Exercise - Publish an OpenAPI enabled web API to Azure App Service

  • 8 minutes

In this exercise, you deploy your web API application to Azure App Service through Visual Studio.

Note

In the previous exercise, you already have the ASP.NET Core Web API app with the OpenAPI feature enabled. You will use the app for this exercise.

You need an Azure subscription to complete this module. If you do not have one, you can sign up for a free one here.

Deploy Web API Application to Azure App Service through Visual Studio

After the previous exercise, the web API application is ready to publish. In order to deploy the web API application, run the following steps.

  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select the Publish menu.

    Right-click Publish in Visual Studio.

  2. In the Publish dialogue modal, select Azure and select the Next button. (You may need to sign in to your Azure subscription first.)

    Choose Publish Target.

  3. Select Azure App Service (Windows) and select the Next button.

    Choose Specific Target.

  4. Let's create a new Azure App Service instance through Visual Studio, for this exercise. In the future, you could use an existing one. Select the ➕ button at the dialogue modal to create a new Azure App Service instance.

    Select Create New App Service.

  5. When a new App Service (Windows) dialogue modal pops up, all field values are automatically populated. You can use the prepopulated ones or change them. Fill in all the field values and select the Create button.

    Create New App Service.

  6. Your new Azure App Service instance has been created. Select the Next button.

    New App Service Created.

  7. For now, publish the web API app only to the Azure App Service instance. You can skip the deploying to API Management step for now. Check the Skip this step tick box and select the Finish button.

    Finish New App Service.

  8. Your web API app is ready to deploy. In Settings, in the main pane, confirm that the Target Framework references your version of Visual Studio. Select the Publish button in Visual Studio.

    Publish Web API.

  9. Once the web API app is published, Visual Studio notifies you through a banner. Copy the website URL for later use.

    Web API Published.

Verify the web API application is running

  1. Let's ensure your web API app is properly deployed. Open your web browser and enter the website URL you copied from the previous step. A Page Not Found error, like the one in the following image, is expected.

    Page Not Found.

  2. Edit the URL with /swagger by selecting the <copied-website-url> according to the following example.

    <copied-website-url>/swagger

  3. The Swagger UI page now renders correctly. Select the /api/WarehouseLocations banner to expand it.

    Swagger UI Page.

  4. Select the Try it out button.

    Swagger UI Page - Try It Out.

  5. Select the Execute button.

    Swagger UI Page - Execute.

  6. View the result.

    Swagger UI Page - Executed.

Congratulations! You've now published your ASP.NET Core Web API app to Azure App Service through Visual Studio!