🦞 Deploy MoltBot to Azure Container Apps: Your 24/7 AI Assistant in 30 Minutes

🚀 The Quick Version: Create a Discord bot, clone the repo, run azd up, invite bot to server, start chatting. Total time: ~25 minutes. Total cost: ~$40-60/month.

Why Azure Container Apps over other options?

• ✅ Managed Identity - No credentials in config files
• ✅ Built-in Secrets - API keys never exposed in logs
• ✅ Automatic HTTPS - Free TLS certificates
• ✅ Hyper-V Isolation - Hardware-level container security
• ✅ Compliance Ready - SOC2, ISO, HIPAA certifications

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🤖 What is MoltBot?

If you've ever wanted a personal AI assistant that actually does things - not just answers questions - MoltBot is for you. Created by Peter Steinberger and a growing open-source community, MoltBot is a personal AI assistant that:

💡 Think of it as: A very capable coworker who never sleeps, works and gets better over time.

 

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☁️ Why Azure Container Apps?

The original setup guide for MoltBot uses AWS EC2, but Azure Container Apps offers significant advantages for running a 24/7 AI assistant - especially around security.

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🔐 Security Posture Comparison

When deploying a personal AI assistant that can execute code, access APIs, and potentially connect to sensitive services, security isn't optional. Here's how Azure Container Apps compares to other popular deployment options:

🛡️ Why Security Matters for AI Assistants

MoltBot isn't just a chatbot - it can:

• Execute shell commands on the container
• Access external APIs with your credentials
• Store conversation history including potentially sensitive information
• Connect to messaging platforms with bot tokens

This makes security architecture critical. Let's break down the key advantages:

1. Managed Identity: Zero Secrets in Code

Azure Container Apps:

// No credentials needed - Azure handles auth automatically
identity: {
  type: 'UserAssigned'
  userAssignedIdentities: { '${managedIdentity.id}': {} }
}

Other platforms: Require storing access keys in environment variables or config files, creating potential leak vectors.

2. Secrets Management: First-Class Support

Azure Container Apps:

# Secrets stored securely, referenced by name
az containerapp secret set --name MoltBot --secrets "api-key=$MY_KEY"
# Used as: secretRef: 'api-key'

Other platforms: Secrets typically live in .env files on disk, visible to anyone with SSH access.

3. Network Isolation: VNet by Default

Azure Container Apps can be deployed into a VNet with:

• Private ingress only - no public IP
• Private Endpoints for Azure services
• Network Security Groups for fine-grained control
• Service Endpoints for secure storage access

This means your MoltBot can be completely isolated from the public internet while still connecting to your messaging channels.

4. Container Runtime Security

Azure Container Apps runs on Hyper-V isolated containers, providing:

• Kernel-level isolation between workloads
• No shared kernel vulnerabilities
• Hardware-backed security boundaries

Compare this to standard Docker on VPS providers where containers share the host kernel

 

🏆 Why Container Apps Wins

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🚀 The 30-Minute Setup

📋 Prerequisites

Before you start, you'll need:

💡 Why OpenRouter? OpenRouter provides access to multiple AI models (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini) through a single API. For the simplicity for this demo we are using OpenRouter.

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0️⃣ Create Your Discord Bot First! (5 minutes)

⚠️ Important: Do this before running azd up - you'll need the bot token during deployment.

Get Your Discord User ID:

🔐 Security Note: The Discord User ID is used for the DM allowlist. Only users in this list can message your bot directly.

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1️⃣ Get the Sample (2 minutes)

Clone the deployment template:

git clone https://github.com/BandaruDheeraj/moltbot-azure-container-apps
cd moltbot-azure-container-apps

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2️⃣ Provision Infrastructure (5-7 minutes)

Run the initial provisioning:

azd provision

You'll be prompted for:

Note: azd provision creates the Azure infrastructure without deploying the app. We need to build the image first.

This creates:

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2.5️⃣ Build the Container Image (Required - 3-5 minutes)

⚠️ This must be done before deploying the app. The container image needs to exist in ACR before the Container App can pull it.

# Get your ACR name from the provisioned resources
ACR_NAME=$(az acr list --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod --query "[0].name" -o tsv)

# Build the image in Azure Container Registry (no local Docker needed!)
az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "MoltBot:latest" --file src/MoltBot/Dockerfile src/MoltBot/

Understanding this command:

💡 What happens during the build? The Dockerfile in our sample (at src/MoltBot/Dockerfile) automatically:

1. Starts from a Node.js base image
2. Clones the official MoltBot source code from GitHub
3. Installs dependencies with pnpm
4. Builds the TypeScript application
5. Builds the Control UI
6. Adds our custom entrypoint.sh that generates config from Azure environment variables

You don't need to download MoltBot separately - it's pulled fresh from GitHub during the ACR build. The resulting image is stored in your ACR as MoltBot:latest.

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2.6️⃣ Configure Your Credentials (Required)

Set your secrets before deploying:

cd moltbot-azure-container-apps

# Set your required secrets
azd env set OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-your-key-here"
azd env set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN "your-discord-bot-token"
azd env set DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS "your-discord-user-id"

Where to get these values:

Optional settings:

# Change the AI model
azd env set MOLTBOT_MODEL "openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"

# Change the bot's name
azd env set MOLTBOT_PERSONA_NAME "Clawd"

# Add IP restrictions (for security)
azd env set ALLOWED_IP_RANGES "1.2.3.4/32"

# Enable email alerts
azd env set ALERT_EMAIL_ADDRESS "your-email@example.com"

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2.7️⃣ Deploy the Application

Now deploy with your configuration:

azd deploy

This deploys MoltBot to Container Apps with all your secrets configured.

⚠️ Important: If you change any environment variables later, run azd deploy again to apply them.

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3️⃣ Invite Your Bot to a Server (2 minutes)

⚠️ Critical: Discord requires bots and users to share a server before DMs work!

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4️⃣ Start Chatting! 💬

🎉 You're now chatting with your personal AI assistant running 24/7 on Azure!

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🐛 Troubleshooting Common Issues

We encountered these issues during testing - here's how to fix them:

Container Image Not Found (MANIFEST_UNKNOWN)

Problem: Logs show MANIFEST_UNKNOWN: manifest tagged by "latest" is not found

Cause: The container image wasn't built before deployment.

Solution: Build the image manually:

ACR_NAME=$(az acr list --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod --query "[0].name" -o tsv)
az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "MoltBot:latest" --file src/MoltBot/Dockerfile src/MoltBot/
azd deploy

Windows Line Endings Breaking entrypoint.sh

Problem: Logs show exec /app/entrypoint.sh: no such file or directory

Cause: Windows CRLF line endings in shell scripts break Linux containers.

Solution: Convert to Unix line endings before building:

# PowerShell - convert CRLF to LF
$content = Get-Content src/MoltBot/entrypoint.sh -Raw
$content -replace "`r`n", "`n" | Set-Content src/MoltBot/entrypoint.sh -NoNewline

Then rebuild the image:

az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "MoltBot:latest" --file src/MoltBot/Dockerfile src/MoltBot/

Secrets Not Applied (Discord Application ID Error)

Problem: Logs show Failed to resolve Discord application id

Cause: azd env set stores values locally, but they weren't applied to the container.

Solution: Manually set secrets on the container app:

RESOURCE_GROUP="rg-MoltBot-prod"
APP_NAME="MoltBot"

az containerapp secret set --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --secrets "discord-bot-token=YOUR_ACTUAL_TOKEN"

az containerapp update --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --set-env-vars "DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS=YOUR_DISCORD_USER_ID"

# Restart to apply
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)
az containerapp revision restart --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --revision $REVISION

"Unknown model" Error

Problem: MoltBot logs show Unknown model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5

Cause: Model IDs must be exact. There's no model called claude-sonnet-4-5.

Solution:

azd env set MOLTBOT_MODEL "openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"
azd deploy

💡 Tip: Check openrouter.ai/models for current model names.

HTTP 401 Authentication Error

Problem: Logs show HTTP 401: authentication_error

Cause: Invalid or missing OpenRouter API key.

Solution:

# Verify your key at openrouter.ai/keys first
azd env set OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-your-actual-key"
azd deploy

Can't DM the Bot

Problem: Discord says "Unable to send messages to this user"

Cause: Discord requires a shared server before you can DM a bot.

Solution:

1. Invite the bot to a server using the OAuth2 URL
2. Then DM the bot from that server's member list

Bot Doesn't Respond to DMs

Problem: Bot is online but ignores your messages.

Cause: Your Discord user ID isn't in the allowlist.

Solution:

azd env set DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS "your-discord-user-id"
azd deploy

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🏗️ What You Just Deployed

Here's what's running in your Azure subscription:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          Azure Resource Group                               │
│                                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │                  Azure Container Apps Environment                       ││
│  │                                                                          ││
│  │  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐     ││
│  │  │                    🦞 MoltBot Container App                    │     ││
│  │  │                                                                  │     ││
│  │  │  Gateway     → Control plane for sessions and tools             │     ││
│  │  │  Control UI  → Web dashboard for management                     │     ││
│  │  │  Channels    → Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp connections          │     ││
│  │  │  Skills      → Extensible automation capabilities               │     ││
│  │  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘     ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│                                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│  │  📦 Container       │  │   💾 Storage        │  │  📊 Log Analytics  │ │
│  │     Registry        │  │     Account         │  │                     │ │
│  │  (stores image)     │  │  (persistent data)  │  │  (logs & metrics)  │ │
│  └─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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💪 Why This is So Powerful

⚙️ 1. It Actually Does Things

Unlike ChatGPT or other chat interfaces, MoltBot can:

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📚 2. It Learns and Improves

MoltBot uses a "skills" system. Teach it something new:

"Create a skill that checks my flight status and texts me if there are delays"

It will create that skill, test it, and run it whenever you ask (or on a schedule).

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🧠 3. It Remembers Context

Unlike stateless AI chats, MoltBot maintains persistent memory:

• ✅ Your preferences
• ✅ Past conversations
• ✅ Files you've shared
• ✅ Skills you've taught it

This context persists across sessions, even if the container restarts.

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🔐 4. Secure by Default

Running on Azure Container Apps means:

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🧪 Quick Test Drive

Once deployed, try these commands with your MoltBot:

📝 Basic Tasks

"What's the weather in New York?"

"Set a reminder for tomorrow at 9am to call the dentist"

🔍 Research

"Research the top 5 project management tools and give me a comparison"

📧 Automation

"Check my last 10 emails and tell me which ones need a response"

🛠️ Skills

"Create a skill that summarizes any webpage I send you"

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⚙️ Advanced Configuration

� How It Works Under the Hood

When you run azd up, the deployment does something clever: it builds MoltBot from source in Azure Container Registry, then injects your configuration at runtime via an entrypoint script.

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   azd up        │────▶│  ACR Build      │────▶│  Container App  │
│                 │     │  (from source)  │     │  (your config)  │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                                                        │
                                                        ▼
                                               ┌─────────────────┐
                                               │  entrypoint.sh  │
                                               │                 │
                                               │  Generates JSON │
                                               │  config from    │
                                               │  env variables  │
                                               └─────────────────┘

The entrypoint script converts your environment variables into MoltBot's JSON configuration format at startup. This means:

• Secrets stay out of the image - Configuration is injected at runtime
• Easy updates - Just change env vars and redeploy
• No manual config files - The script handles schema changes

 

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📋 Viewing Logs

az containerapp logs show \
  --name MoltBot \
  --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod \
  --follow --tail 50

# What healthy logs look like:
# Discord channel configured: yes (DM allowlist: 123456789)
# [discord] logged in to discord as 987654321
# [gateway] agent model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet
# [gateway] listening on ws://0.0.0.0:18789

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🔄 Updating Secrets

After changing secrets, you must restart the container:

# Update a secret
az containerapp secret set --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod \
  --secrets "openrouter-api-key=sk-or-v1-new-key"

# Get current revision
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)

# Restart to apply
az containerapp revision restart --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot-prod \
  --revision $REVISION

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🔒 Security Best Practices

Azure Container Apps includes several security features by default. Here's how to use them effectively for MoltBot:

� Addressing Common Security Concerns

The community has raised several valid security concerns about self-hosting AI assistants. Here's how our Azure Container Apps deployment addresses each one:

Let's dive into each:

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🔐 1. IP Restrictions / VPN Access

The Concern: "Close the port/firewall to VPN or IP allowlist"

ACA Solution: Container Apps supports IP security restrictions at the ingress level - no need for external firewalls.

# Restrict access to your home IP and VPN
azd env set ALLOWED_IP_RANGES "1.2.3.4/32,10.0.0.0/8"
azd deploy

This creates ingress rules that:

• Allow traffic only from specified CIDR ranges
• Block all other IP addresses at the edge
• Apply before traffic reaches your container

For maximum security (internal-only):

# Deploy with no public ingress at all
azd env set INTERNAL_ONLY "true"
azd deploy

This makes MoltBot accessible only from within your Azure VNet - perfect for corporate environments with VPN access.

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🔑 2. Authentication (Gateway Token + TLS)

The Concern: "Add auth - JWT/OAuth at least a strong secret + TLS"

ACA Solution: Multiple layers of authentication are enabled by default:

The gateway token is auto-generated if not provided:

# Auto-generate (recommended)
azd up  # Token generated automatically

# Or specify your own
azd env set MOLTBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN "your-strong-secret-here"
azd deploy

Why this is better than JWT/OAuth:

• JWT/OAuth requires identity provider setup and maintenance
• Gateway token is simpler but equally secure for single-user scenarios
• DM allowlist provides identity verification at the messaging layer
• Combined with IP restrictions, attack surface is minimal

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🔄 3. Key Rotation (Assume Compromise)

The Concern: "Rotate keys regularly, assume compromise"

ACA Solution: Container App secrets can be rotated without rebuilding or redeploying:

# Rotate OpenRouter API key
az containerapp secret set --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --secrets "openrouter-api-key=sk-or-v1-new-key-here"

# Rotate Discord bot token
az containerapp secret set --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --secrets "discord-bot-token=new-discord-token"

# Rotate gateway token
az containerapp secret set --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --secrets "gateway-token=new-32-char-secret"

# Restart to apply new secrets
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)
az containerapp revision restart --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --revision $REVISION

Rotation best practices:

• Rotate API keys monthly or after any suspected exposure
• Use Azure Key Vault for automated rotation (optional)
• Monitor for failed auth attempts (covered by alerts below)

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📊 4. Rate Limiting + Logs + Alerts

The Concern: "Rate limit + comprehensive logging + alerts for anomalies"

ACA Solution: Full observability stack included by default:

Logging (Included)

All container output flows automatically to Log Analytics:

# View real-time logs
az containerapp logs show --name MoltBot --resource-group rg-MoltBot \
  --follow --tail 50

# Query historical logs
az monitor log-analytics query \
  --workspace $LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID \
  --analytics-query "ContainerAppConsoleLogs_CL | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h)"

Alerts (Preconfigured)

Our deployment includes four security-focused alerts:

Enable email notifications:

azd env set ALERT_EMAIL_ADDRESS "security@yourcompany.com"
azd deploy

Rate Limiting

While Container Apps doesn't have built-in rate limiting, you get effective protection from:

1. Discord/Telegram rate limits - Both platforms limit message frequency
2. DM Allowlist - Only approved users can send messages
3. OpenRouter rate limits - API calls are throttled by your plan
4. Unusual activity alerts - Notified when volume spikes

For additional rate limiting, add Azure API Management in front of the gateway.

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🧹 Cleaning Up

When you're done experimenting:

azd down --purge

This removes all Azure resources. Your data in Azure Storage will be deleted.

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🎯 What's Next?

Once your MoltBot is running, explore these capabilities:

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📚 Resources

 

🚀 Try It Yourself

Deploy MoltBot with a single command:

# Clone the sample repository
git clone https://github.com/BandaruDheeraj/moltbot-azure-container-apps
cd moltbot-azure-container-apps

# Deploy everything with Azure Developer CLI
azd up

📦 Repository: github.com/BandaruDheeraj/moltbot-azure-container-apps

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💬 Questions or feedback? Join the MoltBot Discord or open an issue on the sample repository.