Creating an App Service plan in Microsoft Azure is a crucial step in deploying your software applications on the cloud. It defines a set of capacity and compute resources for hosting your apps. For anyone preparing for the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator exam, understanding the process of creating, configuring, and managing an App Service plan is nearly essential.
What is an App Service Plan?
An App Service plan in Microsoft Azure represents a group of servers, virtual machines (VMs), or other computing resources where your apps run. It also contains information specifying its pricing tier, geographical location, and instance size, among other things.
Creating an App Service Plan
Here are step-by-step instructions to create an App Service plan in Azure:
- Sign in to the Azure portal: In the first step, navigate to the Azure portal and authenticate using your account credentials.
- Navigate to App Service plans: In the left-hand menu, go to ‘All services’ and search for ‘App Service plans’. Click on ‘App Service plans’ to continue.
- Add a new App Service plan: Click on the ‘Add’ button on the App Service plans page.
- Configure the Basics: In the ‘Basics’ tab, select the correct subscription and resource group for your App Service plan. If a resource group is not already created, you can create a new one from this page.
- Plan Details: Define a unique name for your App Service plan and select a region where your app will be hosted.
- Choose Pricing Tier: Based on your app requirement, choose the desired pricing tier. Each pricing tier represents different resource capabilities, and you can click on the ‘View all’ button to see the differences between each one.
- Review + Create: Once all the details are filled, review the configurations and press the ‘Create’ button to create your App Service plan.
Understanding Pricing Tiers
Understanding pricing tiers in an App Service plan is important. Pricing tiers determine the capacity, capabilities, and cost of your App Service plan. Here’s a comparison of some pricing tiers:
| Pricing Tier | Features |
|---|---|
| Free (F1) | Shared compute resources, 1 GB memory, 60 minutes/day compute |
| Shared (D1) | Shared compute resources, 1 GB memory, Up to 240 minutes/day compute |
| Basic (B1, B2, B3) | Dedicated compute resources, 1.75 to 3.5 GB memory, Custom domains and SSL |
| Standard (S1, S2, S3) | Dedicated compute resources, 1.75 to 7 GB memory, Autoscale up to 10 instances |
Note: It’s essential to choose the pricing tier that best meets your app’s requirements without incurring unnecessary cost.
This article has given you information on creating an App Service plan, understanding pricing tiers, and the steps required to create an App Service plan, which is a key part of managing Azure infrastructure and is likely to be covered in the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator exam.
Practice Test
True or False: An App Service plan specifies the compute resources for your app.
- True
Answer: True
Explanation: An App Service plan in Azure represents the physical resources that are allocated for your web app. These resources may be shared among multiple apps, depending on the tier of the App Service plan.
Can we host multiple web apps in a single App Service plan?
- True
Answer: True
Explanation: An App Service plan can host multiple web apps, mobile app back ends, and RESTful APIs. Deployed applications and instances for these services are assigned to an App Service plan and run within its context.
True or False: You are allowed to run Linux and Windows apps in the same App Service plan.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: An App Service plan can only run apps on the same operating system. You cannot mix Windows apps and Linux apps in the same App Service plan.
What types of scaling are supported by an App Service plan?
- A. Vertical Scaling
- B. Horizontal Scaling
- C. Diagonal Scaling
- D. Reverse Scaling
Answer: A and B
Explanation: Vertical scaling refers to increasing or decreasing the capacity of resources, while horizontal scaling refers to the addition or removal of instances.
True or False: An App Service Plan allows you to allocate resources on other cloud platforms, not just Azure.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: An App Service Plan is an Azure product and works only within the Azure ecosystem.
Which payment model does Azure App Service plan follow?
- A. Pay as you go
- B. Monthly fixed rate
- C. Annual subscription
- D. Pay per use
Answer: A
Explanation: Azure App Service Plan follows a pay-as-you-go payment model, you will be charged based on the App Service Plan usage.
Are you able to change the pricing tier of your App Service Plan after you have created it?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer: A
Explanation: Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade an App Service Plan after creation by changing the pricing tier according to the needs of your applications.
True or False: Free tier App Service Plans have the ability to scale out manually or automatically.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Free tier App Service Plans do not support the ability to scale out automatically or manually; this feature is only available in the higher pricing tiers.
What services can an App Service Plan host?
- A. Web apps
- B. RESTful APIs
- C. Mobile app back ends
- D. Databases
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: An App Service Plan can host web apps, mobile app back ends, and RESTful APIs, but it cannot host databases.
True or False: Azure App Service Environment v3 does not support App Service plan.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure App Service Environment v3 introduced a simplified deployment experience and cost savings compared to ASEv2, and it does support App Service plan.
Interview Questions
What is an Azure App Service plan?
An Azure App Service Plan is a hosting plan within Microsoft Azure that provides the resources necessary to run your app.
What are the two main metrics that determine an App Service plan’s pricing tier?
The pricing tier of an App Service plan is determined by two main metrics: CPU and RAM.
What is the maximum number of apps that you can host in an App Service Plan?
You can host unlimited number of apps in an App Service Plan.
Can an App Service plan be shared among multiple app services?
Yes, an App Service plan can be shared among multiple service instances deployed in the same geographical region.
What is the command in Azure CLI to create an App Service plan?
The command in Azure CLI to create an App Service plan is “az appservice plan create”.
What does the “Scale Up” operation in App Service plan signify?
The “Scale Up” operation in an App Service plan signifies increasing the available resources, including CPU and RAM, to run your application.
How are costs calculated for an App Service Plan?
Costs for an App Service Plan are calculated based on the pricing tier, the geographical region, and the number of instances you run.
Can you change the pricing tier of an existing App Service Plan?
Yes, you can change the pricing tier of an existing App Service Plan at any time through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell cmdlets.
What happens to the hosted apps when an App Service plan is deleted?
When an App Service plan is deleted, all apps associated with that plan are also deleted.
What happens when you “Scale Out” in an App Service Plan?
When you “Scale Out” in an App Service Plan, you increase the number of VM instances that run your app, allowing for more traffic and computational power.
Can you move an App Service Plan to a different Resource Group or Subscription?
Yes, it’s possible to move an App Service Plan to a different Resource Group or Subscription, though it requires careful planning and downtime.
Is it possible to move an app to a different App Service Plan?
Yes, an app can be moved to a different App Service Plan through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
Is it possible to have different apps in different pricing tiers under the same App Service Plan?
No, the pricing tier is set at the App Service Plan level and applies to all apps under that plan.
Do all the apps in an App Service Plan share the same resources?
Yes, all apps in an App Service Plan share the resources that are available to the plan.
Can you implement auto-scaling in App Service Plan?
Yes, auto-scaling can be implemented in App Service Plan which automatically adjusts the number of VM instances based on the load or schedule.
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