Microsoft has a cloud platform which runs .NET, NodeJS and PHP. All 101 talks out there will show you the same: it’s easy to deploy, it scales out on demand and it runs WordPress. Great! But what about doing real things? In this session, we’ll explore the things they don’t teach kids in school. How about trying to find out the architecture of this platform? What about the different deployment options for Windows Azure Web Sites, the development flow and some awesome things you can do with the command line tools? Did you know you can modify the automated build process? Join me in this exploration of some lesser known techniques of the platform.

1. Windows Azure Web Sites
Things they don’t teach kids in school
Maarten Balliauw
@maartenballiauw

2. Who am I?
Maarten Balliauw
Technical Evangelist, JetBrains
AZUG
Focus on web
ASP.NET MVC, Windows Azure, SignalR, ...
MVP Windows Azure & ASPInsider
Big passion: Windows Azure
http://blog.maartenballiauw.be
@maartenballiauw
Shameless self promotion: Pro NuGet http://amzn.to/pronuget2

3. Agenda
Windows Azure Web Sites
Architecture
Project Kudu
Kudu kung-fu
Application log streaming
Managing settings
Staging and Production
Multi-tier deployments
Customizing deployments
Running batch files / background processes (*)

4. Windows Azure Web Sites

5. Web Sites in Seconds
Start Simple
Your way
Go Live
start free, scale up and out
as you go, friction-free
and without the headaches
with asp.net, php or
node.js, develop on
Windows, OSX or
Linux
deploy live in seconds,
easily monitor
performance, rapidly
diagnose and
fix issues

6. demo
Windows Azure
Web Sites

7. Architecture

8. Load balancer
Layers
1st layer: Windows Azure load balancer
2nd layer: IIS + ARR
ARR (disclaimer: not
)
“Reverse proxy”
Verifies hosting database (plans, quotas, …)
Negotiates best node to run your site on
Site not used much? Put it on a highly loaded machine

9. Web servers
%SYSTEM32%inetsrvconfigapplicationHost.config is taken out of the loop
SQL Azure
No refreshing of all app pools when file is saved
Storage
“File share” hosted on other machines
Using “WA drive” on blob storage
Dynamic website activation service
Verifies runtime database (plans, quotas, …)
Site not used for a while? Remove it from the server

10. Web Sites are not in IIS. They only
are when a request comes in!

11. 1st request (cold site)
Web Worker
IIS ARR
(LB)
Azure
LB
Runtime
DB
Other
databases
Storage
Controller

12. xth request (hot site)
Web Worker
IIS ARR
(LB)
Azure
LB
Other
databases
Storage
Controller

13. Your app not being used for a while?

14. Provisioning, publishing, metering
Provisioning and publishing
Storage and database
!= launching a website on web farm
Metering
By web servers once a site is loaded
Reported back to runtime database

15. Provisioning, publishing, metering
IIS ARR
(LB)
Web Worker
SQL Azure
Site
Site
(W3WP.exe)
Site
(W3WP.exe)
(W3WP.exe)
Runtime
DB
Metering
Azure
LB
DWAS
Blob storage
Other
databas
es
Provisioning /
API Frontend
Deployment
Server
Storage
Controller
X-Drive
Windows Azure Worker
Role

16. demo
Let’s find some
proof…

17. Need more
proof?
Windows Azure Pack
(http://www.microsoft.com/enus/server-cloud/windowsazure-pack.aspx)
Or:
http://blog.maartenballiauw.be/
post/2012/07/24/Hands-onWindows-Azure-Services-forWindows.aspx

18. Project Kudu

19. Project Kudu
“The engine behind git deployments on Windows Azure”
Open source (www.github.com/projectkudu/kudu)
Provides git deployments
Provides builds
Provides sandboxing
Provides hosting

20. demo
Project Kudu

21. Pointers from the Kudu repository
Website extensions (analytics?)
Job runner / “worker role”
“KuduCalf”
(A Kudu is an Antelope. Its baby is a calf. A Kudu Calf is deployed from
Kudu.)

22. Kudu kung-fu

23. demo
Application log
streaming

24. Log streaming
All logs from the LogFiles/Application folder
Or configure it when querying: azure log tail <site> -p http
Settings
DIAGNOSTICS_LASTRESORTFILE -> file to log to when diagnostics go
wrong
DIAGNOSTICS_LOGGINGSETTINGSFILE -> settings file (json)
DIAGNOSTICS_TEXTTRACELOGDIRECTORY -> default folder
DIAGNOSTICS_TEXTTRACEMAXLOGFILESIZEBYTES-> log rotation
(bytes)
DIAGNOSTICS_TEXTTRACEMAXLOGFOLDERSIZEBYTES -> max log
size (bytes)

25. and secrets!
demo
Managing settings

26. demo
Staging and
production

27. Deploying a specific project file
demo
Multi-tier

28. Multi-tier remarks…
One .deployment file per branch
[config]
project=MultiTier.WebApi/MultiTier.WebApi.csproj
How do I deploy all tiers in a separate website?
.deployment file per branch and every tier in a branch
or customize the build
How do I deploy all tiers in the same website?
No .deployment file, just use virtual directories

29. Customizing the build process
Check https://github.com/projectkudu/kudu/wiki/Deployment-hooks
.deployment file
[config]
command=<whatever command>
Write in batch file, bash script, PHP, JavaScript, …

30. An introduction
demo
Customizing
deployments

31. What can I do in scripts?
A lot :-) (but not too much… there’s a sandbox)
Environment variables:
DEPLOYMENT_SOURCE
DEPLOYMENT_TARGET
DEPLOYMENT_TEMP
WEBROOT_PATH
MSBUILD_PATH
+ everything you feed it through the management portal

32. Sample deployment script
demo
Customizing
deployments

33. Great… but why?
We’ve seen the multi-tier scenario
We can download stuff (NuGet package restore, pull in external Git repos
before build)
We can run stuff (msbuild, nuget.exe, curl, php, node, …)

34. What about running unit tests?
demo
Customizing
deployments

35. Note: only in Kudu at this time!
demo
Running background
processes (workers)

36. Need. Moar!

37. Moar out of the box
REST API
https://github.com/projectkudu/kudu/wiki/REST-API
Creating a custom handler
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/python/tutorials/web-sites-withdjango/

38. Need. MOAR!!!

39. A private Kudu build in web sites?

40. A private Kudu build in web sites?
Build and FTP the artifacts/debug/KuduService to your website
Add USE_PRIVATE_KUDU=1 app setting
Enjoy the ride! (but don’t call support, you’re on your own)
See http://blog.davidebbo.com/2012/06/developing-kudu-locally-and-on-azure.html

41. Conclusion

42. Key takeaways
Windows Azure Web Sites are high density
Hosted on Cloud Services
Kudu is our best friend
Settings and secrets
Muliple environments
Multiple tiers
Build customization
Unit tests
Worker roles
Kudu-in-Kudu

43. http://blog.maartenballiauw.
be
@maartenballiauw
http://amzn.to/pronuget
Thank you!