Provision an App Service plan

Create and configure Azure App Service

📘Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

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An App Service Plan is a core part of Azure App Service, which is used to host web apps, mobile app backends, or RESTful APIs. Think of it as the “environment” that provides the compute resources (CPU, memory, storage, and network) that your applications will run on. It determines how much performance and capacity your apps get.

When preparing for the AZ-104 exam, you need to understand:

1. What an App Service Plan is
2. How to provision it
3. The pricing tiers and scaling options
4. Key considerations when creating one

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1. What is an App Service Plan?

• An App Service Plan defines the compute resources for your apps.
• It does not contain the apps themselves. You can have multiple apps running on the same plan.
• The plan determines:
  • Region: Where the physical servers are located.
  • Pricing tier: Determines features, performance, and scaling options.
  • Size of VM: CPU, RAM, storage available.
  • Scaling: Number of instances and auto-scaling options.

Example for IT context:
If your company hosts multiple internal web applications (like an HR portal and an IT dashboard), they could share one App Service Plan, saving costs while using the same compute resources.

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2. How to Provision an App Service Plan

You can provision an App Service Plan using:

1. Azure Portal (GUI)
   • Go to Azure Portal → Create a resource → App Service
   • Click Create, then select App Service Plan
   • Choose:
     • Subscription and Resource Group
     • Name for the plan
     • Region (where your apps will run)
     • Pricing tier (more on this below)
   • Click Review + create → Create
2. Azure CLI
   • Use the command: az appservice plan create --name MyAppServicePlan --resource-group MyResourceGroup --sku S1 --is-linux
   • Parameters explained:
     • --name: Name of the App Service Plan
     • --resource-group: Which resource group to use
     • --sku: Pricing tier (S1 is Standard)
     • --is-linux: If you want Linux-based plan (omit for Windows)
3. Azure PowerShell
   • Use the command: New-AzAppServicePlan -Name "MyAppServicePlan" -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Location "EastUS" -Tier "Standard" -NumberofWorkers 1
   • Parameters explained:
     • -Tier: Pricing tier (Free, Basic, Standard, Premium, etc.)
     • -NumberOfWorkers: Number of instances (manual scaling)

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3. Pricing Tiers

The pricing tier determines:

• Compute power (CPU, RAM)
• Scaling options (manual or auto)
• Additional features like staging slots, custom domains, SSL certificates, and traffic manager integration

Main tiers to know for AZ-104:

Tier	Use case / Features
Free (F1)	Small test apps, learning purposes, no SLA, limited storage and resources
Shared (D1)	Shared resources, low traffic apps, basic features
Basic (B1-B3)	Production apps, dedicated resources, manual scaling only
Standard (S1-S3)	Production apps with auto-scaling, daily backups, staging slots
Premium (P1v3-P3v3)	High-performance apps, advanced scaling, VNET integration, more storage
Isolated (I1-I3)	High-security apps, run in private network, full isolation

Exam tip: Know that Standard and Premium tiers allow auto-scaling and custom domains, whereas Basic and Free do not.

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4. Scaling Options

App Service Plans can scale in two ways:

1. Vertical Scaling (Scale Up)
   • Increase the size of the VM (more CPU, RAM).
   • Done by changing the pricing tier.
2. Horizontal Scaling (Scale Out)
   • Increase the number of instances running the app.
   • Can be manual or automatic based on metrics like CPU usage.

Example for IT context:
If the HR portal experiences high traffic during payroll week, auto-scaling ensures the app can handle the load without downtime.

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5. Key Considerations for the Exam

• Region choice: App Service Plan and your apps must be in the same region.
• Cost efficiency: Multiple apps can share the same App Service Plan.
• Platform (Windows/Linux): Some apps require Linux, some Windows.
• Scaling needs: Choose pricing tier based on performance requirements and auto-scaling needs.
• SLA and backup requirements: Free and Shared tiers do not offer SLA; Standard and above do.

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Summary for Exam Preparation

• An App Service Plan provides compute resources for Azure App Services.
• You can provision it via Azure Portal, CLI, or PowerShell.
• Pricing tier defines performance, features, and scaling capabilities.
• Apps can share a plan, but the plan must be in the same region as the apps.
• Know how to scale up (vertical) and scale out (horizontal).

Key commands/formats to remember:

Azure CLI:

az appservice plan create --name MyPlan --resource-group MyRG --sku S1

PowerShell:

New-AzAppServicePlan -Name "MyPlan" -ResourceGroupName "MyRG" -Location "EastUS" -Tier "Standard"