How deeply does Microsoft Azure in Action cover static site?

Works through file placement, publishing, index and error documents, verification, and custom domains, while deferring deployment automation.

Static site

As explained in Microsoft Azure in Action

A static website is a website whose pages are delivered as precomposed files rather than generated dynamically for each request.

A static site serves HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files directly to a browser instead of generating pages for each request with a runtime such as Node.js, ASP.NET, or Java. It suits a simple website that changes infrequently and needs no dynamic content. Azure Storage can host one without a traditional web server to manage. section 9.2

A small business website

Banning Books needs a low-maintenance site for customers, not dynamically generated pages. Its ready-made website files—or your own—can be uploaded to an Azure Storage account. The catch is important: Azure Storage static website hosting serves static content only. section 9.2 section 9.2.3

To publish the files in Azure Storage:

Put the site’s HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files in the storage account’s $web container. Enabling static website hosting creates $web if it does not already exist, but the files still need to go there. AzCopy can upload them; authenticate its commands with a Shared Access Signature (SAS) token or Entra ID. section 9.2.1 section 9.2.3
Enable the static website feature and specify an index document and a 404 error document, such as index.html and error.html. Check that the feature is enabled in the Azure portal, then test the website endpoint. section 9.2.3

C:/> az storage blob service-properties update 
--account-name banningstorage --static-website 
--404-document error.html --index-document index.html

This Azure CLI command enables static website hosting on a storage account and names its home and error pages. Replace the account name and filenames to match your site. section 9.2.3

The default Azure-provided URL may be awkward to share. For a custom domain, acquire a domain, add a CNAME record for a subdomain such as www, connect that domain in the storage account’s Custom Domain settings, and test it. Do not treat a browser warning as a production security plan: secure site traffic with an SSL certificate or a service such as Azure CDN. section 9.2.4

How Microsoft Azure in Action covers it

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Also explained in

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Rust Servers, Services, and AppsA static web page is a web document served as stored content rather than generated dynamically for each request.

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Related concepts

dynamic contentcontrasts with · Dynamic content is information or presentation that changes or is generated at runtime in response to data, requests, application state, or user interaction.
CDNuses · A content delivery network is a distributed network of servers that caches or delivers digital content from locations near requesting users.
object storeuses · An object store is a storage system that stores and retrieves data as independently addressable objects containing content and associated metadata.
django-distillproduced by · django-distill is a Django library that renders selected project URLs into static website files.
$web folderuses · The $web folder is the special Azure Blob Storage container whose contents are served when static website hosting is enabled for a storage account.
static fileuses · A static file is a preexisting digital resource served in its stored form rather than generated dynamically for each request.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Microsoft Azure in Action. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.