Azure Migration: Customizing Application URL After Successful Migration

The article discusses the successful migration of an ASP.NET application and SQL Server database to Azure, now moving to the next phase: customizing the application URL from the default `.azurewebsites.net` domain to a custom one.

You Should Know:

1. Migrating ASP.NET Apps to Azure

When deploying an ASP.NET app to Azure App Service, it initially uses a default URL like yourapp.azurewebsites.net. To customize this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Purchase a Custom Domain
Buy a domain from providers like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Azure Domain Services.
Step 2: Verify Domain Ownership in Azure
```
az appservice domain list --resource-group YourResourceGroup 
```
Add a TXT or CNAME record in your DNS provider to verify ownership.

Step 3: Bind Custom Domain to Azure App Service

az webapp config hostname add --webapp-name YourAppName --resource-group YourResourceGroup --hostname yourdomain.com

2. Configuring SSL/TLS for Secure Access

Azure provides free SSL via Let’s Encrypt for custom domains. To enforce HTTPS:

az webapp update --name YourAppName --resource-group YourResourceGroup --set httpsOnly=true

3. Updating DNS Records

Point your domain to Azure’s IP or CNAME:

 Get Azure App Service IP 
nslookup your-app.azurewebsites.net

Then update DNS records (A or CNAME) in your domain registrar.

4. Automating with Azure CLI

For DevOps pipelines, use Azure CLI to automate domain binding:

az webapp config hostname add --hostname www.yourdomain.com --webapp-name YourApp --resource-group YourRG

What Undercode Say

Customizing Azure App Service URLs is crucial for branding and security. Always:
– Verify DNS records before binding.
– Enforce HTTPS to prevent MITM attacks.
– Use Azure Front Door or CDN for global caching.
– Monitor DNS propagation with: