`dotnet-podcasts` repo is configured to deploy all services automatically to Azure using GitHub Actions. This document will guide you in configuring GitHub Actions in your forked repository and help you deploy to your Azure resource group. Once they are configured correctly, you may go ahead and modify your source code, commit the changes and watch them deploy to your Azure resource group automatically.The CI/CD pipelines are all set for you!
> To get started, fork this repo first, and setup your Azure subscription. Follow the instructions step-by-step to configure the deployment pipelines correctly.
# New to Microsoft Azure?
You will need an Azure subscription to work with this demo code. You can:
- Open an account for free [Azure subscription](https://azure.microsoft.com/free/). You get credits that can be used to try out paid Azure services. Even after the credits are used up, you can keep the account and use free Azure services and features, such as the Web Apps feature in Azure App Service.
- [Activate Visual Studio subscriber benefits](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/member-offers/credit-for-visual-studio-subscribers/). Your Visual Studio subscription gives you credits every month that you can use for paid Azure services.
- Create an [Azure Student Account](https://azure.microsoft.com/free/students/) and get free credit when you create your account.
Learn more about it with [Microsoft Learn - Introduction to Azure](https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/azure).
## What services are being deployed to Azure?
To understand the dotnet-podcasts architecture better, see the diagram below.
- The backend services `Podcasts.API`, `Podcasts.Ingestion` and `Podcast.Updater` are deployed to [Azure Container Apps (Preview)](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/overview). [Azure Container Registry](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/container-registry/) is used to store the docker images securely and Log Analytics Workspace is configured automatically to monitor telemetry.
- Web Apps including ASP.NET Core Website, Listen Together SignalR hub and the Blazor Web App are deployed to Azure App Service (Linux).
- Additionally, the app uses Azure SQL Databases and Azure Storage for managing data.
## Step-by-step guide to deploying websites and services to Azure
To keep this guide simple, we will be using Azure CLI in our next steps. If you haven't installed them, please take a look at the guide [How to install the Azure CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/cli/azure/install-azure-cli) in your favorite platform. These instructions are only required for the first-time setup for GitHub actions. If it is easier, you may run the commands in the [Azure Cloud Shell](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/cloud-shell/quickstart) and avoid local installation.
First, you need to create an Azure Resource group within your subscription. If you have access to multiple Azure subscriptions, be sure to set it to the correct one before proceeding to the next step. See the guide [Change the active subscription](https://docs.microsoft.com/cli/azure/manage-azure-subscriptions-azure-cli#change-the-active-subscription) for details.
To create the resource group, run the following command in the terminal:
```console
az group create --name podcastrg --location westus2
```
The above resource group name will be added to the GitHub secrets in a later step. If you decide to use your own resource group name, be sure to update the same later.
Checkout [Azure CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/manage-resource-groups-cli) or [Azure Cloud Shell](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/cloud-shell/quickstart#create-a-resource-group) if you need additional help to set up a resource group.
### Configure Azure Credentials in GitHub Secrets
To connect GitHub Actions, you will create a secret named `AZURE_CREDENTIALS` that you can use to authenticate with Azure.
### Create a service principal and add it as a GitHub secret
1. [Create a new service principal](https://docs.microsoft.com/cli/azure/create-an-azure-service-principal-azure-cli) in the Azure portal for your app. The service principal must be assigned the Contributor role.
az ad sp create-for-rbac --name "podcastsp" --role contributor --scopes /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/{resource-group} --sdk-auth
```
> In the above command, replace the `{subscription-id}` with the GUID of your subscription. Run the command `az account show` and use the value of the "Id" property. Replace the `{resource-group}` with `podcastrg` or the resource group name you created earlier.
1. Copy the JSON object for your service principal.
```json
{
"clientId": "<GUID>",
"clientSecret": "<GUID>",
"subscriptionId": "<GUID>",
"tenantId": "<GUID>",
(...)
}
```
1. Open your GitHub repository and go to **Settings**.
1. Select **Secrets** and then **New Secret**.
1. Paste in your JSON object for your service principal with the name `AZURE_CREDENTIALS`.
Go ahead and add the following GitHub secrets. Some of the values need to be unique since they expose a public endpoint. Those details are explicitly called out below. Except the Resource Group name, all others will be automatically created for you within your subscription. When naming the Azure Resources, be sure to check out the [naming rules and restrictions](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/resource-name-rules).
That's it! You're all set. Now, let's run the configured Workflows, one by one, to deploy the Websites and Backend services. Be cognizant of pricing tiers for different services. You may want to adjust your App Service plan and database tiers tocontrol costs.
The backend services need to be run first to set up all necessary dependencies, databases, and blob storage. You can manually run this from the `Actions` tab, click on `Select workflow` -> `Podcast API CICD` -> `Run workflow`.
Wait for the workflow run to complete and execute the next steps. The first time you run this it will take a bit longer as it creates all of the Azure resources.
Next we will wanto to deploy the listen together hub and the web app.
You can manually run the Hub action from the `Actions` tab, click on `Select workflow` -> `Podcast Hub CICD` -> `Run workflow`. Then run the web action with `Select workflow` -> `Podcast Web CICD` -> `Run workflow`
That's it! Now, Navigate to you https://`WEBAPP_NAME`.azurewebsites.net/ to watch the podcast app in action!
The GitHub workflow is also configured to deploy these apps only if the source within specific folders such as `src/Services/Podcasts/` is changed. So now, if you make some changes to the code, build locally, and then commit changes to see the GitHub workflow kickstart. Need any ideas for code change? You'll notice an empty `GlobalUsings.cs` in the `Podcasts.API` project. Go ahead refactor the code and move your global namespaces there.
