Web app scenarios

Create a web app with a backend database

Azure Web Apps enable you to easily deploy and scale web applications written in a variety of languages (including .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js and Python). The Web App service automatically handles patch management and configuration of your infrastructure – allowing you to avoid having to worry about VM management. Built-in AutoScale capability enables you to scale up/down your web application based on actual customer traffic – enabling you to serve any load, and to save money when your site is not at peak. Built-in continuous deployment support enables you to automatically deploy code updates from Visual Studio Team Services, GitHub and BitBucket.

You can integrate Web Apps with a backend Relational or NoSQL database. SQL Database is a relational database-as-a-service offering that you can use to host and scale relational databases. DocumentDB is a NoSQL document service that you can use to store, index, and query JSON based data.

Add robust search capabilities to your web app

Use Azure Search to add rich search capabilities to your Web solutions. Azure Search is a Search-as-a-Service offering that runs as a high-availability service. We take care of scaling, patching and managing the search service so that you can focus on your applications instead of having to worry about the infrastructure.

Using the Search Service you can index data stored in any data source – including databases like SQL databases, NoSQL stores like DocumentDB, files stored in Azure Blob storage, and even data stored outside of Azure. You can then build the search functionality into your web app by using REST APIs. Take advantage of built-in support for geo-location, faceting and custom scoring to create great search experiences.

Enable background processing for your web app

A common scenario with web applications is the need to run background tasks that do not have to start in response to a web request. The Azure Web App service includes built-in support for WebJobs which enable you to schedule long-running tasks without having to provision or purchase additional VM capacity. For example, you could use it to automatically create thumbnails for upload images in the background, process orders for an e-commerce site, or send emails.

Build highly responsive Web Apps using a Cache

Integrate a cache with your Web application to optimize the performance and latency. Our Azure Redis Cache is a Cache-As-A-Service offering that runs as a high-availability service. We take care of scaling, patching and managing the cache service so that you can focus on your applications instead of having to worry about the infrastructure to host it.

The Azure Redis Cache enables a low-latency, high-throughput cache that you can use to store frequently accessed data and state information needed by your application. You can use this to both improve performance as well as reduce load on your databases and other APIs.

Connect your web app to on-premises enterprise applications and SaaS apps

Build employee and partner-facing applications and connect them to resources inside your corporate firewall as well as SaaS apps you rely on. Use Azure Virtual Network to link your web application to your corporate network and link to internal databases and on-premises business systems. Leverage Azure API apps and built-in connectors when using SaaS solutions, such as Office 365, Dynamics CRM, and SalesForce to quickly exchange data and process transactions.

Optimize global Web App performance using Traffic Manager and a CDN

If your web apps are visited by a global audience, you will want to setup a content delivery network (CDN) to cache your static file assets (images, stylesheets, javascript files) closer to your users. The Azure CDN can be used to do this cost effectively and integrate with your Web apps.

You can use the Azure Traffic Manager service to deploy and run multiple copies of your Web Apps around the world. The Traffic Manager service can be used to automatically route users to the closest instance of the application – enabling you to optimize user performance. Using the Traffic Manager service also enables to you better handle failures, and automatically fail-over users to another instance of your Web app if one instance or region is having problems. Our SQL Database service now supports Active Geo Replication – which enables you to synchronize databases around the world and enable fail-over of data as well.