Microsoft Azure – Deploying Free Web Apps

Here at Beringer we utilize the newest of Microsoft’s technologies.  A big part of Microsoft’s new software offering includes the Azure Cloud platform.  Azure provides a large toolset for quick infrastructure deployment.  One particular tool in that toolset is the ability to deploy free Web Apps.  In this article I would like to discuss how you can instantly deploy and test .NET Web Services.

Microsoft is allowing you to try Azure for free!  They are promoting a $200 subscription credit or 30 days of services, whichever runs out first, for new Azure users to deploy web applications and any other service Azure has to offer.  You can read more and sign up at the link below:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/

I’m going to assume you have an Azure Subscription and downloaded and installed Visual Studio 2015 along with Azure SDK 2.7.  If you have not, please find those resources in the links below:

Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=532606&clcid=0x409

Azure SDK 2.7:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48178

Open Visual Studio 2015 and Create a new Project.

Then, choose the ASP.NET Web Application in the programming language of your choosing.

You can choose any template, but for this blog I am choosing Web Form as it comes with some nice starting pages as well as Authentication.  Also be sure to choose Host in the cloud and Web App from the drop down.

Once that is completed, you get to choose the name for your web service as well as its region and database integration.

Note: Using a SQL Database will incur costs on your Azure Subscription.

Once you hit OK, Visual Studio will create your project as well as upload your sample web app to your newly provisioned Web App.  Use the web address you created in the last step to deploy and test your code in a matter of seconds!  Enjoy and happy coding. 🙂

For more information, feel free to contact Beringer, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.