Azure App Services is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps. It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks, including .NET, .NET Core, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, and Python. This service allows developers to focus on their application code while Azure handles the infrastructure.

• Definition: An App Service Plan defines the region (datacenter) of the physical server, the pricing tier, and the amount of resources (CPU, memory) allocated to your app.
• Pricing Tiers:
  • Free and Shared (F1, D1): Basic tiers for development and testing.
  • Basic (B1, B2, B3): Suitable for small-scale production apps.
  • Standard (S1, S2, S3): For production workloads with auto-scaling and load balancing.
  • Premium (P1v2, P2v2, P3v2): For high-traffic production apps with advanced features.
  • Isolated (I1, I2, I3): For apps that require high security and isolation.

• Definition: Web Apps are the core service of Azure App Services, allowing you to host web applications and APIs.
• Features:
  • Continuous Deployment: Integrate with GitHub, Bitbucket, Azure Repos, and other CI/CD tools.
  • Custom Domains and SSL: Secure your app with custom domains and SSL certificates.
  • Auto-scaling: Automatically scale your app based on demand.
  • Staging Environments: Create multiple deployment slots for testing before going live.

• Definition: API Apps are specialized Web Apps designed for building and hosting RESTful APIs.
• Features:
  • Swagger Integration: Automatically generate API documentation.
  • Authentication and Authorization: Integrate with Azure Active Directory, social logins, and custom authentication.

• Definition: Mobile Apps provide backend services for mobile applications, including data storage, authentication, and push notifications.
• Features:
  • Offline Sync: Synchronize data between the cloud and mobile devices.
  • Push Notifications: Send notifications to iOS, Android, and Windows devices.
  • Authentication: Integrate with various identity providers.

• Definition: Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that allows you to run event-driven code without managing infrastructure.
• Features:
  • Pay-per-execution: Only pay for the time your code runs.
  • Triggers and Bindings: Respond to events from various Azure services and external sources.

1. Create an App Service Plan:

   az appservice plan create --name MyAppServicePlan --resource-group MyResourceGroup --sku B1
   

2. Create a Web App:

   az webapp create --name MyWebApp --resource-group MyResourceGroup --plan MyAppServicePlan
   

3. Deploy Code to the Web App:

   • Using Git:

     git remote add azure https://<username>@<app_name>.scm.azurewebsites.net:443/<app_name>.git
     git push azure master
     

4. Configure Custom Domain and SSL:

   • Add Custom Domain:

     az webapp config hostname add --webapp-name MyWebApp --resource-group MyResourceGroup --hostname www.mycustomdomain.com
     

   • Add SSL Certificate:

     az webapp config ssl bind --certificate-thumbprint <thumbprint> --ssl-type SNI --name MyWebApp --resource-group MyResourceGroup
     

1. Create an App Service Plan:

   az appservice plan create --name ExercisePlan --resource-group ExerciseGroup --sku F1
   

2. Create a Web App:

   az webapp create --name ExerciseWebApp --resource-group ExerciseGroup --plan ExercisePlan
   

3. Deploy a Sample Application:

   • Clone a sample application from GitHub:

     git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/html-docs-hello-world.git
     cd html-docs-hello-world
     

   • Deploy the application:

     az webapp deployment source config-local-git --name ExerciseWebApp --resource-group ExerciseGroup
     git remote add azure https://<username>@ExerciseWebApp.scm.azurewebsites.net:443/ExerciseWebApp.git
     git push azure master
     

1. Create an App Service Plan:

   az appservice plan create --name ExercisePlan --resource-group ExerciseGroup --sku F1
   

2. Create a Web App:

   az webapp create --name ExerciseWebApp --resource-group ExerciseGroup --plan ExercisePlan
   

3. Deploy a Sample Application:

   • Clone a sample application from GitHub:

     git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/html-docs-hello-world.git
     cd html-docs-hello-world
     

   • Deploy the application:

     az webapp deployment source config-local-git --name ExerciseWebApp --resource-group ExerciseGroup
     git remote add azure https://<username>@ExerciseWebApp.scm.azurewebsites.net:443/ExerciseWebApp.git
     git push azure master
     

• Incorrect Resource Group: Ensure that the resource group specified in your commands matches the one where your resources are created.
• Deployment Failures: Check the deployment logs in the Azure Portal if your deployment fails.
• SSL Configuration: Make sure your SSL certificate is correctly uploaded and bound to your custom domain.

In this section, we covered the basics of Azure App Services, including App Service Plans, Web Apps, API Apps, Mobile Apps, and Functions. We also walked through a practical example of deploying a web app and provided an exercise to reinforce the concepts. Understanding Azure App Services is crucial for building scalable and reliable applications on the Azure platform. In the next module, we will explore Azure Storage and its various services.