Azure App Services Deployment Options

1. CI/CD Pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, etc.)

Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) is the recommended approach for modern application development. It automates the build, test, and deployment process, enabling frequent and reliable releases.

Benefits: Automation, reduced manual errors, faster release cycles, improved code quality.

Tools:

• Azure DevOps Pipelines: Integrated with Azure, offers robust CI/CD capabilities.
• GitHub Actions: Workflow automation directly within GitHub.
• Jenkins: A popular open-source automation server.
• Azure Pipelines: Can be used with Azure DevOps or as a standalone service.

Example Workflow: Code commit -> Trigger build -> Run tests -> Deploy to staging -> Manual approval (optional) -> Deploy to production.

Refer to the Azure DevOps documentation for detailed setup guides.

2. Git Deployment

App Service provides built-in support for deploying directly from a Git repository, whether it's hosted on Azure Repos, GitHub, Bitbucket, or a local Git server. This is a straightforward way to deploy code changes.

How it works: When you push code to your configured Git remote, App Service automatically builds and deploys the application.

Configuration: You can set this up through the Azure portal under the "Deployment Center" for your App Service.

Example Git command:

git push azure master

This method is ideal for smaller projects or when rapid iteration is needed.

3. FTP/SFTP Deployment

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) are traditional methods for transferring files. While less automated than CI/CD or Git deployment, they offer direct file access for uploading your application's compiled output.

Credentials: You can obtain FTP/SFTP credentials from the Azure portal.

Tools: FileZilla, WinSCP, or command-line FTP clients.

Use Cases: Useful for quick manual uploads or when working with legacy systems that don't integrate easily with other methods. However, it's generally not recommended for production environments due to the lack of automation and version control.

4. Local Git Deployment

App Service can be configured to host a local Git repository. You can then push your code to this repository on App Service, which will trigger a deployment.

Setup: Enabled via the Deployment Center in the Azure portal. You'll get a Git remote URL to add to your local repository.

Workflow:

1. Configure local Git deployment in Azure portal.
2. Add the remote to your local Git project: git remote add azure
3. Commit your code.
4. Push to the remote: git push azure master

This offers a middle ground between manual file uploads and full CI/CD pipelines.

5. Docker Container Deployment

For containerized applications, Azure App Service offers excellent support for deploying Docker images.

Options:

• Single Docker Image: Deploy a single container image from a registry (Docker Hub, Azure Container Registry, etc.).
• Docker Compose: Deploy multi-container applications defined by a docker-compose.yml file.

Benefits: Consistency across environments, simplified dependency management, portability.

You can configure this through the Deployment Center or by specifying container settings directly on the App Service resource.

6. Zip Deploy

The Zip Deploy API allows you to deploy your application by uploading a ZIP archive containing your application files.

API: You can use tools like `curl` or PowerShell to invoke the Zip Deploy REST API.

Example using Azure CLI:

az webapp deployment zip --resource-group  --name  --src-path 

This is useful for deployment scripts or when you have pre-compiled application packages.