Document WithRealmImport production limitation and alternatives by Copilot · Pull Request #379 · microsoft/aspire.dev

Copilot · 2026-02-06T12:45:54Z

Documentation Update for Keycloak `WithRealmImport()` Limitation

Changes Made

Updated /src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/security/keycloak.mdx to:

Added Caution callout explicitly stating that WithRealmImport() is not supported in production deployments (such as when using aspire deploy) because it relies on mounting local directories as volumes
Added Production alternatives section with three complete, actionable approaches:
- Custom Keycloak image: Build a container image with realm JSON files baked in, with clear instructions on configuring startup arguments in AppHost
- Initialization service: Use Keycloak Admin REST API or Admin Client to programmatically configure realms
- Infrastructure as Code: Use Terraform with the Keycloak provider
Added note about version pinning: Added an Aside note recommending to replace latest with a specific Keycloak version tag (e.g., 25.0.0) or image digest for production to ensure reproducible builds and avoid unexpected changes

Each alternative includes complete code examples with proper configuration and links to relevant documentation.

Resolves

This PR addresses the issue where developers spend hours trying to get WithRealmImport() working in production without realizing it's not supported. The updated documentation now clearly states this limitation upfront and provides practical alternatives.

Screenshots

Caution message:

Production alternatives with version note:

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Missing Keycloak documentation regarding realm imports in production</issue_title>
<issue_description>After spending 4 hours attempting to get WithRealmImport() to work when running aspire deploy, @davidfowl informed that it's not supported in production. The documentation does not state this anywhere.

Fowler and I agreed that this should be explicitly stated, and most probably in the section specifically regarding Realm importing:
https://aspire.dev/integrations/security/keycloak/#add-keycloak-resource-with-realm-import

It would also be nice if the documentation suggested alternatives on how to seed Keycloak (i.e. service or baking realm JSON into image).</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes Missing Keycloak documentation regarding realm imports in production #375

✨ Let Copilot coding agent set things up for you — coding agent works faster and does higher quality work when set up for your repo.

…ealmImport Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

IEvangelist · 2026-02-06T12:57:38Z

Hey @pfo-omicsstudio, please have a look at this. Does it make sense, is it accurate?

Copilot

Pull request overview

This pull request addresses a critical documentation gap by documenting that the WithRealmImport() method is for local development only and does not work in production deployments. The PR adds a caution callout and provides three practical production alternatives with code examples, helping developers avoid spending hours debugging a limitation that wasn't previously documented.

Changes:

Added a caution callout explaining that WithRealmImport() is development-only due to volume mounting constraints
Added a "Production alternatives for realm seeding" subsection with three approaches (custom Keycloak image, initialization service, and Infrastructure as Code)
Included code examples and external documentation links for each alternative

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Copilot · 2026-02-06T13:01:27Z

src/frontend/src/content/docs/integrations/security/keycloak.mdx

+- **Custom Keycloak image**: Build a custom container image that includes your realm configuration files. The realm JSON files can be baked into the image at build time:
+
+  ```dockerfile title="Dockerfile"
+  FROM quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:latest


The Dockerfile example uses FROM quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:latest, which pins your Keycloak base image to the mutable latest tag and introduces a supply-chain risk if that image is compromised or changes unexpectedly. An attacker who compromises or replaces the latest tag in the remote registry could affect your builds or running containers without any change on your side. Use a specific, trusted Keycloak version tag or image digest for the base image to ensure reproducible and auditable builds.

pfo-omicsstudio · 2026-02-06T14:31:44Z

Hey @pfo-omicsstudio, please have a look at this. Does it make sense, is it accurate?

Yeah, that's pretty great! Might be worth mentioning that bind volumes in general are not supported in prod? Unsure, but Fowler mentioned that to me in the Discord, and I found that insight pretty valuable.

Also, one question I would have after reading this - what about future versions? Is it always going to be like this, or are there plans for supporting it in the future? Maybe a short sentence or two addressing this.

pfo-omicsstudio · 2026-02-06T15:03:14Z

I also noticed the AddKeycloak method configures a bunch of defaults for the resource, so the sample code:

var keycloak = builder.AddContainer("keycloak", "your-registry/keycloak-with-realms", "latest")
    .WithHttpEndpoint(port: 8080, targetPort: 8080)
    .WithArgs("start", "--import-realm");

is a bit misleading, since it suggests an equivalent setup, but omits the defaults AddKeycloak applies (endpoints/env/health checks/etc.), so it's not actually the same configuration.

I know this is out of scope for this specific documentation issue, but being able to call AddKeycloak with a custom dockerfile would solve this.

EDIT:
OK my bad, you can actually do that, and I feel like the documentation should suggest that instead:

var keycloak = builder
    .AddKeycloak("keycloak", adminPassword: keycloakAdminPassword)
    .WithDockerfile("./keycloak");

with this directory layout:

├── AppHost.cs
...
├── keycloak
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── realms
│       └── demo-realm.json

and the same Dockerfile you already have.

IEvangelist · 2026-02-09T13:33:20Z

Hey @copilot, please address review feedback - for the latest tag, simply add a note.

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-09T13:36:30Z

Hey @copilot, please address review feedback - for the latest tag, simply add a note.

Added a note after the Dockerfile example recommending to replace latest with a specific Keycloak version tag (e.g., 25.0.0) or image digest for production environments to ensure reproducible builds and avoid unexpected changes. (49983b1)

Warning

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telemetry.astro.build
- Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/ghcca-node/node/bin/node node /home/REDACTED/work/aspire.dev/aspire.dev/src/frontend/node_modules/.bin/../astro/astro.js dev (dns block)

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pfo-omicsstudio · 2026-02-10T14:07:13Z

Hey @copilot, please address review feedback - for the latest tag, simply add a note.

I think you ought to take a closer look yourself...
Copilot did not address my feedback at all. It's still misleading.

Initial plan

415638c

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and IEvangelist Feb 6, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of IEvangelist February 6, 2026 12:46 View session

Copilot AI and others added 4 commits February 6, 2026 12:49

Add production limitation warning and alternatives for Keycloak WithR…

07e4869

…ealmImport Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Revert unrelated aspire-integrations.json changes

812ec84

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Add import-realm argument to custom Keycloak image example

29e08ce

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Clarify that startup args are configured in AppHost

e8cfd91

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Update documentation for Keycloak realm imports in production~~ Document WithRealmImport production limitation and alternatives Feb 6, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from IEvangelist February 6, 2026 12:53

Copilot finished work on behalf of IEvangelist February 6, 2026 12:53

IEvangelist marked this pull request as ready for review February 6, 2026 12:57

IEvangelist requested a review from eerhardt as a code owner February 6, 2026 12:57

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 6, 2026 12:57

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of IEvangelist February 6, 2026 12:58 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Feb 6, 2026

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Copilot started work on behalf of IEvangelist February 9, 2026 13:33 View session

Add note about using specific version tag instead of latest

49983b1

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of IEvangelist February 9, 2026 13:37

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Documentation Update for Keycloak WithRealmImport() Limitation

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