Azure App Service
Microsoft's managed hosting for web apps and APIs on Windows or Linux, from code or containers.
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About Azure App Service
Azure App Service hosts web applications, REST APIs and mobile backends on Microsoft's cloud without managing virtual machines. It supports .NET, Java, Node.js, Python and PHP on Windows or Linux, and can also run your own containers. Features include deployment slots for staging and swapping, autoscaling, custom domains and certificates, authentication through Microsoft Entra ID and other providers, and integration with GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps. It is the natural home for ASP.NET applications and for companies that standardise on Azure, especially when apps need virtual network integration or Windows-specific features. Pricing is by App Service plan, which reserves compute that one or more apps share; there is a free tier for trying it out, and Basic, Standard, Premium and Isolated tiers add resources, scaling and isolation. As with other big-cloud services, the portal and pricing options take time to learn, and it is more expensive than smaller PaaS providers for hobby projects.
Best for: Microsoft and .NET shops that want managed web hosting inside Azure.
Pros and cons
What works
- Runs on Windows or Linux, from code or containers
- Deployment slots for staging and swaps
- Tight integration with Entra ID and Azure DevOps
Why people leave
- Plan-based pricing can be confusing
- Expensive for small projects compared with indie PaaS
- Azure portal has a learning curve
Top Azure App Service alternatives
See all 5- 1
AWS Elastic Beanstalk66.5The AWS equivalent for managed app deployment.
- 2
Google Cloud Run62.6Serverless containers on Google Cloud that scale to zero.
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Azure Static Web Apps59.6Microsoft's cheaper option for static frontends with serverless APIs.
- 4
Render57.2Simpler PaaS outside the big clouds.
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Heroku55.3Classic git-push PaaS with add-ons.
Why people left Azure App Service
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Reviews
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Azure App Service: common questions
Is Azure App Service free?
Azure App Service has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Azure App Service open source?
No, Azure App Service is not open source.
What platforms does Azure App Service run on?
Azure App Service is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Azure App Service?
The highest-ranked Azure App Service alternatives right now are AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google Cloud Run and Azure Static Web Apps. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.