How to: Host a LightSwitch Application on Microsoft Azure

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For the latest documentation on Visual Studio 2017, see Visual Studio 2017 Documentation.

You can deploy Visual Studio LightSwitch applications, such as web applications and three-tier desktop applications, to an Azure cloud service or an Azure website by using a wizard. You can also host application data in SQL Azure databases.

Note

To deploy an application to Azure, you must have a subscription.

To publish an application to an Azure cloud service

  1. In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the top-level project node and choose Publish.

    The LightSwitch Publish Application Wizard appears.

  2. On the Welcome to the LightSwitch Publish Wizard page, choose either the Complete application or Web service only option button, and then choose the Next button.

  3. On the Application Services page, choose the Azure option button, and then choose the Next button.

  4. On the Azure subscription page, in the Subscriptions list, choose the Azure subscription to use for the application. If the list is empty, choose <Manage Settings> to manage your Azure subscriptions.

  5. Expand the Service type selection list and choose the Cloud Service option button, and then choose the Next button.

  6. On the Azure cloud service and storage page, in the Cloud Service list, choose the cloud service where you want to host the application. To create a new cloud service, choose <Create new>.

  7. In the Environment list, choose the environment (Production or Staging) to host the application.

  8. (Optional) To allow access to the Azure role for troubleshooting and development purposes, select the Enable Remote Desktop for all roles check box.

  9. Choose the Advanced tab, and, in the Deployment Name text box, specify the name for the deployment.

    This name will appear in the Azure Management Portal; the default value is the application name.

  10. (Optional) Clear the Append current date and time check box to prevent the current date and time from being appended to the deployment name each time the application is published.

  11. In the Storage list, choose the storage service in which the application binaries will be stored.

    Note

    If no storage services are listed, choose the <Create new> link to create one for your subscription.

  12. (Optional) Clear the Enable deployment upgrade check box to stop overwriting the previous version of an application each time that you publish it.

    If you clear this check box, you must manually remove the previous version of the application in the management portal before you publish a new version.

  13. Choose Next to continue.

    If you have enabled authentication for your application, the Application Administrator tab of the Security Settings page appears.

  14. If the Application Administrator tab appears, enter a valid User Name, Full Name, and Password for the user who will be the initial application administrator.

    Note

    When you publish updates, the application administrator already exists. Select the No, an Application Administrator already exists check box to skip this step.

  15. On the HTTPS tab, choose the Yes, users must connect using HTTPS option button.

  16. In the Choose your certificate list, choose the security certificate that you want to use for the application.

    Note

    If no certificates are listed, choose the Upload button to add an existing certificate. When you publish your application to a staging environment for testing, you can create a test certificate by choosing Create new self-signed certificate.

  17. Choose the Next button to continue.

  18. On the Data Connections page, choose the Database Connections tab, and, in the Specify the user connection text box, enter the connection string for the intrinsic database.

  19. In the Publish database schema text box, enter the connection string for the intrinsic database.

    Note

    When you publish updates, clear the Publish database schema check box unless you have changed the schema.

  20. Choose the Attached Data Sources tab, update the connection strings for any additional connections as needed, and then choose the Next button.

    Note

    The Attached Data Sources tab is available only if you have specified an external data source for your application.

  21. On the Summary page, review the settings, and then choose the Publish button.

    When the publishing operation finishes, the Azure Management Portal appears in your browser.

    Note

    The publishing operation may take several minutes depending on connection speed, application size, and other factors.

To publish an application to an Azure website

  1. In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the top-level project node and choose Publish.

    The LightSwitch Publish Application Wizard appears.

  2. On the Welcome to the LightSwitch Publish Wizard page, choose either the Complete application or Web service only option button, and then choose the Next button.

  3. On the Application Services page, choose the Azure option button, and then choose the Next button.

  4. On the Azure subscription page, in the Subscriptions list, choose the Azure subscription to use for the application. If the list is empty, choose <Manage Settings> to manage your Azure subscriptions.

  5. Expand the Service type selection list and choose the Web Site option button, and then choose the Next button.

  6. On the Service Configuration page, in the dropdown list, choose the website where you want to host your application and then choose the Next button.

    Note

    If no websites are listed, choose the Sign-in to the Azure portal link, and create a website, then choose the Refresh button.

  7. If you have enabled authentication for your application, the Application Administrator tab of the Security Settings page appears.

  8. If the Application Administrator tab appears, enter a valid User Name, Full Name, and Password for the user who will be the initial application administrator.

    Note

    When you publish updates, the application administrator already exists. Select the No, an Application Administrator already exists check box to skip this step.

  9. On the HTTPS tab, choose the Yes, users must connect using HTTPS option button to require a secure HTTPS connection or the No, HTTPS is not required option button if your application doesn’t need a secure connection, and then choose the Next button.

    For more information about security, see Security Considerations for LightSwitch.

  10. On the Data Connections page, on the Database Connections tab, the connection strings for the intrinsic database should appear in the Specify the user connection and Publish database schema text boxes. If they don’t appear or if you want to create a new database, choose the Provision a database at the Azure portal link, create a database, and then copy the new connection string to both the Specify the user connection and Publish database schema text boxes.

    Note

    When you publish updates, clear the Publish database schema check box unless you have changed the schema.

  11. Choose the Next button to continue.

  12. Choose the Attached Data Sources tab, update the connection strings for any additional connections as needed, and then choose the Next button.

    Note

    The Attached Data Sources tab is available only if you have specified an external data source for your application.

  13. On the Summary page, review the settings, and then choose the Publish button.

    When the publishing operation finishes, the Azure Management Portal appears in your browser.

    Note

    The publishing operation may take several minutes depending on connection speed, application size, and other factors.

See Also

Deployment: Distributing and Maintaining Your Application
Deploying LightSwitch Applications
Setting Up Named Authentication Credentials
Using Remote Desktop with Azure Roles