-arc
Troubleshoot customer-managed keys in Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tutorial-troubleshoot-customer-managed-keys

Best Practices

Topic URL
Manage public image dependencies using ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/buffer-gate-public-content
Follow operational best practices for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-best-practices
Delete ACR images safely to manage registry storage https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-delete
Apply image tagging and versioning best practices in ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-image-tag-version

Decision Making

Topic URL
Select Kubernetes authentication options for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/authenticate-kubernetes-options
Migrate ACR signing from DCT to Notary Project https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-content-trust-deprecation
Plan and configure geo-replication for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-geo-replication

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic URL
Design and use connected registries with ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/intro-connected-registry
Implement gated import workflow for public images in ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tasks-consume-public-content

Limits & Quotas

Topic URL
Compare Azure Container Registry SKU features and limits https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-skus
Review Azure Container Registry image storage limits https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-storage

Security

Topic URL
Allow trusted Azure services to access network-restricted ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/allow-access-trusted-services
Enable anonymous pull access for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/anonymous-pull-access
Configure cross-tenant AKS authentication to Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/authenticate-aks-cross-tenant
Restrict Azure Container Registry public access by IP rules https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-access-selected-networks
Use Microsoft Entra service principals to access ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-auth-service-principal
Choose and configure authentication methods for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-authentication
Configure managed identity authentication to Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-authentication-managed-identity
Use Azure Policy to audit ACR compliance https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-azure-policy
Configure Microsoft Entra Conditional Access policies for ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-configure-conditional-access
Enable Docker Content Trust for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-content-trust
Use dedicated data endpoints to secure ACR traffic https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-dedicated-data-endpoints
Control accepted Microsoft Entra auth scopes for ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-disable-authentication-as-arm
Configure firewall rules for Azure Container Registry access https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-firewall-rules
Configure Azure ABAC repository permissions in ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-rbac-abac-repository-permissions
Reference for Azure Container Registry built-in RBAC roles https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-rbac-built-in-roles-directory-reference
Assign and manage ACR RBAC built-in roles https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-rbac-built-in-roles-overview
Create and assign custom RBAC roles for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-rbac-custom-roles
Use Azure Container Registry service tags for network rules https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-service-tag
Access Key Vault secrets from ACR Tasks via managed identity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-authentication-key-vault
Configure managed identity for ACR Tasks https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-authentication-managed-identity
Use managed identity for cross-registry auth in ACR Tasks https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-cross-registry-authentication
Configure token-based repository permissions in Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-token-based-repository-permissions
Sign ACR images with CA certs via Key Vault https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-sign-trusted-ca
Enforce AKS image signature verification with Ratify https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-verify-with-ratify-aks
Restrict ACR access with virtual network service endpoints https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-vnet
Disable artifact export to prevent ACR data exfiltration https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/data-loss-prevention
Manage ACR Tasks network bypass policy with trusted services https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/manage-network-bypass-policy-for-tasks
Reference of built-in Azure Policy definitions for ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/policy-reference
Configure client tokens to pull from connected registries https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/pull-images-from-connected-registry
Scan ACR images with Microsoft Defender for Cloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/scan-images-defender
Apply Azure Policy compliance controls to ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/security-controls-policy
Secure connected registry Arc extension deployments https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tutorial-connected-registry-arc
Configure customer-managed encryption keys for ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tutorial-customer-managed-keys
Enable customer-managed keys on Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tutorial-enable-customer-managed-keys
Rotate and revoke customer-managed keys for ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tutorial-rotate-revoke-customer-managed-keys

Configuration

Topic URL
Configure artifact cache in ACR using Azure CLI https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/artifact-cache-cli
Configure and run acr purge for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-auto-purge
Reference Azure Container Registry endpoint types and flags https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-endpoint-reference
Configure delete locks on ACR images and repositories https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-image-lock
Configure retention policy for untagged ACR manifests https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-retention-policy
Configure and use ACR soft delete retention policy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-soft-delete-policy
Use multi-step ACR Tasks to build, test, and patch images https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-multi-step
YAML schema reference for Azure Container Registry Tasks https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-reference-yaml
Schedule Azure Container Registry Tasks with timers https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-scheduled
Configure multi-step ACR Tasks for build workflows https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-multistep-task
Webhook payload schema for Azure Container Registry events https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-webhook-reference
Configure continuous patching for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/how-to-continuous-patching
Monitoring metrics and logs reference for Azure Container Registry https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/monitor-container-registry-reference
Configure dedicated agent pools for ACR Tasks https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/tasks-agent-pools
Configure wildcard rules for ACR artifact cache https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/wildcards-artifact-cache

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic URL
Configure ACR-to-ACR artifact caching with managed identity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/artifact-cache-acr-to-acr-cli
Grant Azure Container Instances access to ACR with service principals https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-auth-aci
Create Kubernetes pull secrets for Azure Container Registry access https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-auth-kubernetes
Host and manage Helm chart repositories in ACR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-helm-repos
Manage OCI and supply chain artifacts in ACR with ORAS https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-manage-artifact
Build images with Buildpacks using az acr pack build https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tasks-pack-build
Automate ACR Transfer using ARM templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-transfer-arm-template
Use ACR Transfer with Azure CLI extension https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-transfer-cli
Build, push, and sign ACR images in GitHub Actions with Notation https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-github-sign-notation-artifact-signing
Verify signed ACR images in GitHub Actions workflows https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-github-verify-notation-artifact-signing
Sign ACR images with Notation using Azure Key Vault certificates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-sign-build-push
Sign and verify ACR images using Notation and Artifact Signing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-tutorial-sign-verify-notation-artifact-signing
Configure ACR webhooks for registry event notifications https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-webhook

Deployment

Topic URL
Queue ACR quick task runs with ARM templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-task-run-template
Deploy the ACR connected registry Arc extension https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/quickstart-connected-registry-arc-cli
Files1
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Overall Score

72/100

Grade

B

Good

Safety

85

Quality

70

Clarity

78

Completeness

52

Summary

Azure Container Registry reference skill providing structured knowledge organization and remote documentation access. The skill serves as an expert index into ACR best practices, security, configuration, and integration patterns. It directs agents to fetch Microsoft Learn documentation using safe network tools (mcp_microsoftdocs or fetch_webpage with query parameters) and read local reference sections by line range.

Detected Capabilities

network access (fetch_webpage, mcp_microsoftdocs)file read (read_file with line ranges)documentation indexingagent instruction routing

Trigger Keywords

Phrases that MCP clients use to match this skill to user intent.

azure container registryACR authentication setupimage signing verificationgeo-replication planningACR troubleshootingcontainer registry securityartifact caching configmanaged identity ACR

Risk Signals

INFO

Network access to learn.microsoft.com via fetch_webpage and mcp_microsoftdocs

Compatibility section, How to Use
INFO

References to mcp_microsoftdocs tool with query parameter from=learn-agent-skill

How to Use This Skill section
INFO

No shell execution, no file writes, no credential access

Entire skill
INFO

Metadata staleness check: suggests pulling updated version if generated_at > 3 months old

IMPORTANT for Agent notice

Referenced Domains

External domains referenced in skill content, detected by static analysis.

github.comlearn.microsoft.com

Use Cases

  • Troubleshoot ACR authentication and network connectivity issues
  • Plan geo-replication and connected registry deployments
  • Configure security controls: RBAC, managed identity, image signing, Defender scans
  • Implement artifact caching, purge policies, and retention strategies
  • Integrate ACR with Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, Helm, and ORAS
  • Select and configure customer-managed encryption keys
  • Build multi-step ACR Tasks and scheduled workflows
  • Audit ACR compliance with Azure Policy and Conditional Access

Quality Notes

  • ✓ Clear scope: ACR-specific, explicitly excludes ACI, AKS, ARO, Container Apps
  • ✓ Well-organized category index with 8 topic areas (Troubleshooting, Best Practices, Decision Making, etc.) mapped to line ranges and URLs
  • ✓ Excellent URL curation: 85+ curated Microsoft Learn links covering all major ACR features
  • ✓ Agent-friendly instructions: explicit guidance on when to use read_file vs. fetch remote docs
  • ✓ Safety guardrails documented: tool availability checks, stale metadata detection
  • ✓ Appropriate network tool fallback strategy (mcp_microsoftdocs preferred, fetch_webpage as fallback)
  • ✓ No file writes, no shell execution, read-only operations only
  • ✗ Reference files mentioned in index (e.g., security.md, configuration.md) are not present in manifest — unclear whether these files exist or are inline line ranges
  • ✗ Line range references (L37-L52) in Category Index do not map to visible content in SKILL.md — appears to be generated structure without actual content sections
  • ✗ Completeness: the skill provides only a navigation index, not standalone guidance — all substantive content is remote (requires network)
Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: Jun 26, 2026

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