Build, Deploy and Manage Applications on Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure provides cloud infrastructure and managed services for websites, applications, databases, APIs, business systems, and development environments.
Onlive Server helps businesses and development teams plan, deploy, configure, migrate, and maintain Azure workloads. From a single virtual machine to a multi-service application environment, the setup can be built around the resources your application actually requires.
Choose an Azure Environment That Fits Your Application
Not every application needs the same cloud architecture.
A small business website may need only an application platform and database, while a custom business application may require virtual machines, private networking, managed storage, and additional services.
Azure can support different approaches for:
The first step is understanding how the application works. From there, the appropriate Azure services can be selected and connected.
Azure Virtual Machines for Server-Level Control
Azure Virtual Machines are useful when an application needs control over the operating system, installed software, virtual disks, or server configuration.
Windows and Linux workloads can run on Azure VMs, making them suitable for applications that need a traditional server environment without owning the physical hardware.
A VM deployment can include:
VMs give you flexibility, but they also leave more administration in your hands. Updates, software configuration, access control, and application maintenance still need to be managed.
Azure App Service for Websites and APIs
Azure App Service is a managed platform for hosting web applications and REST APIs. It supports application stacks including .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, and PHP.
The main difference from a virtual machine is the level of infrastructure management. You deploy the application without having to administer the underlying operating system in the same way you would with a VM.
The setup may involve:
For a straightforward web application, App Service can remove unnecessary server administration. If the application needs operating-system-level control, a VM may be the better fit.
Move Existing Applications to Azure
Migration becomes easier when you understand the application before moving it.
A typical assessment looks at the current:
- Web server
- Application runtime
- Database
- File storage
- DNS
- SSL certificates
- Scheduled tasks
- Email services
- External APIs
- Background processes
The migration can then follow a sequence such as:
- 01 Assessment
- 02 Architecture Planning
- 03 Azure Setup
- 04 Data Migration
- 05 Application Deployment
- 06 Testing
- 07 Cutover
Before changing production traffic, test the application in Azure and verify database connections, DNS, SSL, scheduled jobs, external integrations, monitoring, and backups.
The actual migration method depends on the existing hosting environment and the Azure services selected for the destination.
Monitor Azure Applications and Infrastructure
When an application slows down, checking CPU usage alone rarely tells the complete story.
The request may travel through several components before reaching the user:
Azure Monitor and Application Insights provide monitoring and observability capabilities for Azure resources and applications.
Monitoring can help identify:
Good monitoring makes troubleshooting much easier because you can investigate what changed instead of relying only on user reports.
Why Choose Onlive Server for Azure Support?
Azure Deployment Assistance
Get help preparing the Azure environment and configuring the services required by your application.
Application Migration
Move websites, applications, databases, and supporting services from an existing environment to Azure.
Infrastructure Configuration
Set up compute, networking, storage, database connectivity, and related Azure resources.
Existing Environment Management
Get assistance with configuration changes, resource administration, and server-related tasks in an existing Azure setup.
Troubleshooting
Investigate problems involving VMs, applications, networking, storage, databases, DNS, SSL, and deployments.
Architecture Guidance
Choose between Virtual Machines, App Service, managed databases, storage, and container services based on what the application actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform for building, deploying, and managing applications and infrastructure.
02 What can I host on Azure?
Azure can host websites, APIs, business applications, databases, Windows and Linux workloads, containers, development environments, and many other application architectures.
03 What is the difference between Azure Virtual Machines and App Service?
Azure Virtual Machines provide control over the virtual server and operating system. App Service is a managed application platform where Microsoft handles much of the underlying infrastructure.
04 Can Azure run Windows and Linux workloads?
Yes. Azure supports Windows and Linux workloads through services such as Virtual Machines, and several application platforms support multiple operating systems and runtimes.
05 Can you migrate an existing website to Azure?
Yes. A migration can include assessment, Azure resource preparation, application and database migration, testing, and the final DNS or traffic change.
06 Can Azure host MySQL and PostgreSQL databases?
Yes. Azure provides managed database services for both MySQL and PostgreSQL, along with other database technologies.
07 Can I use my existing domain with Azure?
Yes. Your existing domain can be connected to the appropriate Azure service by configuring the required DNS records.
08 Is Azure suitable for ecommerce?
Yes. Ecommerce applications can be hosted on Azure using different combinations of compute, database, storage, networking, and application services.
09 Can Azure be used for staging and development?
Yes. Separate Azure resources can be used for development, testing, staging, and production environments.
10 Can Azure resources be scaled?
Yes. Azure provides different scaling methods depending on the service and workload, including VM Scale Sets and App Service scaling.
11 Does Azure provide backup and disaster recovery services?
Yes. Azure provides services and features for backup and disaster recovery, including Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery. The appropriate configuration depends on the workload and recovery requirements.
12 Do I need AKS for a containerized application?
No. Kubernetes is useful for workloads that need Kubernetes orchestration, but simpler containerized applications can use other Azure hosting options.
13 Can Azure connect to an existing infrastructure?
Yes. Azure provides networking and connectivity options for integrating cloud resources with external and on-premises infrastructure.
14 Can you troubleshoot an existing Azure environment?
Yes. Troubleshooting can cover compute, applications, networking, storage, databases, DNS, SSL, deployment, and configuration issues.
Get Microsoft Azure Support
A successful Azure deployment is not simply a matter of creating a VM or selecting a cloud service. The application, compute, network, database, storage, security, and recovery strategy need to work together.
Onlive Server provides Azure deployment, migration, configuration, management, and troubleshooting support for websites, applications, databases, APIs, and business workloads.