Azure is Microsoft's public cloud computing platform. It provides hosted infrastructure, application, data, and monitoring services through SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS models. Azure services can be managed through web APIs, language libraries, or the Azure Portal, a graphical administration interface. section 7.3.3
Azure supports both application observability and deployment. Application Insights, available through Azure Monitor, collects and analyzes logs and performance output, while Azure virtual machines provide configurable hosts for web applications. section 7.3.3 section 12.2
A practical Azure workflow can include:
- Create or access an Azure account and open the Azure administration portal. section 12.2.1
- Create a Windows 2022 Datacenter virtual machine and allow inbound traffic on the required TCP ports. section 12.2
- Install the services and runtimes needed by an ASP.NET Core web API, including Internet Information Services, then publish and deploy the application. section 12.2
- Create an Application Insights instance, retrieve its connection string, and connect it to the application's logging provider. section 7.3.3
Application logging configuration
Store the Application Insights connection string under Azure:ApplicationInsights:ConnectionString, install the Application Insights logging packages, and add the provider to the application's logging pipeline. Retain console and debug providers when local verification is useful, then confirm that application events appear as trace events in Application Insights. section 7.3.3
"Azure": {
"ApplicationInsights": {
"ConnectionString": "<INSERT_CONNECTION_STRING_HERE>" #1
}
}
Shows the configuration path used to store the Application Insights connection string. section 7.3.3
builder.Logging
.ClearProviders()
.AddSimpleConsole()
.AddDebug()
.AddApplicationInsights( #1
telemetry => telemetry.ConnectionString =
builder
.Configuration["Azure:ApplicationInsights:ConnectionString"],
loggerOptions => { });
Shows the logging-provider registration that reads the Azure connection string and sends telemetry to Application Insights. section 7.3.3
