Creating an App Service in Microsoft Azure is an invaluable skill, particularly for those preparing for the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator exam. This task involves leveraging the power of Microsoft’s state-of-the-art cloud computing service, which allows app creation and hosting without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. By the end of this post, you will not only understand what an App Service is, but also how to create one.
What is an App Service?
An Azure App Service is a managed platform for hosting web apps, REST APIs, and back-end services. It supports numerous platforms including .NET, Java, Ruby, and Node.js, amongst others.
Features of Azure App Service include:
- Integration with GitHub, Docker Hub or Azure Container Registry for continuous deployment.
- Automated and preconfigured load balancing.
- Auto-scaling depending on HTTP load or CPU usage.
- Integration with Visual Studio Team Services, GitHub, BitBucket, Docker Hub or Azure DevOps.
- Traffic Manager integration.
Creating an Azure App Service
Here are the steps to create your Azure App Service:
- Log in to the Azure portal.
- From the left menu, select “Create a resource.”
- In the “New” window that appears, search for “Web App.”
- In the search results, select “Web App” and then click on the “Create” button.
- In the “Web App Create” window, you will need to provide several details:
- Subscription: Choose the Azure subscription you want to use.
- Resource Group: Select an existing resource group or create a new one.
- Name: Give your web app a name which will be a part of your app’s URL. This has to be unique in Azure.
- Publish: Choose either Code or Docker Container, according to your app’s needs.
- Runtime stack: Select the platform you’re using, e.g., .NET, Java, Node.js.
- Operating System: Choose whether you want your app to run on Windows or Linux.
- Region: Choose the region that’s closest to your users.
- App Service Plan/Location: Choose your existing App Service plan or create a new one.
- After providing the necessary information, click on “Review + Create”.
- Azure will validate your inputs, and once the validation is successful, you can click on the “Create” button.
Monitoring an App Service
After creating an App Service, you’ll want to monitor its performance and usage. Azure provides built-in options for this.
To monitor your App Service:
- Navigate to the Azure portal.
- Open your App Service, and from the left navigation, select “Diagnose and solve problems”.
- Here, you can analyze the metrics, setup email alerts, and check out the application logs.
Having a deep understanding of Azure App Services is critical for the AZ-104 exam. Programmatically, you can create and manage Azure App Services using Azure Management Libraries for .NET, and Azure Management Libraries for Java. Additionally, you can use Visual Studio or Azure SDKs to create and deploy your applications to Azure App Service.
Remember, the Azure Administrator exam is all about showcasing your ability to implement, manage, and monitor Azure resources, and Azure App Service is a pivotal service within the ecosystem.
Practice Test
True/False: Azure App Service supports applications defined by Azure as Web Apps, API apps, and Mobile apps.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps that supports the three specified types of applications.
When you create an app in Azure App Service, what is the default level of diagnostic logs that are enabled?
- A) Error level logs
- B) Warning level logs
- C) Information level logs
- D) No logs are enabled by default
Answer: D) No logs are enabled by default
Explanation: By default, no diagnostic logs are enabled. They must be configured to log information.
The Azure App Service Plan determines:
- A) The region where your app runs
- B) The amount of storage space available to your app
- C) The number of features available to your app
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: The App Service Plan you choose determines the location, features, cost, and compute resources associated with your app.
Azure App Services cannot be used with Docker-based applications. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: App Service can host Docker containers allowing for a wide range of application types to be hosted in App Service.
Azure App Service supports which of the following programming languages?
- A) .NET
- B) Python
- C) PHP
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Azure App Service has first-class support for ASP.NET, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, and Python.
App Service Environments (ASE) are part of Azure App Service and support VNET connectivity. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: App Service Environments in Azure App Service offer a fully isolated and dedicated environment to securely run App Service app at high scale.
True/False: Azure App Service does not support custom domains and SSL.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure App Service does support custom domains and SSL to ensure the secure communication and proper branding of your app.
What is the Azure App service deployment type that allows deploying written code without dealing with the underlying architecture?
- A) Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- B) Software as a Service (SaaS)
- C) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- D) None of the above
Answer: A) Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Explanation: PaaS eliminates concerns about the underlying infrastructure because it provides a platform where you can just deploy the code.
True/False: You cannot scale Azure App Service both horizontally and vertically.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure App Service can be scaled up (vertically) by choosing a different pricing tier, and scaled out (horizontally) by increasing the instance count.
In which of the following scenarios would a developer need to use the Kudu service that is part of Azure App Service?
- A) When the developer needs to debug the source code of an app
- B) When the developer needs to see the files, configurations, and processes of an app
- C) When the developer needs to deploy an app using Git
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Kudu is the engine behind many features in Azure App Service and the above scenarios are just a few of its use cases.
Interview Questions
What is Azure App Service?
Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps. It allows you to build web and mobile apps for any platform and any device.
What programming languages are supported by Azure App Service?
Azure App Service supports a variety of programming languages such as .NET, .NET Core, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, or Python.
How can you manage Azure App Services?
Azure App Services can be managed through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, REST APIs, and through client SDKs.
What is the role of Deployment Slots in Azure App Service?
Deployment slots in Azure App Service enable you to deploy different versions of web applications to different URLs. You can test a certain version and then swap the content & configuration between slots.
What are the scaling options available in Azure App Service?
Azure App Service can be manually scaled by changing the App Service plan. It can also be auto-scaled based on schedule or metric.
Can Azure App Service be integrated with Azure Virtual Networks?
Yes, Azure App Service can be integrated with Azure Virtual Networks, which makes it possible to access resources across networks.
How does Azure App Service Plan relate to the App Service?
An Azure App Service Plan defines the location, size, and features of the App Service hosting environment. It dictates the infrastructure of your App Service.
Is Azure App Service suitable for building RESTful APIs?
Yes, you can definitely use Azure App Service to build RESTful APIs. It supports a variety of programming languages which are typically used for these purposes.
How is the custom domain setup in Azure App Service?
You can set up a custom domain in Azure App Service by purchasing a domain from Azure or by mapping an already-owned domain to the App Service.
How can you authenticate and authorize users in Azure App Service?
Azure App Service provides built-in authentication and authorization support so you can sign in users and access data by writing minimal or no code.
Can you enable SSL for a web app in Azure App Service?
Yes, Azure App Service supports adding SSL bindings for domains and auto-renews them as long as the App Service plan is not expired.
Does Azure App Service support Docker Containers?
Yes, you can host Docker Containers on Linux in Azure App Service. You can pull container images from Docker Hub, Azure Container Registry, or your own private container registry.
Can Azure Functions be created as part of an App Service?
Yes, Azure Functions is one of the hosting options of Azure App Service. It operates on a serverless architecture, where the cloud provider manages the infrastructure.
Can the Azure CDN be integrated with Azure App Service?
Yes, you can integrate Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) with Azure App Service to cache content at the edge nodes of Azure to provide better performance to users worldwide.
What is the purpose of diagnostic logs in Azure App Service?
Diagnostic logs in Azure App Service provide information on the web app’s operation and the web server’s operation, which can help in identifying and diagnosing issues related to your app’s performance or behavior.
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