fix: enable container deployment for Python Agent Framework sample

python/agent-framework/sample-agent/.dockerignore

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Python
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*.pyo
+.venv/
+venv/
+.pytest_cache/
+.mypy_cache/
+.ruff_cache/
+build/
+dist/
+*.egg-info/
+
+# IDE
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+
+# Local files
+.env
+.env.local
+*.log
+
+# Git
+.git/
+.gitignore
+
+# Documentation
+*.md
+!README.md

python/agent-framework/sample-agent/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# Licensed under the MIT License.
+
+# Python Agent Framework - Container Deployment
+# Related to: https://github.com/microsoft/Agent365-Samples/pull/187
+FROM python:3.12-slim
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Suppress apt-get warnings in Docker
+ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+
+# Install system dependencies (gcc needed for some Python packages)
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    gcc \
+    curl \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
+    && apt-get clean
+
+# Upgrade pip
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade pip
+
+# Copy dependency metadata first for better layer caching
+COPY pyproject.toml .
+
+# Install Python dependencies from pyproject.toml
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir .
+
+# Copy application code
+COPY . .
+
+# Create non-root user for security
+RUN useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash agentuser \
+    && chown -R agentuser:agentuser /app
+USER agentuser
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 3978
+
+# Set environment variables
+ENV PORT=3978
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
+# Health check using PORT env var
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=10s --retries=3 \
+    CMD curl --fail --silent http://127.0.0.1:${PORT}/api/health || exit 1
+
+# Run the agent
+CMD ["python", "start_with_generic_host.py"]

python/agent-framework/sample-agent/README.md

@@ -24,6 +24,88 @@ To set up and test this agent, refer to the [Configure Agent Testing](https://le
 
 For a detailed explanation of the agent code and implementation, see the [Agent Code Walkthrough](AGENT-CODE-WALKTHROUGH.md).
 
+## Container Deployment
+
+Container deployment is the recommended approach for production Agent 365 workloads. Here's why:
+
+### Why Container Deployment?
+
+**Production Readiness**
+- **Consistency**: Containers ensure identical behavior across development, staging, and production environments, eliminating "works on my machine" issues
+- **Isolation**: Each agent runs in its own isolated environment with explicit dependencies, preventing conflicts with other services
+- **Scalability**: Container orchestrators (Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps) can automatically scale agent instances based on demand
+
+**Azure Integration**
+- **Azure Container Apps**: Purpose-built for microservices and agents with built-in autoscaling, managed certificates, and seamless Azure service integration
+- **Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)**: Enterprise-grade orchestration for complex multi-agent deployments
+- **Azure Container Registry**: Private registry for secure image storage with geo-replication
+
+**Operational Benefits**
+- **Health Checks**: Container runtimes monitor `/api/health` to automatically restart unhealthy agents
+- **Rolling Updates**: Deploy new versions with zero downtime using blue-green or canary strategies
+- **Resource Limits**: Define CPU/memory boundaries to prevent runaway processes
+
+### Network Binding Fix
+
+This sample binds to `0.0.0.0` (all network interfaces) instead of `localhost`. This is **required** for container deployments because:
+
+- `localhost` (127.0.0.1) only accepts connections from inside the container
+- External traffic (Bot Framework messages, health checks) comes from outside the container network
+- Binding to `0.0.0.0` allows the agent to receive requests on any network interface
+
+**Symptoms if using localhost in containers:**
+- Container starts but health checks fail with "Connection refused"
+- Agent works locally but fails when deployed to Docker/Kubernetes/Container Apps
+- Bot Framework cannot reach the `/api/messages` endpoint
+
+### Build and run with Docker
+
+```bash
+# Navigate to the sample directory first
+cd python/agent-framework/sample-agent
+
+# Build the container image
+docker build -t python-agent .
+
+# Run with required environment variables
+docker run -p 3978:3978 \
+  -e AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-endpoint.openai.azure.com/ \
+  -e AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key \
+  -e AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=gpt-4o \
+  python-agent
+```
+
+### Azure Container Apps
+
+```bash
+# Navigate to the sample directory
+cd python/agent-framework/sample-agent
+
+# Ensure you're logged in to Azure CLI
+az login
+az account set --subscription <your-subscription-id>
+
+# Build and push to Azure Container Registry
+az acr build --registry <your-acr> --image python-agent:latest .
+
+# Create Container App with required environment variables
+az containerapp create \
+  --name python-agent \
+  --resource-group <your-rg> \
+  --environment <your-env> \
+  --image <your-acr>.azurecr.io/python-agent:latest \
+  --target-port 3978 \
+  --ingress external \
+  --env-vars \
+    AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-endpoint.openai.azure.com/ \
+    AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=secretref:openai-key \
+    AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=gpt-4o
+
+# Note: For production, use Azure Container Apps secrets for API keys:
+# az containerapp secret set --name python-agent --resource-group <your-rg> \
+#   --secrets openai-key=<your-actual-api-key>
+```
+
 ## Support
 
 For issues, questions, or feedback:

python/agent-framework/sample-agent/host_agent_server.py

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# Licensed under the MIT License.
 
 """Generic Agent Host Server - Hosts agents implementing AgentInterface"""
 
@@ -332,12 +333,13 @@ async def anonymous_claims(request, handler):
         print(f"🏢 {self.agent_class.__name__}")
         print("=" * 80)
         print(f"🔒 Auth: {'Enabled' if auth_configuration else 'Anonymous'}")
-        print(f"🚀 Server: localhost:{port}")
-        print(f"📚 Endpoint: http://localhost:{port}/api/messages")
-        print(f"❤️  Health: http://localhost:{port}/api/health\n")
+        print(f"🚀 Server: 0.0.0.0:{port}")
+        print(f"📚 Endpoint: http://0.0.0.0:{port}/api/messages")
+        print(f"❤️  Health: http://0.0.0.0:{port}/api/health")
+        print("   (Use localhost:PORT for local testing)\n")
 
         try:
-            run_app(app, host="localhost", port=port, handle_signals=True)
+            run_app(app, host="0.0.0.0", port=port, handle_signals=True)
         except KeyboardInterrupt:
             print("\n👋 Server stopped")