Azure App Service

MSDN Documentation > Azure > App Service

App Service Documentation

Overview

Azure App Service is a fully managed platform as a service (PaaS) that enables you to build, deploy, and scale web apps, mobile back ends, and business logic in the programming language of your choice. App Service provides a robust environment for hosting web applications, including support for custom domains, SSL certificates, deployment slots, and autoscaling.

It's designed for developers who need to quickly and efficiently build and deploy web applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. App Service integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Storage, and Azure Active Directory, to create powerful and scalable solutions.

Get Started

Begin your journey with Azure App Service by following these essential steps:

Create an App Service

You can create an App Service instance through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell. Here's a quick guide using the Azure portal:

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
  2. Click Create a resource.
  3. Search for "Web App" and select Web App.
  4. Click Create.
  5. Fill in the required details: Subscription, Resource Group, Name, Runtime stack, Operating System, and Region.
  6. Choose a pricing tier and click Review + create, then Create.

Deploy Your Code

Once your App Service is created, you can deploy your application code. App Service supports various deployment methods:

  • Local Git: Push code directly from your local Git repository.
  • GitHub/Bitbucket: Integrate with your source control providers for continuous deployment.
  • Azure Repos: Connect to Azure Repos for CI/CD pipelines.
  • Cloud Shell/CLI: Deploy using Azure CLI commands.
  • FTP/FTPS: Deploy directly via FTP.
  • Zip Deploy: Deploy a zip archive of your application.

For a detailed walkthrough of deployment options, see the Deployment Options section.

Key Features

Azure App Service offers a rich set of features to support your web application development lifecycle.

Languages and Frameworks

App Service provides first-class support for a wide range of popular languages and frameworks:

  • .NET
  • .NET Core
  • Java
  • Node.js
  • PHP
  • Python
  • Ruby
  • Custom Runtimes

Choose the runtime stack that best suits your project requirements.

Deployment Options

Leverage flexible deployment strategies:

  • Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Automate your builds and deployments from GitHub, Azure Repos, or other CI/CD services.
  • Deployment Slots: Deploy new versions of your application to a staging slot before swapping it with the production slot. This minimizes downtime and allows for easy rollback.
  • WebDeploy: A tool for deploying ASP.NET web applications.
Use deployment slots to test new versions of your app with zero downtime for your users.

Scaling

App Service enables you to scale your applications based on demand:

  • Scale Up: Increase the resources (CPU, memory, storage) allocated to your App Service plan by choosing a higher pricing tier.
  • Scale Out: Increase the number of instances running your application to handle more traffic. You can configure manual scaling or enable autoscaling based on metrics like CPU usage or HTTP queue length.

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Keep your applications healthy and performant:

  • Application Insights: Integrate with Application Insights for deep monitoring of your application's performance, availability, and usage.
  • Log Streaming: Access real-time logs from your application.
  • Diagnostics Logs: Collect detailed logs for troubleshooting.
  • Metrics: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) directly in the Azure portal.

Security

Secure your applications with robust features:

  • SSL/TLS Certificates: Secure your custom domains with SSL/TLS certificates.
  • Authentication & Authorization: Integrate with Azure Active Directory, Google, Facebook, and other identity providers.
  • IP Restrictions: Control access to your application based on IP addresses.
  • Managed Identities: Securely connect to other Azure services without managing credentials.

Reference

Access comprehensive technical documentation for Azure App Service:

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for Azure App Service:

For specific error codes or unexpected behavior, consult the Azure App Service Troubleshooting Guide.