Deploy Models with Azure Machine Learning

After training machine learning models, deploy them to production for inference using Azure Machine Learning endpoints. Deploy for real-time predictions or batch processing at scale.

Azure ML provides managed endpoints with automatic scaling, monitoring, and security - no infrastructure management required.

Inference and Endpoints

Inference is the process of applying new input data to a machine learning model to generate outputs (predictions, classifications, clusters, etc.). An endpoint is a stable, durable URL that can be used to request predictions from your model.

Online Endpoints

Real-time inference with low latency

Batch Endpoints

Asynchronous processing of large datasets

Endpoint Anatomy

Endpoint

Provides:

Stable URL: e.g., https://my-endpoint.eastus.inference.ml.azure.com
Authentication: Key-based or Microsoft Entra ID
Authorization: Role-based access control

Deployment

Contains:

Model: Trained model files
Code: Scoring script (optional for MLflow models)
Environment: Software dependencies
Compute: Resources to run inference

One endpoint can contain multiple deployments, enabling A/B testing and safe rollouts.

Deployment Types

Managed Online Endpoints
Batch Endpoints
Kubernetes Endpoints

Best for: Real-time, low-latency inferenceFeatures:

Fully managed compute and scaling
Built-in monitoring and logging
Traffic splitting for A/B testing
Zero-downtime updates
Cost tracking per deployment

Use when:

Response time is critical (<1 second)
Request-response pattern
Small payloads (fits in HTTP request)
Need to scale based on traffic

from azure.ai.ml.entities import ManagedOnlineEndpoint

endpoint = ManagedOnlineEndpoint(
    name="my-endpoint",
    description="Production inference endpoint",
    auth_mode="key"
)

Best for: Long-running, large-scale inferenceFeatures:

Process files from Azure Storage
Parallel processing across compute nodes
Scheduled or on-demand execution
No compute cost when idle
Deploy models or pipelines

Use when:

Processing large files or datasets
Can tolerate longer processing times
Data stored in cloud storage
Want cost optimization

from azure.ai.ml.entities import BatchEndpoint

endpoint = BatchEndpoint(
    name="my-batch-endpoint",
    description="Batch scoring endpoint"
)

Quick Start: Deploy a Model

1. Register Your Model

from azure.ai.ml import MLClient
from azure.ai.ml.entities import Model
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential

ml_client = MLClient(
    DefaultAzureCredential(),
    subscription_id="<subscription-id>",
    resource_group="<resource-group>",
    workspace_name="<workspace>"
)

# Register model
model = Model(
    path="./model",
    name="sklearn-classifier",
    description="Iris classification model",
    type="mlflow_model"  # or "custom_model"
)

registered_model = ml_client.models.create_or_update(model)
print(f"Registered: {registered_model.name} v{registered_model.version}")

2. Create Endpoint

from azure.ai.ml.entities import ManagedOnlineEndpoint

endpoint = ManagedOnlineEndpoint(
    name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    description="Iris species classification",
    auth_mode="key",
    tags={"environment": "production", "team": "ml-ops"}
)

ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()
print(f"Endpoint created: {endpoint.name}")

3. Deploy Model

MLflow Model (No Scoring Script)
Custom Model (With Scoring Script)

from azure.ai.ml.entities import ManagedOnlineDeployment, Model

deployment = ManagedOnlineDeployment(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    model=registered_model,
    instance_type="Standard_DS3_v2",
    instance_count=1,
    request_settings={
        "request_timeout_ms": 90000,
        "max_concurrent_requests_per_instance": 1
    },
    liveness_probe={
        "initial_delay": 10,
        "period": 10,
        "timeout": 2,
        "failure_threshold": 3
    }
)

ml_client.online_deployments.begin_create_or_update(deployment).result()

# Route 100% traffic to deployment
endpoint.traffic = {"blue": 100}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

Create score.py:

import json
import joblib
import numpy as np

def init():
    global model
    model_path = os.path.join(
        os.getenv("AZUREML_MODEL_DIR"), 
        "model.pkl"
    )
    model = joblib.load(model_path)

def run(raw_data):
    try:
        data = json.loads(raw_data)["data"]
        data = np.array(data)
        predictions = model.predict(data)
        return predictions.tolist()
    except Exception as e:
        return json.dumps({"error": str(e)})

Deploy with scoring script:

from azure.ai.ml.entities import (
    ManagedOnlineDeployment,
    CodeConfiguration,
    Environment
)

deployment = ManagedOnlineDeployment(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    model=registered_model,
    code_configuration=CodeConfiguration(
        code="./src",
        scoring_script="score.py"
    ),
    environment="azureml://registries/azureml/environments/sklearn-1.5/versions/1",
    instance_type="Standard_DS3_v2",
    instance_count=1
)

ml_client.online_deployments.begin_create_or_update(deployment).result()

4. Test the Deployment

# Test with sample data
sample_data = {
    "data": [
        [5.1, 3.5, 1.4, 0.2],
        [6.2, 2.9, 4.3, 1.3]
    ]
}

# Invoke endpoint
response = ml_client.online_endpoints.invoke(
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    request_file="sample_request.json",
    deployment_name="blue"  # Optional: test specific deployment
)

print(f"Predictions: {response}")

Deployment Patterns

Blue-Green Deployment

Switch traffic between two deployments instantly:

# Deploy new version to "green"
green_deployment = ManagedOnlineDeployment(
    name="green",
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    model=new_model_version,
    instance_type="Standard_DS3_v2",
    instance_count=1
)
ml_client.online_deployments.begin_create_or_update(green_deployment).result()

# Test green deployment
response = ml_client.online_endpoints.invoke(
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    request_file="test.json",
    deployment_name="green"
)

# Switch all traffic to green
endpoint.traffic = {"green": 100}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

# Delete old blue deployment
ml_client.online_deployments.begin_delete(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint"
).result()

Canary Deployment

Gradually shift traffic to test new version:

# Start with 10% traffic to new version
endpoint.traffic = {"blue": 90, "green": 10}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

# Monitor metrics, then increase
endpoint.traffic = {"blue": 50, "green": 50}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

# Complete rollout
endpoint.traffic = {"green": 100}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

A/B Testing

Compare two model versions in production:

# Split traffic evenly
endpoint.traffic = {
    "model-v1": 50,
    "model-v2": 50
}
ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

# Monitor business metrics to choose winner
# Then route 100% to better performing model

Scaling and Performance

Autoscaling

Configure automatic scaling based on metrics:

from azure.ai.ml.entities import OnlineScaleSettings

deployment = ManagedOnlineDeployment(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="my-endpoint",
    model=model,
    instance_type="Standard_DS3_v2",
    instance_count=1,
    scale_settings=OnlineScaleSettings(
        scale_type="TargetUtilization",
        min_instances=1,
        max_instances=10,
        target_utilization_percentage=70,
        polling_interval=10
    )
)

Resource Limits

Control compute resources:

deployment = ManagedOnlineDeployment(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="my-endpoint",
    model=model,
    instance_type="Standard_DS3_v2",
    instance_count=2,
    request_settings={
        "request_timeout_ms": 90000,
        "max_concurrent_requests_per_instance": 5,
        "max_queue_wait_ms": 60000
    }
)

Monitoring Deployments

View Metrics in Azure Portal

Key metrics to monitor:

Request latency (P50, P95, P99)
Requests per second
HTTP status codes
CPU/GPU utilization
Memory usage

Query Logs

# Get deployment logs
logs = ml_client.online_deployments.get_logs(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="iris-classifier-endpoint",
    lines=100
)
print(logs)

Application Insights Integration

from applicationinsights import TelemetryClient

tc = TelemetryClient('<instrumentation-key>')

# Log custom events
tc.track_event('PredictionMade', {
    'model_version': '1.2.0',
    'latency_ms': 45
})
tc.flush()

Security

Authentication

Key-Based
Microsoft Entra ID

# Get endpoint keys
keys = ml_client.online_endpoints.get_keys(
    name="iris-classifier-endpoint"
)

# Make authenticated request
import requests

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {keys.primary_key}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(
    endpoint.scoring_uri,
    headers=headers,
    json=sample_data
)

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
import requests

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
token = credential.get_token(
    "https://ml.azure.com/.default"
)

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {token.token}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(
    endpoint.scoring_uri,
    headers=headers,
    json=sample_data
)

Network Security

Deploy with private networking:

endpoint = ManagedOnlineEndpoint(
    name="secure-endpoint",
    public_network_access="disabled",
    identity={
        "type": "SystemAssigned"
    }
)

ml_client.online_endpoints.begin_create_or_update(endpoint).result()

Cost Optimization

Right-Size Instances

Start with smaller instances and scale up:

Instance Type	vCPUs	RAM	Cost (Relative)
Standard_DS2_v2	2	7GB	1x
Standard_DS3_v2	4	14GB	2x
Standard_DS4_v2	8	28GB	4x

Use Autoscaling

Scale to zero during low-traffic periods:

scale_settings=OnlineScaleSettings(
    min_instances=0,  # Scale to zero when idle
    max_instances=10
)

Batch for Bulk Processing

Use batch endpoints for large datasets - only pay during job execution:

batch_deployment = BatchDeployment(
    name="default",
    endpoint_name="batch-endpoint",
    model=model,
    compute="batch-cluster",
    instance_count=5  # Parallel processing
)

Monitor Cost per Deployment

Track spending in Azure Cost Management:

Filter by deployment tags
Set budget alerts
Analyze cost trends

Troubleshooting

Deployment Fails

Check:

Model files are valid
Scoring script has no syntax errors
Environment dependencies are correct
Sufficient quota for instance type

View deployment logs:

logs = ml_client.online_deployments.get_logs(
    name="blue",
    endpoint_name="my-endpoint",
    lines=500
)

High Latency

Solutions:

Use GPU instances for deep learning models
Optimize model (quantization, pruning)
Increase concurrent requests per instance
Enable request batching
Use model caching

Out of Memory

Switch to larger instance type
Reduce batch size in scoring script
Optimize model memory usage
Use model compression techniques

Next Steps

Online Endpoints

Learn more about real-time inference

Batch Scoring

Deploy models for batch processing

Monitor Deployments

Track performance and costs

MLOps

Automate deployment pipelines

Documentation Index

​Deploy Models with Azure Machine Learning

​Inference and Endpoints

Online Endpoints

Batch Endpoints

​Endpoint Anatomy

​Endpoint

​Deployment

​Deployment Types

​Quick Start: Deploy a Model

​1. Register Your Model

​2. Create Endpoint

​3. Deploy Model

​4. Test the Deployment

​Deployment Patterns

​Blue-Green Deployment

​Canary Deployment

​A/B Testing

​Scaling and Performance

​Autoscaling

​Resource Limits

​Monitoring Deployments

​View Metrics in Azure Portal

​Query Logs

​Application Insights Integration

​Security

​Authentication

​Network Security

​Cost Optimization

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Online Endpoints

Batch Scoring

Monitor Deployments

MLOps

Deploy Models with Azure Machine Learning

Inference and Endpoints

Endpoint Anatomy

Endpoint

Deployment

Deployment Types

Quick Start: Deploy a Model

1. Register Your Model

2. Create Endpoint

3. Deploy Model

4. Test the Deployment

Deployment Patterns

Blue-Green Deployment

Canary Deployment

A/B Testing

Scaling and Performance

Autoscaling

Resource Limits

Monitoring Deployments

View Metrics in Azure Portal

Query Logs

Application Insights Integration

Security

Authentication

Network Security

Cost Optimization

Troubleshooting

Next Steps