Differences Between Azure Web App and Azure Static Web App

Azure Web App
Purpose:

Designed for hosting dynamic web applications, APIs, and backends that require server-side processing.
Key Features:

Server-Side Processing:

Supports server-side languages and frameworks such as .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP, and Ruby.
Can host web applications with complex business logic and dynamic content generation.
Deployment Options:

Integrated with Azure DevOps, GitHub, and other CI/CD pipelines.
Allows manual deployment via FTP or Azure CLI.
Target Audience:

Best for full-stack web applications or web APIs requiring backend logic.
Azure Static Web App
Purpose:

Designed for hosting static front-end web applications with optional serverless backend APIs.
Key Features:

Static Content Hosting:

Optimized for static assets such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images.
Supports frameworks like Angular, React, Vue, and Gatsby.
Serverless Backend:

Allows integration with Azure Functions for serverless APIs.
API is deployed alongside the static content for simplicity.
Global Content Delivery:

Content is served through a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) for low latency and high availability.
Deployment:

Automatic deployment from GitHub or Azure DevOps repositories.
Includes build automation for static site generators.
Target Audience:

Best for front-end-only applications or SPAs (Single Page Applications) with minimal or no backend requirements.

Which Option is Better for a React SPA with Backend APIs?
 Azure Static Web App

When to Use Azure Web App Instead?
If your backend APIs are not serverless or you require a tightly coupled backend hosted alongside the app (e.g., using Express.js or ASP.NET), Azure Web App might be a better choice.

For most React SPAs with lightweight serverless APIs, Azure Static Web App is the optimal solution due to its simplicity, performance, and cost advantages.

Hope this will help.

Thanks