Deploy Your First App Using GitHub Copilot for Azure: A Beginner’s Guide

Deploying an app for the first time can feel overwhelming. You may find yourself switching between tutorials, scanning documentation, and wondering if you missed a step. But what if you could do it all in one place? Now you can!

With GitHub Copilot for Azure, you can receive real time deployment guidance without leaving the Visual Studio Code. While it won’t fully automate deployments, it serves as a step-by-step AI powered assistant, helping you navigate the process with clear, actionable instructions. No more endless tab switching or searching for the right tutorial—simply type, deploy, and learn, all within your IDE i.e. Visual Studio Code.

If you are a student, you have access to exclusive opportunities!

Whether you are exploring new technologies or experimenting with them, platforms like GitHub Education and the Microsoft Learn Student Hub provide free Azure credits, structured learning paths, and certification opportunities. These resources can help you gain hands-on experience with GitHub Copilot for Azure and streamline your journey toward deploying applications efficiently.

Prerequisites:

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

• Account in GitHub.
• Sign up with GitHub Copilot.
• Account in Azure (Claim free credits using Azure for Students)
• Visual Studio Code installed.

Step 1: Installation

1. How to install GitHub Copilot for Azure? 

Open VS Code, in the leftmost panel, click on Extensions, type – ‘GitHub Copilot for Azure’, and install the first result which is by Microsoft.

2. After this installation, you will be prompted to install – GitHub Copilot, Azure Tools, and other required installations. Click on allow and install all required extensions from the same method, as used above. 

Step 2: Enable

1. How to enable GitHub Copilot in GitHub? 

Open GitHub click on top rightmost Profile pic, a left panel will open. 
Click on Your Copilot.  

Upon opening, enable it for IDE, as shown in the below Figure.

Step 3: Walkthrough 

1. Open VSCode, and click on the GitHub Copilot icon from topmost right side. This will open the GitHub Copilot Chat. From here, you can customize the model type and Send commands. 
   Type azure to work with Azure related tasks. Below figure will help to locate the things smoothly: 

Step 4: Generate Boilerplate Code with GitHub Copilot

Let’s start by creating a simple HTML website that we will deploy to Azure Static Web Apps Service.

Prompt for GitHub Copilot:
Create a simple "Hello, World!" code with HTML.

Copilot will generate a basic structure like this:

Then, click on "Edit with Copilot." It will create an index.html file and add the code to it.

Then, click on "Accept" and modify the content and style if needed before moving forward.

Step 5: Deploy Your App Using Copilot Prompts

Instead of searching for documentation, let’s use Copilot to generate deployment instructions directly within Visual Studio Code.

Trigger Deployment Prompts Using azure

To get deployment related suggestions, use azure in GitHub Copilot’s chat.

In the chat text box at the bottom of the pane, type the following prompt after azure, then select Send (paper airplane icon) or press Enter on your keyboard:

Prompt:

azure How do I deploy a static website?

Copilot will provide two options: deploying via Azure Blob Storage or Azure Static Web App Service.

We will proceed with Azure Static Web Apps, so we will ask Copilot to guide us through deploying our app using this service.

We will use the following prompt:
azure I would like to deploy a site using Azure Static Web Apps. Please provide a step-by-step guide.

Copilot will then return steps like:

You will receive a set of instructions to deploy your website. To make it simpler, you can ask Copilot for a more detailed guide.

To get a detailed guide, we will use the following prompt:

azure Can you provide a more detailed guide and elaborate on GitHub Actions, including the steps to take for GitHub Actions?

Copilot will then return steps like:

See? That’s how you can experiment, ask questions, and get step-by-step guidance. Remember, the better the prompt, the better the results will be.

Step 6: Learn as You Deploy

One of the best features of Copilot is that you can ask follow-up questions if anything is unclear—all within Visual Studio Code, without switching tabs.

Examples of Useful Prompts:

• What Azure services should I use with my app?
• What is GitHub Actions, and how does it work?
• What are common issues when deploying to Azure, and how can I fix them?

Copilot provides contextual responses, guiding you through troubleshooting and best practices. You can learn more about this here.

Conclusion:

With GitHub Copilot for Azure, deploying applications is now more intuitive than ever. Instead of memorizing complex commands, you can use AI powered prompts to generate deployment steps in real time and even debug the errors within Visual Studio Code.

🚀 Next Steps:

• Experience with different prompts and explore how Copilot assists you.
• Try deploying more advanced applications, like Node.js or Python apps.

GitHub Copilot isn’t just an AI assistant, it’s a learning tool. The more you engage with it, the more confident you’ll become in deploying and managing applications on Azure!

Learn more about GitHub Copilot for Azure:

• Understand what GitHub Copilot for Azure Preview is and how it works.
• See example prompts for learning more about Azure and understanding your Azure account, subscription, and resources.
• See example prompts for designing and developing applications for Azure.
• See example prompts for deploying your application to Azure.
• See example prompts for optimizing your applications in Azure.
• See example prompts for troubleshooting your Azure resources.

That's it, folks! But the best part? You can become part of a thriving community of learners and builders by joining the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Community. Connect with like-minded individuals, explore hands-on projects, and stay updated with the latest in cloud and AI.

💬 Join the community on Discord here.