Azure Confidential Computing

Azure Confidential Computing Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Confidential Computing. Covers 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), 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 |

|----------|-------|-------------|

| Decision Making | L35-L46 | Guidance on choosing Azure confidential computing options: VMs (AMD/Intel), containers, GPUs, deployment models, capabilities, products, and use cases for secure workloads. |

| Architecture & Design Patterns | L47-L56 | Architectural patterns and design guidance for using Azure confidential VMs, SGX enclaves, AKS, and multi-party analytics to build secure AI and containerized workloads. |

| Limits & Quotas | L57-L62 | Intel SGX capacity, quotas, and sizing for Azure confidential computing: AKS confidential node limits, SGX VM sizing guidance, and FAQ on SGX resource constraints. |

| Security | L63-L78 | Security, attestation, and key/secrets management for Azure confidential workloads: SGX enclaves, CVMs, vTPM, AKS confidential containers, clean rooms, and hardening Linux images. |

| Configuration | L79-L90 | Configuring and deploying Azure confidential VMs and containers (AKS SGX, VMMD blob, CMK rotation, ARM/CLI), plus Secure Key Release policies and Virtual Machine Metablob Disk usage. |

| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L91-L101 | Coding patterns and samples for building, running, and attesting Intel SGX/AMD SEV-SNP confidential apps and containers, including SKR flows, tools, and Fortanix/Key Vault integrations. |

| Deployment | L102-L110 | How to deploy and migrate Azure confidential VMs/VMSS and AKS (SGX and confidential node pools), create custom images, and set up Fortanix CCM using CLI and ARM templates. |

Decision Making

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Select Azure confidential container offerings | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/choose-confidential-containers-offerings |

| Choose Azure confidential computing deployment models | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-computing-deployment-models |

| Understand Azure confidential container options | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-containers |

| Overview of confidential containers on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-containers |

| Understand and choose Azure confidential VM capabilities | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-vm-overview |

| Use Azure confidential GPUs for secure compute offload | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/gpu-options |

| Choose Azure confidential computing use cases | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/use-cases-scenarios |

| Select Azure confidential VM options on AMD or Intel | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/virtual-machine-options |

Architecture & Design Patterns

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Apply confidential computing to AI workloads on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-ai |

| Design solutions with Azure confidential computing options | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-computing-solutions |

| Use SGX enclave nodes in AKS workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-nodes-aks-overview |

| Design enclave-aware container applications on AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/enclave-aware-containers |

| Understand Azure confidential VM guest attestation design | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/guest-attestation-confidential-virtual-machines-design |

| Architect multi-party analytics on Azure confidential computing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/multi-party-data |

Limits & Quotas

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| AKS confidential nodes Intel SGX capacity details | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-nodes-aks-faq |

| Deploy and size Intel SGX VMs on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/virtual-machine-solutions-sgx |

Security

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Configure attestation for Azure SGX enclaves | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/attestation |

| Use attestation types for Azure confidential workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/attestation-solutions |

| Use Secure Key Release with Azure Key Vault and confidential computing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/concept-skr-attestation |

| Security model for AKS Confidential Containers | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-containers-aks-security-policy |

| Understand security details for Azure confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-vm-faq |

| Configure guest attestation for Azure confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/guest-attestation-confidential-vms |

| Secure confidential VMs with Defender for Cloud and guest attestation | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/guest-attestation-defender-for-cloud |

| Harden Linux images by removing Azure guest agent | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/harden-a-linux-image-to-remove-azure-guest-agent |

| Harden Linux images by removing sudo users for confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/harden-the-linux-image-to-remove-sudo-users |

| Leverage vTPM features in Linux confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/how-to-leverage-virtual-tpms-in-azure-confidential-vms |

| Manage secrets and keys in Azure confidential computing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/secret-key-management |

| Use virtual TPMs in Azure confidential VMs securely | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/virtual-tpms-in-azure-confidential-vm |

Configuration

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Configure Confidential Containers on AKS (preview) | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-containers-on-aks-preview |

| Configure AKS Intel SGX device plugin (confcom) | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-nodes-aks-addon |

| Configure opt-out of VMMD blob for Azure Confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/disable-confidential-vm-metadata-blob |

| Rotate customer-managed keys for Azure confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/key-rotation-offline |

| Deploy Azure confidential VMs with ARM templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/quick-create-confidential-vm-arm |

| Provision Azure confidential VMs using Azure CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/quick-create-confidential-vm-azure-cli |

| Author Secure Key Release policies for Azure confidential TEEs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/skr-policy-examples |

| Use Virtual Machine Metablob Disk with confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/virtual-machine-metablob-disk |

Integrations & Coding Patterns

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Use development tools for Intel SGX enclaves on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/application-development |

| Run confidential containers with Intel SGX enclaves | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-containers-enclaves |

| Build Intel SGX enclave apps with OSS tools | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/enclave-development-oss |

| Use guest attestation sample app with confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/guest-attestation-example |

| Run apps with Fortanix CCM and Node Agent | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/how-to-fortanix-confidential-computing-manager-node-agent |

| Implement SKR with confidential containers on Azure Container Instances | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/skr-flow-confidential-containers-azure-container-instance |

| Implement SKR from Key Vault to AMD SEV-SNP confidential VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/skr-flow-confidential-vm-sev-snp |

Deployment

| Topic | URL |

|-------|-----|

| Deploy AKS cluster with SGX enclave nodes via CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-enclave-nodes-aks-get-started |

| Use confidential VM node pools in AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/confidential-node-pool-aks |

| Create custom images for Azure confidential VMs with CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/how-to-create-custom-image-confidential-vm |

| Deploy Fortanix CCM as Azure managed app | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/how-to-fortanix-confidential-computing-manager |

| Migrate nested Azure confidential VMs across regions | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/migrate-nested-confidential-vms |

| Deploy VM scale sets with hardened Linux images | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/confidential-computing/vmss-deployment-from-hardened-linux-image |