Deploying to Azure App Service via GitHub or Azure DevOps: A Guide for Nonprofits

At the heart of this post is Kairos IMS, an innovative Impact Management System designed to empower human-serving nonprofits and social impact organizations. Co-developed by the Urban League of Broward County and our trusted technology partner, Impactful, Kairos IMS reduces administrative burdens, enhances holistic care, and enables organizations to leverage data for increased agility and seamless service delivery. In this blog series, we’ll take a closer look at the powerful technologies that fuel Kairos IMS, from Azure services to security frameworks, offering insight into how modern infrastructure supports mission-driven impact. Click here to learn more. 

In today’s digital-first world, nonprofits are increasingly turning to cloud platforms to deliver services, engage communities, and scale their missions. Azure App Service offers a powerful, scalable, and cost-effective way to host web applications—and when paired with GitHub or Azure DevOps, deployment becomes seamless and automated.

Whether you're a small nonprofit with limited IT resources or a larger organization looking to modernize, this guide will walk you through how to deploy your web app to Azure using tools you may already be using.

Why Azure App Service?

Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps. Key benefits for nonprofits include:

• Free and discounted tiers through Microsoft’s nonprofit offers
• Built-in CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)
• Support for multiple languages (Node.js, Python, .NET, Java, PHP)
• Security and compliance baked in

Option 1: Deploy via GitHub

Best for: Teams already using GitHub for version control

Steps:

1. Create an Azure App Service
   • Go to the Azure Portal
   • Create a new App Service (choose your runtime stack and region)
2. Connect to GitHub
   • In your App Service, go to Deployment Center
   • Choose GitHub as the source
   • Authenticate and select your repository and branch
3. Configure Build Settings
   • Azure will auto-detect your app type (e.g., Node.js, Python)
   • You can customize build commands if needed
4. Deploy Automatically
   • Every push to your GitHub branch will trigger a deployment to Azure

Option 2: Deploy via Azure DevOps

 Best for: Teams using Azure Boards, Pipelines, or managing multiple environments

Steps:

1. Set Up Azure DevOps Project
   • Go to dev.azure.com
   • Create a new project and import your code repository
2. Create a Pipeline
   • Use the Azure Web App template
   • Define your build and release steps in YAML or the visual editor
3. Connect to Azure
   • Use a Service Connection to authenticate with your Azure subscription
4. Deploy to App Service
   • Define your deployment stage to push code to your Azure App Service
5. Automate and Monitor
   • Add approvals, testing, and monitoring to your pipeline

Tips for Nonprofits

• Apply for Microsoft for Nonprofits: Get free Azure credits and discounted services.
• Use GitHub Actions: If you prefer GitHub, Actions can replace Azure DevOps pipelines.
• Start with Free Tiers: Azure App Service has a free tier perfect for testing and small apps.
• Secure Your App: Use Azure’s built-in authentication and HTTPS enforcement.

Real-World Impact

Imagine a nonprofit that builds a volunteer portal. With GitHub and Azure App Service:

• Developers push updates to GitHub
• Azure automatically deploys the latest version
• Volunteers always access the most up-to-date tools
• IT staff spend less time on manual deployments

Understanding GitHub for Deployment

GitHub is more than just a place to store code—it's a collaboration platform that helps teams manage changes, track issues, and automate deployments. Here’s how to use and read GitHub effectively when deploying to Azure App Service.

1. Repository (Repo) Basics

A repository is where your project lives. It contains:

• Code: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, etc.
• README.md: A markdown file that explains your project
• .github/workflows/: Contains GitHub Actions for automation
• azure-pipelines.yml (if using Azure DevOps): Defines your CI/CD pipeline

 2. Branches and Commits

• Branches allow you to work on features or fixes without affecting the main code.
• Commits are snapshots of your changes. Each commit has a message describing what changed.

💡 Tip: Use clear commit messages like Add volunteer form or Fix login bug.

 3. GitHub Actions (CI/CD)

GitHub Actions automate tasks like testing and deploying. A typical deployment workflow might look like this:

Secrets like AZURE_WEBAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE are stored securely in GitHub under Settings > Secrets.

 4. Reading GitHub for Deployment Status

• Actions Tab: Shows the status of your workflows (success, failure, logs)
• Pull Requests: Review and merge code changes
• Issues: Track bugs, features, and tasks

 5. Testing Before Deployment

You can add steps in your workflow to run tests before deploying:

- run: npm test

This ensures only working code gets deployed.

Summary for Nonprofits