Introduction

Imagine you've developed an amazing web application in .NET, and now you want to make it accessible to the world. One of the most efficient and scalable ways to do this is by deploying your application to Azure App Service. Azure provides a complete solution for hosting your applications without the need to manage servers, allowing you to focus on what really matters: development.

In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the process of deploying an ASP.NET application to Azure App Service, from creating the resource to deploying the application.

What is Azure App Service?

Azure App Service is a managed hosting platform that allows you to easily create and deploy web applications, APIs, and even mobile apps. It offers automatic scaling, built-in security, and support for multiple programming languages such as .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, and more.

For .NET developers, Azure App Service is the natural choice for hosting applications securely and at scale.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

• Azure Account: If you don’t have one yet, you can create one here.

• Visual Studio 2019/2022 or Visual Studio Code: Installed on your computer.

• .NET Core SDK: Ensure the latest version of the .NET SDK is installed.

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy Your Web App to Azure

Step 1: Creating the Web App in Visual Studio

• Open Visual Studio and create a new ASP.NET Core Web Application project.

• Select the ASP.NET Core Web App (Model-View-Controller) option.
• Choose the latest version of .NET Core and configure the project name.

• Build your application by adding controllers, views, and necessary logic.

• Run the project locally to ensure everything works correctly.

Step 2: Creating the App Service in Azure

Now that your application is ready, let’s set it up on Azure.

• Go to the Azure portal and sign in.

• Navigate to "App Services" in the portal menu and click "Create".

• Fill in the required details:

• Resource Group: Create a new one or select an existing
  one.

• App Name: Choose a unique name for your app.

• Publish: Select "Code".

• Runtime Stack: Select the .NET version your app is using
  (e.g., ".NET 6").

• Region: Choose the nearest region for better latency.

• Hosting Plan: Choose the Service Plan that best suits your needs. To start, the free plan (F1) is a great option for small projects.

• Review and Create: Click "Review + Create", and after reviewing, click "Create" to provision the resource.

Step 3: Deploying the Web App to Azure

• In Visual Studio, right-click your project and select Publish.

• Choose Azure as the deployment target and click Next.

• Sign in to your Azure account directly from Visual Studio if you haven’t already.

• Select the App Service you just created as the deployment target.

• Configure the deployment options, review the settings, and click Publish.

• Visual Studio will now automatically deploy your application to Azure App Service. Once completed, the URL of your published application will be displayed.

Step 4: Verifying the Deployed Application

Once the deployment process is complete, your application will be available at the App Service URL.

• Visit the provided URL to see your application live.

• Test the application online to ensure everything works as
  expected.

Additional Tips

• Auto Scaling: Azure App Service allows you to configure automatic scaling based on traffic, ensuring your app can handle spikes in usage without issues.

• Monitoring: Use Application Insights in Azure to monitor your app’s performance and identify bottlenecks.

• Automated Deployments: For larger projects, you can configure GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps for continuous deployments whenever code changes are made.

Conclusion

Deploying an ASP.NET application to Azure App Service is a straightforward and efficient process. With just a few steps, you can make your application accessible to the world with scalable, secure infrastructure managed by Azure. If you’re new to Azure, App Service is a great starting point for hosting your .NET applications.