Many organizations are moving their entire business to the cloud, and websites are one of the first assets that make the transition as a part of the digital transformation. Microsoft offers the Azure Web app platform to support the web hosting requirements of most online businesses. However, many businesses need greater control of the web server hosting their sites when they move to Azure. Such businesses can leverage Azure virtual machines (VM) to host their websites and web apps. In this guide, let us explore how to host a website on Azure virtual machine.
What Are the Steps to Host A Website on Azure Virtual Machine?
Before we elaborate on the steps to host a website on an Azure virtual machine, we will assume that the VMs are provisioned, deployed, and are running Windows Server. You will also require admin access to the Azure subscription that is associated with the virtual machines.
Set Up IIS on Azure Virtual Machine
You can set up IIS on the virtual desktop from the Server Manager option in the Start menu. The application can be installed from the Roles and Features wizard. If you can open http://localhost on the port no: 80, you have deployed the application successfully on the Azure virtual machine.
Create the Website to Be Published
Once IIS is installed, you can add a new website using the Internet Services Manager. Add a description to your website from the Web Site Creation Wizard, choose an IP address, the TCP port to publish the website, the Host Header name, and the folder path to access the website documents.
Configure Azure Firewall
You will have to open a port or create an endpoint on the virtual machine hosting the website. To do this, you will have to create a network filter on a subnet or a VM network interface. The network security group (NSG) attached to the Azure VM will regulate the inbound and outbound traffic. You can create and configure the NSG from the Azure portal.
Publish the Website
You can publish a website either by a simple copy action in the remote desktop or using Visual Studio web deployment. With Visual Studio 2019, it is easy to publish an ASP.NET web application using the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines publishing feature. It must be noted that the virtual machine should be pre-configured for running ASP.NET web applications and must have WebDeploy installed on it.
Test Website Access with Internal and External IP Address
Once you have published your website, it is time to check if it is accessible. If the site is accessible from internal IP addresses, it implies that your site has been built correctly. If you can access the website from an external IP, it confirms that you have configured your firewall correctly.
Bind A Domain with Public IP Address
Once you have confirmed that external users can access the website, you can attach a domain name to the public IP address to simplify access to the site for external users. You can add the public IP address of the website to the domain you own by modifying the Domain Name System (DNS) record with the registrar.
Apps4Rent Can Help Host Websites on Azure Virtual Machines
Configuring Azure virtual machines to host websites can be challenging for most organizations. App4Rent has removed the complexity involved in configuring Azure virtual machines for web hosting. Our ready to use images, such as IIS on Windows Server 2016 in the Azure Marketplace, can help businesses deploy the websites effortlessly on Azure. As a provider of fully managed Azure services, Apps4Rent provides 24/7 phone, chat, and email support for users of our Azure solutions. Contact us today to know more about our Azure plans and migration assistance.
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