Quick Start-Up With Windows Azure

Introduction

This article will cover the following things:

• Brief Concepts
• Implementation – Create Azure account.
• Implementation – Configure Azure account to deploy the MVC Application
• Implementation – Configure Visual Studio with Microsoft Azure account.
• Implementation - Develop a basic MVC Application, using Visual Studio.
• Implementation – Deploy MVC Application on Azure, using Visual Studio.

What is Windows Azure?

• It is an internet-scale Cloud Services platform, hosted in Microsoft data centers.
• It is a flexible and inter-operable platform. It can be used to build new Applications to run from the Cloud or enhance the existing Applications with the Cloud-based capabilities.
• It reduces the need for up-front technology purchases and it enables the developers to quickly and easily create the Applications, running in the Cloud, by using their existing skills with Microsoft Visual Studio development environment and the Microsoft .NET framework.
  
  

Why Azure?

• Get more done
  Any developer or IT professional can be productive with Azure. The integrated tools, pre-built templates and Managed Services make it easier to build and manage the enterprise, using the skills you already have and technologies you already know.
  
  
• Extend your existing IT
  It easily integrates with your existing IT environment through the largest network of secure private connections, hybrid database, and storage solutions — so your assets stay right where you need them.
  
  
• Scale as you need, pay as you go.
  Its’s pay-as-you-go. Services can quickly scale up or down to match the demand. So, you only pay for what you use.
  
  
• Protect your data
  Microsoft has made an industry-leading commitment to the protection and privacy of your data, using Azure.
  
  
• Run your apps anywhere
  It runs on a worldwide network of Microsoft-managed data centers, across 26 regions—more countries and regions than Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud combined.
  
  
• Make smarter decisions
  Its predictive analytics Services, including machine learning, Cortana Analytics, and Stream Analytics are redefining the business intelligence. Make smarter decisions, improve the customer service, and uncover new business possibilities from your structured, unstructured, and streaming IOT data.
  
  
  

Implementation – Create Azure account

Steps to be followed

• Go the URL and click “Start Now”.
  
  
  
  
• Sign-in to the Application, using your Microsoft account credentials (Create one if you don’t have).
  
  
  
• Choose the free trial account option (Not visible in my case, as I have already created it) and create one by giving your card details.
  
  
  
  
• Once you have created it, go to the URL and select Azure portal.
  
  
  
  
• You will be redirected to the Dashboard.
  
  

Implementation – Configure Azure account to deploy the MVC Application

Steps to be followed

• Choose “Resource groups” option from the menu and create a new resource group by clicking “Add” button.
  
  
  
  
• Click “Refresh” and check for the new resource-group.
  
  
  
  
• Choose “App Services” option from the menu and create a new app Service by clicking “Add” button and choosing the existing resource group within the app-Service and wait for some minutes, as it might take couple of minutes.
  
  
  
  
• Click “Refresh” and check for the new app-Service.
  
  
  

Implementation – Configure Visual Studio with Microsoft Azure account

Steps to be followed

• Open Visual Studio 2015. Choose Help->Register Product and sign-in to Visual Studio account, using Microsoft Azure account credentials.
  
  

Implementation – Develop a basic MVC Application using Visual Studio

Steps to be followed

• Open Visual Studio 2015 and create Project.
  
• Choose Cloud->ASP.NET Web Application.
  
  
  
  
• Choose Empty Template, MVC and uncheck Host-In-Cloud option (to understand the concept better).
  
  
  
  
• Add the default MVC files with few changes in the Index.cshtml.
  
  
  
  
• Run the Application for the URL for e.g. http://localhost:56076/Home/Index.
  
  
  

Implementation – Deploy MVC application on Azure using Visual Studio

Steps to be followed

• Right click on the project in the Solution Explorer and click Publish.
  
  
  
  
• Choose the option “Microsoft Azure Web Apps”.
  
  
  
  
• Choose the existing WebApps – gourav8jain-demo1 (which we created in Step-2) and click OK.
  
  
  
  
• Validate the connection and publish the MVC Application.
  
  
  
  
• Go the URL to check the deployed MVC Application.
  
  
  
  
• See the attached Demo.zip file for reference and restore the packages first, before running the solution. I have deleted all the packages due to the size issue.

Point of Interest

I loved using Microsoft Azure as it allows us to deploy applications on the Cloud. That's an amazing thing offered by Microsoft .

Reference Demos

I have attached the demo of the explanation shown in the above article.