azure-data-api-builder

name	azure-data-api-builder
description	Deploy Data API Builder to Azure Container Apps with ACR, Bicep or azd, managed identity, and secure config.
license	MIT

Azure Data API Builder

Use when

• Deploying DAB as a containerized API on Azure Container Apps (ACA).
• Building repeatable IaC-backed deployments with Azure CLI, Bicep, or azd.

Workflow

1. Create dab-config.json with @env('DATABASE_CONNECTION_STRING').
2. Build a custom image from mcr.microsoft.com/azure-databases/data-api-builder, copying config to /App/dab-config.json.
3. Provision ACA environment, Container App, ACR, identity, secrets, and ingress (targetPort: 5000).
4. Use azd only when the repo has azure.yaml plus infra/ Bicep/Terraform; otherwise use Azure CLI/Bicep directly.
5. Prefer Microsoft Entra authentication to Azure SQL via managed identity; keep fallback connection strings in ACA secrets.
6. Deploy revisions and verify /health, /api/swagger, REST/GraphQL/MCP paths as enabled.

IaC shape

• azure.yaml names services and maps them to the ACA host; it does not replace Bicep.
• Bicep should define Microsoft.App/containerApps, ingress, registry pull, env vars, and secretRef values.
• Use custom images for immutable config. Treat sidecars or mounted config as exceptions for advanced scenarios.

Guardrails

• Do not rely on cloud file mounts for DAB config.
• Do not commit database credentials; use ACA secret refs or Key Vault integration.
• Use "Microsoft Entra", not "AAD", in user-facing guidance.
• ACA is best for serverless containers, revisions, traffic splitting, and scale-to-zero HTTP workloads.

Related skills

• azure-deployment-data-api-builder
• azure-sql-commander
• azure-mcp-inspector
• data-api-builder-auth

Microsoft Learn

• https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/data-api-builder/deployment/azure-container-apps
• https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/overview
• https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/developer/azure-developer-cli/overview