Microsoft Docs

Azure App Services Documentation

Azure App Services is a fully managed Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering that enables you to build, deploy, and scale web apps, mobile backends, and robust APIs. It supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, including .NET, .NET Core, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, and Ruby.

Getting Started with Azure App Services

To start using Azure App Services, you'll typically follow these steps:

1. Create an Azure Account: If you don't have one, sign up for a free Azure account.
2. Create an App Service Plan: An App Service plan defines the location, size, and features of the web server farm that runs your apps.
3. Create an App Service: Within your App Service plan, you create individual apps (e.g., Web App, API App).
4. Deploy Your Application: Deploy your code from various sources like Git repositories, Azure DevOps, Visual Studio, or directly from your local machine.

You can create and manage your App Services through the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell.

Key Concepts in Azure App Services

App Service Plan

An App Service plan is the fundamental component that defines the compute resources your applications will run on. It dictates the pricing tier, operating system, and scale of your hosting environment. Key characteristics include:

• Pricing Tiers: Free, Shared, Basic, Standard, Premium, Isolated. Each tier offers different levels of performance, features, and cost.
• Regions: You choose the Azure region where your plan is hosted.
• Operating System: Windows or Linux.

Web Apps

Web Apps are designed to host web applications. You can build dynamic content, serve static files, and run custom code. They support various languages and frameworks.

API Apps

API Apps are optimized for building and consuming RESTful APIs. They offer features like built-in support for Swagger (OpenAPI) and integration with services like Azure Logic Apps.

Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps (now part of App Services) provide a backend for your mobile applications. They offer features such as authentication, push notifications, offline data synchronization, and integration with other Azure services.

Function Apps

Function Apps enable you to run small pieces of code (functions) in response to events without explicitly building and managing infrastructure. This is Azure's serverless compute offering.

Deployment Options

Azure App Services supports a wide array of deployment methods to streamline your development workflow:

• Git Deployment: Push code directly from local Git repositories.
• Azure DevOps: Integrate with Azure Pipelines for automated build and release.
• GitHub Actions: Automate deployments from GitHub.
• FTP/FTPS: Deploy files directly using FTP clients.
• Visual Studio: Publish directly from Visual Studio.
• Container Registry: Deploy Docker containers.

Learn more about deployment strategies.

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Azure App Services offers robust tools for monitoring application performance and diagnosing issues:

• Application Insights: Gain deep insights into your application's performance, availability, and usage.
• Activity Log: Track all resource management operations in Azure.
• Diagnostic Logs: Configure logging for application logs, web server logs, and deployment logs.
• Metrics: Monitor key performance indicators like CPU usage, memory, and request count.

Security in Azure App Services

Secure your applications with built-in security features:

• SSL/TLS Certificates: Secure your custom domains with SSL/TLS.
• Authentication and Authorization: Integrate with identity providers like Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Account, Google, and Twitter.
• Virtual Network Integration: Connect your App Service to your virtual network for enhanced security.
• Managed Identities: Securely access other Azure resources without managing credentials.

Tutorials and Samples

Explore a variety of tutorials and code samples to help you get the most out of Azure App Services:

• Build and deploy a .NET Core web app to Azure App Service
• Deploy a Node.js app with a PostgreSQL database
• Set up CI/CD for a Python app using GitHub Actions