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Windows Azure Websites, Cloud Services, and VMs: When to use which?
This document provides guidance on how to make an informed decision in choosing between Windows Azure Websites, Cloud Services, and virtual machines.
With Windows Azure Websites you can:
-
Build highly scalable web sites on Windows Azure.
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Quickly and easily deploy sites to a highly scalable cloud environment that allows you to start small and scale as needed.
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Use the languages and open source applications of your choice then deploy with FTP, Git or TFS, and easily integrate Windows Azure services like SQL Database, Caching, CDN and Storage.
With Virtual Machines you can:
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Build infrastructure on your terms.
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Easily deploy and run Windows Server and Linux virtual machines in minutes, and migrate workloads without having to change existing code.
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Securely connect your on-premises corporate network to virtual machines running in the public cloud.
With Cloud Services you can:
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Build or extend your enterprise applications on Windows Azure.
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Create highly-available, scalable applications and services using a rich PaaS environment. Support advanced multi-tier scenarios, automated deployments and elastic scale. Deliver great SaaS solutions to customers anywhere around the world.
The following table summarizes the options available to you:
| Windows Azure Web Sites are ideal for… | Windows Azure Cloud Services are ideal for... | Windows Azure Virtual Machines are ideal for... |
|---|---|---|
|
Modern Web Applications. Applications that consist of a client-side markup and scripting, server-side scripting and a database. You can scale out or up as needed. |
Multi-tier Applications. Applications that are composed of multiple tiers. Each tier can be scaled independently, with asynchronous background processing, like order processing, using both Web and Worker Roles. |
Server Applications. Existing applications that leverage SQL Server, MySQL, MongoDB, Sharepoint Server, etc. |
|
Continuous Development. Deploy directly from your source code repository using Git or Team Foundation Service. |
Applications that Require Advanced Administration. Applications that require administrator access, remote desktop access, or running code with elevated privileges. |
Existing Line-of-business Applications. Choose an image from the gallery or upload your own VHD. |
|
Popular Open Source Applications. Launch a web site with a few clicks using such applications as WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal. |
Applications that Require Advanced Networking. Applications that require network isolation with Windows Azure Connect or Windows Azure Virtual Network. |
Windows or Linux. Support for Windows Server and community/commercial versions of Linux. Connect virtual machines with Cloud Services to take advantage of PaaS services. |
You can use virtual machines for most of your applications. Because Web Sites and Cloud Services can be used for similar purposes, knowing when to use which can be difficult. The following table should give you some idea of what Windows Azure features are available in Web Sites and Cloud Services:
| Feature | Web Sites | Web Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Access to services like Caching, Service Bus, Storage, SQL Azure Database |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Support for ASP.NET, classic ASP, Node.js, PHP |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Shared content and configuration |
Yes |
No |
|
Deploy code with GIT, FTP |
Yes |
No |
|
Near-instant deployment |
Yes |
No |
|
Integrated MySQL-as-a-service support |
Yes |
Yes, see note below |
|
Multiple deployment environments (production and staging) |
No |
Yes |
|
Network isolation |
No |
Yes |
|
Remote desktop access to servers |
No |
Yes |
|
Ability to run programs with elevated permissions |
No |
Yes |
|
Ability to define/execute start-up tasks |
No |
Yes |
|
Ability to use unsupported frameworks or libraries |
No |
Yes |
|
Support for Windows Azure Connect/ Windows Azure Network |
No |
Yes |
 Note |
|---|
| Web or Worker Roles can integrate MySQL-as-a-service through ClearDB's offerings, but not as part of the Management Portal workflow. |
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