Azure Documentation

1. CI/CD Pipelines with Azure DevOps

Automating your deployments is crucial for efficient development. Azure DevOps provides robust tools for continuous integration and continuous deployment.

Steps:

1. Navigate to your Azure DevOps project.
2. Go to "Pipelines" and click "Create Pipeline".
3. Choose "Azure Repos Git" or your preferred Git provider.
4. Select your repository and choose "Starter pipeline".
5. Configure your YAML pipeline to include steps for building your application, publishing artifacts, and deploying to your Azure App Service.

Example YAML Snippet (Azure App Service Deploy):

- task: AzureWebApp@1
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: ''
    appType: 'webAppLinux' # or 'webApp' for Windows
    appName: ''
    package: '$(Pipeline.Workspace)/drop/$(build.buildId).zip'
    deploymentMethod: 'zipDeploy'
            

Refer to the Azure DevOps documentation for detailed pipeline configurations.

2. Deployment Slots for Zero-Downtime Deployments

Deployment slots allow you to deploy new versions of your application to a staging environment before swapping it with the production slot. This ensures zero downtime during updates.

Key Benefits:

• Test new versions in a production-like environment.
• Minimize risk of introducing errors to live users.
• Rollback easily by swapping back to the previous slot.

How to Use:

1. In the Azure portal, go to your App Service.
2. Under "Deployment", select "Deployment slots".
3. Click "Add Slot", give it a name (e.g., "staging"), and choose whether to clone configurations from production.
4. Deploy your application to this new slot.
5. Once tested, use the "Swap" feature to exchange the staging slot with production.

Configure application settings and connection strings specifically for each slot to maintain different environments.

3. Advanced Networking and Security

Securing your web app involves more than just HTTPS. Consider VNet integration and Private Endpoints for enhanced isolation.

Virtual Network Integration

Allows your web app to access resources within a virtual network.

• Go to "Networking" settings in your App Service.
• Enable "VNet integration".
• Select or create a subnet within your VNet for integration.

Private Endpoints

Provides a secure and private connection to your App Service from within your VNet, eliminating public internet exposure.

• Under "Networking", select "Private endpoint connections".
• Click "Add private endpoint".
• Configure the resource, resource group, and VNet details.

Explore Azure App Service networking features for comprehensive guidance.

4. Custom Domains and SSL Certificates

While basic custom domain setup is common, advanced scenarios involve managing multiple domains and wildcard certificates.

• Multiple Domains: Add multiple custom domains to your App Service via the "Custom domains" blade.
• Wildcard Certificates: Purchase and upload a wildcard SSL certificate (e.g., *.yourdomain.com) to secure all subdomains.
• Managed Certificates: Azure App Service offers free managed SSL certificates for custom domains, simplifying certificate management.

5. Monitoring and Diagnostics

Proactive monitoring is key to identifying and resolving issues before they impact users.

• Application Insights: Integrate Application Insights for deep performance monitoring, exception tracking, and usage analytics.
• Diagnostic Logs: Enable and configure diagnostic logs for App Service to capture server logs, access logs, and more.
• Alerts: Set up Azure Monitor alerts based on metrics (CPU usage, request failures) or log queries to be notified of potential problems.

Visit the troubleshooting guide for common deployment issues.