How On-Premises Front-End Applications Transition to Cloud via Azure Blob Storage for Static Website Hosting
By Vadivel Chandran
Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value to customers. The market for digital transformation is valued at $880.28 billion, with worldwide expenditure on digital initiatives projected to reach $3.4 trillion by 2026. Digital transformation is deemed a top priority by 74% of organizations, and 97% of companies report that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their digital transformation efforts.
For many of these entities, digital transformation includes the migration of front-end applications from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based solutions. A significant trend in this transition is the use of Azure Blob Storage for hosting static websites, a move that has the potential for substantial cost savings, reduced complexity, and enhanced scalability.
The Challenge with On-Premises Deployment
Traditionally, front-end applications are deployed on-premises using Docker Kubernetes container images, hosted on web servers such as Apache, NGINX, or IIS. This architecture is robust; yet it comes with its own set of challenges: the container clusters must run continuously, leading to elevated compute and replication costs, increased infrastructure maintenance, and complexity in disaster recovery efforts.
Azure Blob Storage
In contrast, Azure Blob Storage offers a streamlined and cost-effective solution for hosting modern static front-end applications. The migration to Azure Blob Storage can reduce computing and infrastructure costs (including hardware and networking) and eliminate the need for managing virtual machine containers, clusters, and web servers, adopting a pay-per-use pricing model. A comprehensive cost estimation assessment of migrating over 300 front-end applications to Azure Blob Storage revealed a 40% savings on infrastructure costs.
Creating an Azure Storage Account
The first step in utilizing Azure Blob Storage for static website hosting is creating an Azure storage account. This account is an essential resource within the Azure Resource Manager framework, and can either be part of a new or existing resource group, a logical container for organizing Azure services. The process involves navigating to the Storage Accounts section in the Azure portal, creating a new storage account, and configuring it according to project requirements.
Hosting a Static Website in Azure Blob Storage
Azure Blob Storage enables static website hosting directly from a storage container named $web, an ideal solution for client-side rendered websites that do not require a web server for content rendering.
Enabling Static Website Hosting
To enable static website hosting:
- Sign in to the Azure portal and select the storage account.
- In the account’s Overview pane, select the Capabilities tab, then Static Website to configure.
- Enable static website hosting, specifying the default index and error documents (e.g., index.html and 404.html).
- Save the configuration, noting the static website endpoints provided.
Uploading Content to Azure Blob Storage
Content can be uploaded to the $web container using the Azure portal, AzCopy, PowerShell, CLI, or through custom applications like Jenkins pipelines. For direct uploads via the portal:
- Navigate to the $web container within the storage account.
- Use the Upload feature to add files or entire folders.
- Ensure proper content types are set for files intended for browser display (e.g., text/html for HTML files).
Securing and Accessing the Static Website
The static website is accessible via a public URL provided in the storage account’s Static Website tab. For enhanced security, Azure Private Link can secure network connections, and custom domain names can be configured to rewrite logic for accessing Azure’s primary/private endpoint URLs.
Implementing Azure Front Door for Enhanced Security and Performance
For applications requiring advanced configurations like CORS, cache expiry, content-type, access-control-origin, and security headers, Azure Front Door serves as a comprehensive solution. Users can create an Azure Front Door profile within the storage account to add routes, security policies, and deploy the profile. This enables configurations to propagate to all edge locations swiftly.
The Strategic Advantage of Azure Blob Storage
Migrating to Azure Blob Storage for static website hosting represents a strategic move towards cost efficiency, operational simplicity, and scalability in cloud migration efforts. This approach facilitates a significant reduction in infrastructure and maintenance costs. It also leverages Azure’s global network for enhanced performance and security.
Operations that adopt Azure Blob Storage can focus on innovation and user experience, leaving behind the complexities and limitations of traditional on-premises deployment models. Azure Blob Storage is a powerful tool for modernizing web application deployment, especially as cloud technologies continue to evolve.
About the Author
Vadivel Chandran holds the position of Principal Software Engineer at U.S. Bank, and has over 18 years of expertise in the realm of digital and mobile banking technologies. His area of specialization lies in front-end engineering, where he spearheads the enhancement of customer experience platforms, particularly focusing on the innovation of money movement services like Bill Pay, internal transfers, and digital wallets, including Paze and Zelle.
Vadivel’s efforts are key in shaping the bank’s digital engagement approaches, through the creation of scalable front-end components and the progression of cloud-based architectures. As a mentor in the financial technology space and a member of the Front End Engineering Tech Council, he actively contributes to promoting a culture of education and innovation. Vadivel earned his Master of Computer Applications degree from Anna University, India.
Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vadivel-chandran-82b19264/
