Azure Virtual Machine as Worker Roles inside an App Service Environment

Question

I would like to run Virtual Machines as Worker Role inside an Azure App Service Environment. I think I've tried and read everything. Is this scenario supported at all?

Answer 1

The short answer is no. Azure VM's, worker roles (cloud services), and App Services are three different hosting offerings.

• Virtual Machines are an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution. Think of it as your own server in the cloud. It is the most most flexible option. However, you are responsible for managing and patching it.
• Cloud Services are a Platform as as Service (PaaS). Your concerns are limited to building and deploying your application. Microsoft manages updating the underlying VM.
• App Services are a higher level of PaaS. Specifically, you can think of Web Apps (formerly Web Sites) as a hosted IIS. You have the least amount of control compared to the other platform offerings, but it is the easiest way to get started.

I would suggest trying to run your application first in an App Service, then moving to a cloud service if you need more control, and finally to a VM when even more flexibility is required.

More information:

• http://robertgreiner.com/2014/03/windows-azure-iaas-paas-saas-overview

• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/hanuk/archive/2013/12/03/which-windows-azure-cloud-architecture-paas-or-iaas.aspx