Azure

When to Use Azure

Best for:

• Microsoft/enterprise environments
• .NET ecosystem integration
• Hybrid cloud scenarios
• Compliance (government, healthcare)

Consider alternatives if:

• Not already using Microsoft tools
• Want simpler pricing model

Deployment Options

Option 1: Container Apps (Recommended)

Modern serverless container platform.

Prerequisites

• Azure Account
• Azure CLI installed
• Docker image ready

Step 1: Configure Azure CLI

Step 2: Create Container Registry

bash
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# Create ACR
az acr create \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --name myappregistry \
  --sku Basic

# Login to ACR
az acr login --name myappregistry

# Build and push
az acr build \
  --registry myappregistry \
  --image myapp:latest .

Step 3: Deploy Container App

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az containerapp create \
  --name myapp \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --environment myapp-env \
  --image myappregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:latest \
  --target-port 3000 \
  --ingress external \
  --registry-server myappregistry.azurecr.io \
  --min-replicas 0 \
  --max-replicas 10

Step 4: Verify

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# Get the URL
az containerapp show \
  --name myapp \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --query properties.configuration.ingress.fqdn

# Test
curl https://myapp.niceocean-xxxxx.eastus.azurecontainerapps.io/api/health

Option 2: App Service

Traditional PaaS web hosting.

Deploy from Container

bash
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# Create App Service plan
az appservice plan create \
  --name myapp-plan \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --sku B1 \
  --is-linux

# Create Web App
az webapp create \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --plan myapp-plan \
  --name myapp \
  --deployment-container-image-name myappregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:latest

# Configure container settings
az webapp config container set \
  --name myapp \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --docker-custom-image-name myappregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:latest

Environment Variables

Setting Variables

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az containerapp update \
  --name myapp \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --set-env-vars "NODE_ENV=production" "API_URL=https://api.example.com"

Using Key Vault

bash
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# Create Key Vault
az keyvault create \
  --name myapp-kv \
  --resource-group myapp-rg

# Add secret
az keyvault secret set \
  --vault-name myapp-kv \
  --name DATABASE-URL \
  --value "postgresql://..."

# Reference in Container Apps
az containerapp update \
  --name myapp \
  --resource-group myapp-rg \
  --set-env-vars "DATABASE_URL=secretref:database-url"

CI/CD with Azure DevOps

Create azure-pipelines.yml:

yaml
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trigger:
  - main

pool:
  vmImage: ubuntu-latest

steps:
  - task: Docker@2
    inputs:
      containerRegistry: myappregistry
      repository: myapp
      command: buildAndPush
      Dockerfile: '**/Dockerfile'
      tags: |
        $(Build.BuildId)
        latest

  - task: AzureContainerApps@1
    inputs:
      azureSubscription: 'Azure Subscription'
      containerAppName: myapp
      resourceGroup: myapp-rg
      imageToDeploy: myappregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:$(Build.BuildId)

Common Issues

Cost Considerations

Verify Deployment

• Container App is running
• External ingress is enabled
• Health endpoint responds
• Environment variables are set