Azure_Services

Azure App services and Cloud serives

1. Different ways of publishing on Azure

🚀 Different Ways of Publishing on Azure

1. 🔧 Visual Studio

Direct deployment from IDE.
Supports:
Web Apps
Azure Functions
Azure App Service
Easy for developers with built-in wizards.

✅ Best For: Rapid dev/test deployments.

** 2. 🌐 Azure Portal**

Manual upload or configuration via browser.
Use for:
ARM template deployments
App Service ZIP Deploy
Function App package uploads

✅ Best For: One-time setups and admin tasks.

3. 🧱 Azure CLI

az webapp up --name myapp --resource-group myrg --location eastus

Scriptable deployment via command line.
Works on Linux, macOS, Windows.

✅ Best For: DevOps, automation, scripting.

1. 📦 Azure DevOps (Pipelines)*
CI/CD pipelines for:
Web Apps
Azure Functions
Containers
Supports YAML & Classic UI-based pipelines.

✅ Best For: Enterprise-grade DevOps workflows.

5. 🐙 GitHub Actions

CI/CD workflows using GitHub.
Direct integration with Azure using actions like:

- uses: azure/webapps-deploy@v2

✅ Best For: GitHub-hosted repositories.

6. 📁 FTP/SFTP Deployment

Use FTP credentials to manually upload files to Azure Web Apps or App Service.

✅ Best For: Legacy or emergency hotfixes.

7. 🐳 Docker & Containers

Push container images to:
Azure Container Registry (ACR)
Docker Hub
Deploy using:
Azure App Service for Containers
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

✅ Best For: Containerized microservices & scale.

8. 🧾 ARM Templates / Bicep

Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) method.
Declaratively deploy Azure resources.
Repeatable and version-controllable.

✅ Best For: Repeatable infra deployments, governance.

9. 📜 Terraform

Popular open-source IaC tool.
Azure support via the azurerm provider.

✅ Best For: Multi-cloud IaC setups.

10. 🛰️ Azure Resource Manager REST API

Advanced programmatic deployments using RESTful API endpoints.

✅ Best For: Custom apps or tools automating Azure.

✅ Summary Table

Method	Type	Use Case
Visual Studio	Manual	Dev/testing workflows
Azure Portal	Manual	Admin tasks, monitoring, quick deploy
Azure CLI	Scripted	Automation & scripting
Azure DevOps	CI/CD	Enterprise deployments
GitHub Actions	CI/CD	GitHub-based automation
FTP/SFTP	Manual	Legacy or emergency deploy
Docker/Containers	Container	Microservices, cloud-native apps
ARM Templates/Bicep	IaC	Repeatable, structured deployments
Terraform	IaC	Multi-cloud infrastructure management
REST API	Programmatic	Deep automation and integrations

2. Cloud vs App services

☁️ Azure Cloud Services vs Azure App Services

1. Azure Cloud Services

Type: Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Use Case: Hosting scalable, multi-tier web applications and background processing.

Architecture:

- Uses **Web Roles** (for web apps) and **Worker Roles** (for background tasks).
- Supports full OS control and startup tasks.

Management: Requires managing VM instances, OS updates (though managed by Azure), and configuration.
Scaling: Manual or automatic scaling of instances.
Deployment: Deploys via packages (.cspkg) and configuration (.cscfg).
Customization: Higher control over environment and installed software.
Ideal for: Legacy cloud apps needing OS-level access, or apps needing custom startup tasks.

2. Azure App Services

Type: Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Use Case: Hosting web apps, REST APIs, mobile backends, and serverless functions.

Architecture:

    - Fully managed app hosting environment.
    - No OS-level management required.

Management: Azure manages patching, scaling, and infrastructure.
Scaling: Built-in autoscaling and load balancing.
Deployment: Supports Git, FTP, ZIP deploy, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions.
Customization: Limited OS access but easy integration with Azure services.
Ideal for: Modern web apps, APIs, mobile backends needing fast deployment and easy scaling.

✅ Summary Table

Feature	Azure Cloud Services	Azure App Services
Service Type	PaaS	PaaS
OS Control	Yes	No
Scaling	Manual or auto	Built-in autoscaling
Deployment Method	Packages (.cspkg/.cscfg)	Git, FTP, ZIP, DevOps, Actions
Management Overhead	Higher (VM and OS management)	Lower (fully managed)
Use Cases	Legacy apps, complex setups	Modern web apps, APIs, functions
Customization	High	Moderate

📌 Notes

Azure Cloud Services is considered a classic model, with many scenarios now better suited to App Services or Azure Kubernetes Service.
App Services offer easier and faster deployment with less management effort.

3. Impact on resource groups

🔄 Impact on Resource Groups: Azure Cloud Services vs Azure App Services

Azure Resource Groups Overview

A Resource Group is a logical container in Azure that holds related resources for an application or workload.
It helps manage, deploy, and monitor resources as a single entity.

Impact on Resource Groups

Aspect	Azure Cloud Services	Azure App Services
Resource Group Scope	Cloud Services (web roles, worker roles) and associated VMs, storage, networking grouped together	App Service plan and all related apps grouped within the resource group
Granularity	Multiple related resources (VMs, roles) bundled, sometimes across resource groups if not carefully planned	Typically simpler, with App Service Plan + apps in one resource group
Management Complexity	Higher — more resources to manage within or across groups due to multiple roles and VMs	Lower — fewer resource types, easier to organize and maintain
Deployment Impact	Updates may affect multiple related resources, requiring coordinated deployment	App Services deploy as single unit, simplified deployment in resource group
Monitoring & Billing	Can be complex due to multiple associated resources	Easier aggregation of usage and costs per resource group
Resource Dependencies	Needs careful planning to avoid resource sprawl across groups	Usually contained within fewer resources in a group

Summary

Both Cloud Services and App Services use resource groups as containers, but Cloud Services often involve more complex resource structures.
App Services simplify resource group management by consolidating app components under fewer resources.
Proper planning of resource groups is important for cost management, access control, and deployment orchestration.

4. Web role , Worker roles and Web jobs

1. Web Role

Part of Azure Cloud Services (classic PaaS).
Designed to host web applications and web APIs.
Runs IIS (Internet Information Services) by default.
Supports HTTP/HTTPS requests.
Can be scaled by increasing the number of instances.
Used for front-end web workloads.

2. Worker Role

Also part of Azure Cloud Services.
Designed to run background processing or asynchronous tasks.
Does not run IIS and cannot serve HTTP requests directly.
Runs custom code continuously or triggered by a schedule.
Typically used for tasks like:
Queue processing
Batch jobs
Data processing
Can be scaled independently of Web Roles.

3. WebJobs

Feature of Azure App Services (modern PaaS).
Runs background or scheduled jobs within an App Service Plan.
Supports continuous, triggered (on-demand), or scheduled execution.
Can run any executable or script (e.g., .exe, PowerShell, Python).
Easy to deploy and manage alongside web apps.
Ideal for lightweight background tasks without managing separate roles or VMs.

✅ Summary Table

Feature	Web Role	Worker Role	WebJobs
Platform	Azure Cloud Services	Azure Cloud Services	Azure App Services
Purpose	Host web applications	Background processing	Background jobs/tasks
Runs IIS?	Yes	No	No
Deployment Model	Package-based (.cspkg)	Package-based (.cspkg)	Deployed within App Service
Scalability	Scalable instances	Scalable instances	Scales with App Service Plan
Use Cases	Web front-end apps	Queues, batch jobs	Scheduled/continuous tasks

📌 Notes

Web Roles and Worker Roles belong to the classic Azure Cloud Services model and are less commonly used for new projects.
WebJobs provide a simpler, more flexible way to run background tasks within App Services.

5. Loosely coupled vs tightly couples deployment

1. Tightly Coupled Deployment

Definition: Components or services are highly dependent on each other.

Characteristics:

 - Changes in one component often require changes in others.
 - Deployment must be coordinated; often deployed together as a single unit.
 - Harder to scale or update parts independently.
 - Common in monolithic applications.

Pros:

- Simpler initial development.
- Easier to test as a whole.

Cons:

- Difficult to maintain and evolve.
- Higher risk of downtime during updates.
- Poor scalability and flexibility.

2. Loosely Coupled Deployment

Definition: Components or services operate independently with minimal dependencies.

Characteristics:

- Each service/component can be deployed, scaled, updated independently.
- Communicate through well-defined APIs or messaging.
- Supports microservices architecture.

Pros:

- Greater flexibility and scalability.
- Easier maintenance and faster deployments.
- Fault isolation — one component failure less likely to impact others.

Cons:

- More complex to design and implement.
- Requires robust inter-service communication mechanisms.

✅ Summary Table

Aspect	Tightly Coupled	Loosely Coupled
Dependency	High dependency between components	Minimal dependencies, independent
Deployment	Monolithic, coordinated deployment	Independent deployments
Scalability	Limited, whole system scales	Each component scales individually
Flexibility	Low, difficult to change parts	High, easy to modify and evolve
Fault Isolation	Poor — one failure affects entire system	Good — isolated failures
Complexity	Simpler initially	More complex design and infrastructure

📌 Notes

    - Loosely coupled deployment is preferred for modern cloud-native and microservices applications.
    - Tightly coupled deployment might still be used for simple or legacy systems.

6. Configuration files in Azure deployment

Overview

Configuration files store settings and parameters that control application behavior and deployment environment without changing code. Azure supports multiple types of configuration files depending on the service and deployment model.

Common Configuration Files in Azure

File Type	Purpose	Typical Usage
appsettings.json	Application-specific settings (e.g., connection strings, API keys)	ASP.NET Core and other modern apps
web.config	IIS and .NET Framework app configuration	Traditional ASP.NET apps on Azure App Service
ARM Templates	Infrastructure-as-Code for deploying Azure resources	Declarative deployment of resources and configs
Bicep Files	Simplified ARM templates	Infrastructure deployments with more readable syntax
.env files	Environment variables for local development	Local development and containerized app configuration
applicationHost.config	IIS server-level settings	Azure App Service advanced IIS configuration
host.json	Azure Functions runtime configuration	Configure triggers, logging, retry policies
local.settings.json	Local settings for Azure Functions development	Local development environment variables
service.json / config.json	Custom app config files	App-specific custom configurations

Deployment Configuration Approaches

Slot Settings: In Azure App Services, deployment slots can have slot-specific settings to avoid overriding production values.
Azure App Configuration: Centralized service to manage app settings and feature flags dynamically.
Azure Key Vault: Secure storage for sensitive configuration data like secrets, keys, and certificates.
Environment Variables: Supported in all Azure services for injecting configurations dynamically.

Best Practices

Keep sensitive data out of config files; use Key Vault or environment variables.
Use separate config files or slots for dev, test, and prod environments.
Use ARM/Bicep templates for infrastructure config versioning and automation.
Validate configuration files locally before deployment.

📌 Notes

Many Azure SDKs and services have native support to load configs from these files or services.
Configurations can be overridden at runtime via portal, CLI, or API for flexibility.

7. Doing RDP in virtual machines.

🖥️ How to Use RDP to Connect to Azure Virtual Machines

What is RDP?

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) allows you to remotely connect to a Windows virtual machine (VM) and interact with its desktop environment.

Prerequisites

Azure VM must be running Windows OS.
VM should have RDP port (TCP 3389) open in its Network Security Group (NSG).
You need the VM's public IP address or DNS name.
A valid username and password (or SSH key for Linux, but RDP is for Windows).

Steps to Connect via RDP

1. Enable RDP Access

When creating the VM, ensure RDP port 3389 is allowed in the Inbound security rules of the VM’s Network Security Group (NSG).
If the VM is behind a firewall, make sure port 3389 is open.

2. Obtain Connection Details

Go to the Azure Portal.
Navigate to Virtual Machines > Your VM.
Find the Public IP address or DNS name.

3. Launch Remote Desktop Client

On Windows: Use built-in Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe).
On macOS/Linux: Use Microsoft Remote Desktop app or compatible RDP client.

4. Connect to the VM

Open the RDP client.
Enter the public IP address or DNS name.
Enter your VM username and password.
Click Connect.

5. Accept the Security Certificate (if prompted)

Confirm and proceed with the connection.

Troubleshooting Tips

Port blocked: Verify NSG and firewall settings allow inbound traffic on port 3389.
Incorrect credentials: Make sure username and password are correct.
VM not running: Ensure the VM is started.
Public IP change: If the VM uses a dynamic IP, the address might have changed.

Security Best Practices

Use Just-In-Time (JIT) VM Access to limit RDP exposure.
Restrict RDP access by IP address ranges.
Use Azure Bastion for secure RDP access without exposing port 3389 publicly.
Enable Network Security Groups (NSGs) properly.

Summary

Step	Description
Enable port 3389	Open in NSG for inbound RDP traffic
Get public IP/DNS	From Azure portal VM overview
Use RDP client	Windows MSTSC or compatible client
Connect & login	Provide credentials and accept cert
Secure access	Use JIT, Bastion, NSGs for security