Snippet | Deploy Owncast to Azure Container Apps with Persistent Storage

Description

This guide shows how to deploy Owncast to Azure Container Apps with persistent storage and scale-to-zero capability to minimize costs.

Prerequisites

Azure CLI installed and logged in
An Azure subscription
A resource group created

Step 1: Create Required Resources

Create Storage Account for Persistent Data

# Set variables (choose cheapest regions) RESOURCE_GROUP="your-resource-group" LOCATION="centralus" # Often cheaper than eastus STORAGE_ACCOUNT="owncaststorage$(date +%s)" # Must be globally unique CONTAINER_APP_ENV="owncast-env" CONTAINER_APP_NAME="owncast-app" Create MINIMAL cost storage account az storage account create --name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --location $LOCATION --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2 --access-tier Cool --allow-blob-public-access false --https-only true --min-tls-version TLS1_2 Create file share with minimal provisioned size

az storage share create --name "owncast-data" --account-name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT --quota 1 # Start with 1GB, scales automatically

Create Container Apps Environment

# Create the Container Apps environment
az containerapp env create \
  --name $CONTAINER_APP_ENV \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --location $LOCATION

Step 2: Configure Storage Mount

Get the storage account key and create the storage mount:

# Get storage account key STORAGE_KEY=$(az storage account keys list \ --account-name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --query "[0].value" -o tsv) Create storage mount in the environment

az containerapp env storage set --name $CONTAINER_APP_ENV --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --storage-name "owncast-storage" --azure-file-account-name $STORAGE_ACCOUNT --azure-file-account-key $STORAGE_KEY --azure-file-share-name "owncast-data" --access-mode ReadWrite

Step 3: Deploy Owncast Container App

Create the container app with persistent storage:

az containerapp create \
  --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --environment $CONTAINER_APP_ENV \
  --image "owncast/owncast:latest" \
  --target-port 8080 \
  --ingress external \
  --min-replicas 0 \
  --max-replicas 1 \
  --cpu 0.5 \
  --memory 1Gi \
  --volume-mount "data:/app/data" \
  --volume-name "data" \
  --volume-storage-name "owncast-storage" \
  --volume-storage-type AzureFile

Step 4: Configure Dual-Port Ingress (HTTP + RTMP)

For Owncast to work properly, you need both HTTP (8080) and RTMP (1935) ports. This requires a Virtual Network (VNet) integration:

Create VNet and Subnet

# Create MINIMAL virtual network (smallest possible address space) az network vnet create \ --name "owncast-vnet" \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --location $LOCATION \ --address-prefix "10.0.0.0/24" # Smaller than default /16 Create minimal subnet

az network vnet subnet create --name "container-apps-subnet" --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --vnet-name "owncast-vnet" --address-prefix "10.0.0.0/27" # Only 32 IPs instead of /23 (512 IPs)

Recreate Container Apps Environment with VNet

# Get subnet ID SUBNET_ID=$(az network vnet subnet show \ --name "container-apps-subnet" \ --vnet-name "owncast-vnet" \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --query id -o tsv) Delete existing environment and recreate with VNet az containerapp env delete --name $CONTAINER_APP_ENV --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --yes Create Container Apps environment with workload profiles DISABLED (cheapest option)

az containerapp env create --name $CONTAINER_APP_ENV --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --location $LOCATION --infrastructure-subnet-resource-id $SUBNET_ID --enable-workload-profiles false # Forces consumption-only pricing

Deploy Container App with MINIMAL Resources

az containerapp create \
  --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --environment $CONTAINER_APP_ENV \
  --image "owncast/owncast:latest" \
  --target-port 8080 \
  --exposed-port 1935 \
  --ingress external \
  --transport auto \
  --min-replicas 0 \
  --max-replicas 1 \
  --cpu 0.25 \
  --memory 0.5Gi \
  --volume-mount "data:/app/data" \
  --volume-name "data" \
  --volume-storage-name "owncast-storage" \
  --volume-storage-type AzureFile

Cost-Optimized Resource Allocation:

CPU: 0.25 cores (minimum allowed, sufficient for small streams)
Memory: 0.5Gi (minimum allowed, will work for basic streaming)
Scaling: Aggressive scale-to-zero with max 1 replica

Ultra Low-Cost Alternative YAML Configuration

For maximum cost optimization, use this YAML approach with the smallest possible resource allocation:

# owncast-minimal-cost.yaml
properties:
  managedEnvironmentId: /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/{resource-group}/providers/Microsoft.App/managedEnvironments/{environment-name}
  configuration:
    ingress:
      external: true
      targetPort: 8080
      additionalPortMappings:
      - external: true
        targetPort: 1935
        exposedPort: 1935
    secrets: []
  template:
    containers:
    - image: owncast/owncast:latest
      name: owncast
      resources:
        cpu: 0.25
        memory: 0.5Gi
      volumeMounts:
      - mountPath: /app/data
        volumeName: data
      env:
      - name: OWNCAST_RTMP_PORT
        value: "1935"
      - name: OWNCAST_WEBSERVER_PORT  
        value: "8080"
    scale:
      minReplicas: 0
      maxReplicas: 1
      rules:
      - name: "http-rule"
        http:
          metadata:
            concurrentRequests: "10"  # Scale up quickly but keep minimal
    volumes:
    - name: data
      storageType: AzureFile
      storageName: owncast-storage

Deploy with:

az containerapp create \
  --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --yaml owncast-minimal-cost.yaml

Cost Optimization Features

Scale-to-Zero Configuration

Min Replicas: Set to 0 to completely scale down when not in use
Max Replicas: Set to 1 (Owncast doesn't need horizontal scaling)
Scale Rules: Container Apps will automatically scale up when requests arrive

Resource Limits (Ultra Cost-Optimized)

CPU: 0.25 cores (absolute minimum, sufficient for 1-2 viewer streams)
Memory: 0.5Gi (minimum allowed by Azure Container Apps)
Storage: Cool tier with 1GB initial quota (auto-scales as needed)
Network: Minimal VNet addressing to reduce overhead

OBS Configuration

After deployment, configure OBS for streaming:

Server Settings: Use rtmp://your-app-url:1935/live (note: rtmp:// not https://)
Stream Key: Use the key from Owncast admin panel (Configuration > Server Setup > Stream Keys)
Owncast Web Interface: Access at https://your-app-url (port 8080 is handled automatically by ingress)
Persistent Data: All Owncast configuration, database, and uploaded files are stored in Azure Files and persist across container restarts and scale-to-zero events.
Cold Start: When scaling from zero, there will be a brief cold start delay as the container initializes.
VNet Requirement: For dual-port access (HTTP + RTMP), you must use a Virtual Network integration. This is a requirement for exposing additional TCP ports in Azure Container Apps.
Security Configuration: After deployment, immediately change the default admin credentials:
- Navigate to https://your-app-url/admin
- Default login: admin / abc123
- Go to Configuration > Server Setup and change the admin password
- Create/copy stream keys from Configuration > Server Setup > Stream Keys tab

Custom Domain: You can configure a custom domain using:

az containerapp hostname add \
  --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --hostname "your-domain.com"

SSL Certificate: Azure Container Apps provides automatic SSL certificates for custom domains.

Monitoring and Troubleshooting

Check your deployment:

# Get the URL az containerapp show \ --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME \ --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \ --query properties.configuration.ingress.fqdn View logs

az containerapp logs show --name $CONTAINER_APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP

Cost Estimation (Ultra-Optimized)

With these optimizations, your monthly costs should be:

When Streaming (4 hours/month example):

Compute: ~$0.50/month (0.25 CPU + 0.5Gi RAM × 4 hours)
Container Apps Environment: ~$0.00 (consumption plan, no dedicated resources)
Networking: ~$0.05/month (minimal VNet overhead)

When Idle (Scale-to-Zero):

Compute: $0.00 (scaled to zero)
Environment: $0.00 (consumption plan)

Always-On Costs:

Storage: ~$0.05-0.10/month (1-2GB in Cool tier)
VNet: ~$0.00 (no gateways or dedicated resources)

Total Monthly Cost: ~$0.60-0.65/month (assuming 4 hours of streaming)

Performance Expectations at Minimal Resources:

0.25 CPU + 0.5Gi RAM: Suitable for 480p-720p streams with 1-5 concurrent viewers
Scale-up Path: Monitor performance and increase to 0.5 CPU + 1Gi if needed
Cold Start: ~10-15 seconds when scaling from zero (acceptable for personal streaming)