How to Seamlessly Migrate Apps Using Azure App Service?

When Microsoft transitioned from Azure Mobile Services to Azure App Service, it marked a major evolution in its cloud platform strategy. While Microsoft provides an automatic migration option, taking a proactive approach gives you greater control and ensures a smooth transition.

With Azure App Service, you can spend less time managing infrastructure and more time focusing on building innovative apps that enhance customer experiences. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to migrate your apps with confidence.

What is Azure App Service?

As digital expectations evolve, static web pages no longer suffice. Customers now demand dynamic, multi-channel experiences. Azure App Service is a fully managed platform that enables you to create powerful web and mobile apps for any platform or device.

It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks like .NET, .NET Core, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, and Python, and handles the infrastructure needs for availability, scalability, and security—letting you focus on innovation and growth

Considerations Before Migrating to Azure App Service

Migrating your apps isn’t just about moving code it involves key architectural and platform considerations. Here are important points to address before the migration:

• Port Bindings – Since the Azure App Service supports HTTP and HTTPS traffic with ports 80 and 443 respectively, in case you have sites using other ports, it is prudent that you remember that these are the only ports that will be used post-migration.
• Assemblies Use in the GAC (Global Assembly Cache) – unfortunately, this feature isn’t supported. You’ll have to bin place the assemblies to the local bin.
• Compatibility Mode for IIS5 – Additionally, the IIS5 Compatibility Mode is also not supported. In Azure App Services, the same worker process runs all web applications with specific sets of application pool settings.
• Compliance with IIS7+ Schema – There may be one or more elements and attributes that are not defined in the Azure App Service IIS schema. You may want to consider using XDT transforms.
• Application Pool Settings – Web App and all its applications underneath run in the same application pool in Azure App Service. Any applications running in a different application pool should be established with a single common setting pool or have each application run on independent settings.
• COM and COM+ components – Unfortunately, Azure App Service lacks the feature that permits registration of COM components. If your platform utilizes any COM components, the code will have to be rewritten and deployed within the platform.
• ISAPI Extensions – Luckily, theAzure App Service supports ISAPI Extensions; however, you must deploy the DLL(s) on your site and register them through web.config.

Once you have taken into consideration the aforementioned limits, nothing will stop you in your quest to migrate your applications. The easiest way to migrate is through Microsoft Azure Service Migration site. In addition, this tool can also be used to migrate both Windows and Linux web servers to Microsoft Azure App Service.

Microsoft Azure App Service, as part of the migration process, will create Web Apps and databases on Azure as well as publish your database and content.

How to Migrate Your Apps to Azure App Service

Step 1: Backup Your Data

This is the first step to migrating with Azure App Services. Backing up your Windows Azure data is crucial, you wouldn’t want to lose all your important progress on your first try.

Step 2: Begin the Migration Process

Once you are done backing up your data, the next step is fairly easy.

• Log in to the Azure Classic Portal.
• Navigate to Mobile Services, select your app.
• Click “Migrate to App Service”, confirm the migration.

This process may take between 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your workload. Moreover, during the migration process, Azure Services will remain active; however, expect to experience some downtime as the process nears completion when the servers restart.

Step 3: Setting up the new Azure App Service Mobile

Once your Azure Migration is complete, it is time to set up the new Azure App Service Mobile:

• Log in to the Azure Portal > “App Services” > your migrated app.
• Go to Application Settings and verify all configurations.
• Select your pricing tier.
• Enable Diagnostics Logs for error tracking and troubleshooting.
• Download the publish profile and import it into Visual Studio to deploy updates.

Now you are set to go and start using your new migrated Azure App Service Mobile.

In case of any issues with your data, you can restore from your database backup.

Conclusion

Migrating to Azure App Service offers flexibility, scalability, and ease of management for your apps. With proper planning data backups, configuration adjustments, and post-migration setup you can make the transition seamless and unlock the full power of Azure.

At TrnDigital, we specialize in cloud migrations and Microsoft Azure services. From strategy to deployment, we help you move confidently to the cloud with minimal disruption and maximum results.

FAQs on Azure App Service Migration