1-click deploys
of Python web apps
to Azure

About me

pamelafox.org, @pamelafox, @pamelafox@fosstodon.org

I've been deploying web apps for a long time:

#DontStopDeploying #ILikeToShipIt

About you!

Where do you deploy?

• VPS
• Azure
• AWS
• Google Cloud
• Heroku
• PythonAnywhere
• Other

Take the survey!
tinyurl.com/deploy-survey

Deploy #1: Azure Function

I used the Azure Functions extension to deploy:

🔗 Quickstart: Create a function in Azure with Python using VS Code

Deploy #1: Azure Function (Infra)

What got deployed?

Deploy #2: App Service + Postgres

I used an Azure Portal template plus Github workflow:

🔗 Deploy a Python webapp with PostgreSQL in Azure

Deploy #2: App Service + Postgres (Infra)

What got deployed?

Deploy #3: Container Apps + CDN

I used a combo of Azure CLI commands and Portal UI.

                az group create --location eastus --name fastapi-aca-rg

                az acr create --resource-group fastapi-aca-rg --name pamelascontainerregistry --sku Basic

                az acr login --name pamelascontainerregistry

                az acr build --platform linux/amd64 -t pamelascontainerregistry.azurecr.io/fastapi-aca:latest -r pamelascontainerregistry .
                
                az extension add --name containerapp --upgrade
                az provider register --namespace Microsoft.App
                az provider register --namespace Microsoft.OperationalInsights

                az containerapp env create --name fastapi-aca-env --resource-group fastapi-aca-rg --location eastus
                
                az acr credential show --name pamelascontainerregistry

                az containerapp create --name fastapi-aca-app --resource-group fastapi-aca-rg \
                    --image pamelascontainerregistry.azurecr.io/fastapi-aca:latest --environment fastapi-aca-env \
                    --registry-server pamelascontainerregistry.azurecr.io --registry-username pamelascontainerregistry \
                    --registry-password  --ingress external --target-port 80
                

🔗 Deploying a containerized Flask app to Azure Container Apps

Deploy #3: Container Apps + CDN (Infra)

What got deployed?

A few months later...

I want to update those apps!

😱 But how?

But then I discovered...

What is Bicep?

Bicep is an infrastructure-as-code (IAC) language, similar to Terraform but designed for Azure. Bicep declaratively defines Azure cloud resources.

                resource web 'Microsoft.Web/sites@2022-03-01' = {
                    name: 'pamelas-app-service'
                    location: 'eastus'
                    kind: 'app,linux'
                    properties: {
                      serverFarmId: appServicePlan.id
                      siteConfig: {
                        linuxFxVersion: 'PYTHON|3.10'
                      }
                    }
                    resource appSettings 'config' = {
                        name: 'appsettings'
                        properties: {
                          DBNAME: 'django'
                          PGHOST: '${postgresServer.name}.postgres.database.azure.com'
                          PGUSER: 'admin'
                          PGPASS: adminPassword
                        }
                    }
                }
                

                    resource postgresServer 'Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers@2022-01-20-preview' = {
                        name: 'pamelas-postgres-server'
                        location: 'eastus'
                        sku: {
                          name: 'Standard_B1ms'
                          tier: 'Burstable'
                        }
                        properties: {
                          version: '14'
                          administratorLogin: 'django'
                          administratorLoginPassword: adminPassword
                          storage: {
                            storageSizeGB: 128
                          }
                        }
                      }
                

IAC and you

What IAC language(s) have you used?

• None
• Terraform
• Bicep
• Helm chart
• Other

Take the survey!
tinyurl.com/iac-survey

Generating Bicep with NubesGen

One way to generate Bicep files for web apps is:
nubgesgen.com

👩🏼‍💻 Contribute here: github.com/microsoft/nubesgen

Demo: Provisioning with Bicep

Benefits of Bicep/IAC

• Includes parameters, variables, loops, and conditional logic to increase its flexibility and reusability
• Provisions can be parallelized (as long as dependencies are clear)
• Can be tracked with version control
  🔗 Commit: Upgrade to 3.10
• Can be linted for validity
  🔗 az bicep build -f infra/main.bicep
• Can be checked for security issues
  🔗 microsoft/security-devops-action

Writing Bicep files

🤔 Should web app developers learn to write infrastructure-as-code?

• Install the Bicep extension for VS Code
• Open the Bicep reference
• Search Github for examples
• Create the resource in Portal and export the IAC

Read more in: Tips for writing Bicep files

Beyond provisioning

All I've shown so far is provisioning: creating resources inside an Azure account.

For a web app, we still need to actually deploy code to the hosting resource (Azure App Service, Azure Functions, etc.)

We could use CLI commands, Github integrations, Portal uploads. But there's a better way!

Azure Developer CLI

This new CLI tool helps with all steps of the dev cycle:

Demo: azd up

First provisions, then deploys. Only re-provisions when Bicep resource definitions have changed.

Demo: azd deploy

If you only changed code, not infra, you can just deploy.

Demo: azd pipeline config

Configures the secrets for azure-dev.yaml, a Github workflow that provisions and deploys.

🔗 Successful workflow run

Components of an azd project

🔗 Make your project compatible with Azure Developer CLI

Finding azd templates

You could write the required files yourself, or, better, start from a template that's the most like your project.

💡 Finding similar architecture is more important than same framework.

Finding more azd templates

• Look through the AZD templates gallery (use the filters!)
• Search Github for azd-templates

🐘 Need help? Toot at me!

🎁 Make a new one? Contribute it!

Example: FastAPI + Function + CDN

Try it at: staticmaps-rk5lctcdqzvbs-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/

Code at: github.com/pamelafox/staticmaps-function

Example: APIFlask + ACA + CDN

Try it at:
https://flask-charts-aca-zizgwsqsaolso-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/charts/pie

Code at: github.com/pamelafox/flask-charts-api-container-app

Example: Django + App Service + Redis

Try it at: https://djangocc-redis-zbokgdhbokg6a-app-service.azurewebsites.net/

Code at: github.com/pamelafox/cookiecutter-django-output / azure branch