Understanding Azure Web Apps and Azure App service

Azure App Service is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offered in Microsoft Azure that enables developers to quickly build, deploy, and scale web, mobile, and API applications. Azure Web Apps is a specific type of Azure App Service that is focused on hosting web applications. 

Azure Web Apps provides a fully managed platform for building and hosting web applications using popular programming languages such as .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, and PHP. It includes features like automatic scaling, load balancing, traffic management, continuous deployment, and monitoring. 

Azure App Service, on the other hand, is a broader category that includes Azure Web Apps, as well as other App Service offerings such as Azure Functions (for serverless computing), Azure Logic Apps (for workflow automation), and Azure API Management (for managing APIs). 

Understanding Azure Web App 

You can create an app on Azure with Azure Web App without having to deal with the difficulties of setting up, monitoring, and maintaining your Azure virtual servers. Some key features of Azure Web App are as follows: 

• Easy Deployment: Deploying your web application is simple using Azure Web Apps. So, you can use FTP, Git, or Visual Studio Team Services to push your code to Azure, and Azure will deploy it and produce a web app for you. 
• Automatic scaling: Azure Web App can automatically scale your application based on demand, ensuring that your application can handle high traffic without any performance issues. 
• Continuous deployment: Azure Web App supports continuous deployment from various sources including GitHub, Bitbucket, and Visual Studio Team Services. 
• Integration with Azure services: Azure Web App integrates seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Storage, and Azure Functions. 
• Built-in security: Azure Web App provides built-in security features such as SSL/TLS encryption, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and Azure Active Directory authentication. 
• Monitoring and diagnostics: Azure Web App provide real-time monitoring and diagnostics to help you troubleshoot and optimize your application's performance. 
• Built-In Availability: Azure Web Apps have built-in availability, so even if one of the Azure servers goes down, your app will continue to function normally. As a result, you won't have to worry about keeping your servers up, and your users will always have a wonderful experience. 
• Serverless Code: You can launch your app with Azure Web Apps without having to worry about setting up or managing servers because serverless programming is supported. Azure Web Apps are the ideal platform for serverless code because of worry-free scaling and built-in availability. 

Pros of Azure Web App 

• Azure Web Apps are simple to develop, launch, and maintain. 
• Thanks to Azure's global network, your app is accessible everywhere. 
• Web Apps scale up or down as needed to meet demand. 
• Because of the consumption-based pricing structure, you only pay for what you really use. 
• No need to stress about server administration. 
• Work with existing development tools like Visual Studio and GitHub. 

Cons of Azure Web App 

• When the load is excessive, speed can occasionally be an issue. 
• It is only appropriate for applications with small storage needs. 

Understanding Azure App Service 

Azure App Service is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offered provided by Microsoft Azure. It allows developers to quickly build, deploy, and scale web, mobile, and API applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. 

Azure App Service offers several features and benefits: 

• Web Apps: Azure Web Apps allow you to host web applications written in various programming languages such as .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, and PHP. It provides automatic scaling, load balancing, and high availability to ensure your application is always up and running. 
• Mobile Apps: Azure Mobile Apps enables you to build and host mobile app backends. It supports various mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows, and provides features like push notifications, offline sync, and authentication. 
• API Apps: Azure API Apps allow you to build and host APIs. It provides features such as API versioning, documentation, and developer portal to manage and expose your APIs securely. 
• Logic Apps: Azure Logic Apps provide a visual design tool to create workflows and integrate various services and systems. It allows you to automate business processes and workflows by connecting different applications and services. 
• Functions: Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that allows you to run event-triggered code without managing the underlying infrastructure. It supports multiple programming languages and can be used for various use cases, including data processing, event-driven tasks, and microservices. 
• Deployment Options: Azure App Service supports deployment from various sources, including Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, and Docker containers. It provides easy integration with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. 
• Monitoring and Diagnostics: Azure App Service offers built-in monitoring and diagnostics capabilities, including application performance monitoring (APM), logging, and tracing. It helps you identify and troubleshoot issues in your applications. 
• Scaling and Autoscaling: Azure App Service allows you to scale your applications manually or automatically based on predefined rules or metrics. Autoscaling ensures your application can handle traffic spikes and scale down during periods of low demand, optimizing costs. 
• Connections to SaaS Platforms and On-Premises Data: Azure App Service provides built in connectors to popular SaaS platforms, such as Salesforce, Office 365, and Twitter. The platform also offers hybrid connectivity capabilities so that you can connect your app to on-premises data sources. 

Pros of Azure App Service 

• You can handle managing the infrastructure. 
• Azure takes care of all the patching, monitoring, and other operational tasks. 
• You can quickly scale up or down to meet the demand. 
• There is a wide range of built in DevOps capabilities. 

Cons of Azure App Services

• You may have less control over the infrastructure. 
• It might cost more than other hosting plans. 

Overall, Azure App Service provides a flexible and scalable platform for hosting and managing web, mobile, and API applications, enabling developers to focus on building their applications rather than managing infrastructure. 

Difference Between Azure Web App and Azure App Service  

• Frameworks: Azure Web App support multiple programming languages and development frameworks such as ASP.NET, PHP, Node.js, and Python and you may also use common IDEs like Visual Studio and host management systems like GitHub, While the only supported frameworks for Azure App Service are ASP.NET, PHP, and Node.js.   
• Operating System: You can select Windows or Linux as your operating system when building an Azure Web App. Web applications can function on either the Linux or Windows Azure platforms. The Azure App Service only works with Windows. Linux is not supported. Azure App Service does not support the Linux Azure platform; rather, it only supports the Windows Azure platform. 
• Authentication and Authorization: For Web app you will need to set authentication and Authorization. This is not automatically configured when you create a web app on Azure. On the other hand, Azure App Service configures authentication and authorization for your app automatically. The methods for authentication simply depend on the kind of app you create. 
• Hosting: Web apps are hosted on the Azure web hosting platform. Multiple programming languages and development frameworks are supported by the multi-tenant web hosting platform. Azure App Service is also housed on the web hosting infrastructure of Azure. However, it also supports mobile apps, API apps, and logic apps in addition to web apps. 
• Application Insights: Application Insights is configured when you create an Azure Web App on Azure. This implies that you can skip creating or setting up Application Insights for your web app. In essence, although you can still set up Application Insights for your project, Azure App Service does not automatically configure it. It is important to note that not all Azure App Service plans support Application Insights. 
• Pricing: Pricing for Azure Web App is based on the following factors: Number of web apps, Number of CPU cores, Amount of memory, Number of transactions, Data transfer. Pricing for Azure App Service is based on the following factors: Number of web apps, The Number of API apps, Number of mobile and logic apps. 
• Deployment Slots: Azure Web App does not enable deployment slots. Simply put, since multiple instances of Azure Web App cannot be created, deployment slots cannot be used with Azure Web App. Azure App Service supports deployment slots. This means you create multiple instances of Azure App Service and use them for testing or staging purposes. 
• Hybrid Connections: Azure Web App does not support Hybrid Connections, so you cannot use Hybrid Connections with Azure Web App. As a result, the number of Azure services you can connect to your web app is automatically limited.  Azure App Service supports Hybrid Connections. To connect your app to other Azure services and on-premises resources, use hybrid connections. 

Which Should You Choose: Azure Web App or App Service? 

Which service you should select actually relies on your wants and requirements because each has their advantages and disadvantages. 

If we would have to choose one, Azure App service would have been the focus since Azure App Service supports more programming languages, development frameworks, and features than Azure Web App. 

Azure App Service costs a little more than Azure Web App. But given the extra features and advantages you get with Azure App Service; we think the additional cost is justified. 

Azure Web Apps is a specific type of Azure App Service that focuses on hosting web applications, while Azure App Service is a broader category of PaaS offerings that includes Azure Web Apps and other related services. 

In conclusion, your decision regarding which option to select depends entirely on your demands and requirements. Azure Web App should be adequate if you only need a basic web app without a lot of functionality. Consequently, Azure App Service is the way to go if you need a more reliable and feature-rich web app! 

Thank you for reading and watch out for my next post on steps to create Azure Web App. The proper products for your business can be found with the assistance of Microsoft representatives, who can also answer questions about eligibility and technical support for Nonprofits. For more details Contact us!