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02. First Deploy

Time estimate: 5 minutes

Deploy the Express app from 01. Local Run to Azure App Service with a single az webapp up command.

Need private networking or managed identity?

Use the advanced recipe: Private Network Deploy.

flowchart TD
    DEV[Local Node.js app] -->|az webapp up| APP[Azure App Service\nLinux Node 24 LTS]
    USER[Browser] -->|HTTPS| APP
    APP --> LOGS[App Service log stream]

    style APP fill:#0078d4,color:#fff
    style LOGS fill:#E3F2FD

Overview

flowchart TD
    A[Set RG APP_NAME LOCATION] --> B[Run az webapp up]
    B --> C[Open the site]
    C --> D[Stream logs]
    D --> E[Delete resource group]

Prerequisites

  • Completed 01. Local Run
  • Azure CLI installed and authenticated with az login
  • Node.js installed locally

Main Content

Step 1: Set deployment variables

RG="rg-express-tutorial"
APP_NAME="app-express-tutorial-abc123"
LOCATION="koreacentral"
Command/Parameter Purpose
RG="rg-express-tutorial" Defines the resource group that will hold the App Service resources.
APP_NAME="app-express-tutorial-abc123" Sets the globally unique web app name.
LOCATION="koreacentral" Selects the Azure region for the deployment.

Step 2: Deploy with az webapp up

Run this command from the Node.js app folder.

az webapp up --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RG --location $LOCATION --runtime "NODE:24-lts" --sku B1
Command/Parameter Purpose
az webapp up --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RG --location $LOCATION --runtime "NODE:24-lts" --sku B1 Creates the resource group, App Service plan, and web app if needed, then uploads and deploys the current app source.
--name $APP_NAME Uses the specified globally unique web app name.
--resource-group $RG Places the deployment in the selected resource group.
--location $LOCATION Creates resources in the selected Azure region.
--runtime "NODE:24-lts" Uses the Node.js 24 LTS runtime on Linux App Service.
--sku B1 Uses the Basic B1 pricing tier.
Expected output 
The webapp 'app-express-tutorial-abc123' doesn't exist
Creating Resource group 'rg-express-tutorial' ...
Creating AppServicePlan 'appsvc_asp_Linux_koreacentral' ...
Creating webapp 'app-express-tutorial-abc123' ...
Configuring default logging for the app, if not already enabled
Starting zip deployment...
You can launch the app at http://app-express-tutorial-abc123.azurewebsites.net

Build automation: quick-start vs production

az webapp up performs an Oryx/Kudu build on App Service during deployment (equivalent to SCM_DO_BUILD_DURING_DEPLOYMENT=true). That is fine for this quick-start and for local development, but production deployments should publish a pre-built artifact and set SCM_DO_BUILD_DURING_DEPLOYMENT=false for deterministic, reproducible releases. See Best Practices: SCM_DO_BUILD vs pre-built artifacts.

Step 3: Verify deployment

WEB_APP_URL="https://$(az webapp show --resource-group $RG --name $APP_NAME --query defaultHostName --output tsv)"
curl $WEB_APP_URL
Command/Parameter Purpose
WEB_APP_URL="https://$(az webapp show --resource-group $RG --name $APP_NAME --query defaultHostName --output tsv)" Builds the app URL from the hostname returned by App Service.
az webapp show --resource-group $RG --name $APP_NAME --query defaultHostName --output tsv Returns only the default hostname so the shell can build the site URL.
--resource-group $RG Queries the web app inside the tutorial resource group.
--name $APP_NAME Selects the deployed Node.js web app to inspect.
--query defaultHostName Extracts only the default hostname field from the response.
--output tsv Formats the hostname as plain text for shell substitution.
curl $WEB_APP_URL Confirms the deployed app responds over HTTPS.
Expected output 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Express</title>
</head>

Step 4: View logs

Note: az webapp log tail may not work reliably for Linux App Service. Use the Azure Portal Log stream or /home/LogFiles as alternatives.

az webapp log tail --resource-group $RG --name $APP_NAME
Command/Parameter Purpose
az webapp log tail --resource-group $RG --name $APP_NAME Streams live application logs from the deployed web app.
--resource-group $RG Reads logs from the resource group that contains the app.
--name $APP_NAME Streams logs for the deployed Node.js web app.
Expected output 
2026-04-10T10:20:11  Connected to log stream.
2026-04-10T10:20:15  GET / 200 5.012 ms

Step 5: Cleanup

az group delete --name $RG --yes --no-wait
Command/Parameter Purpose
az group delete --name $RG --yes --no-wait Deletes the resource group and all App Service resources created by the tutorial.
--name $RG Targets the tutorial resource group for deletion.
--yes Skips the interactive confirmation prompt.
--no-wait Returns immediately while Azure continues the deletion in the background.

Advanced Topics

az webapp up is the fastest way to publish a Node.js app, but production environments often add VNet integration, private endpoints, and managed identity after the first deployment.

Run It in the Portal

Portal view: Web App Overview blade - first-deploy verification surface

Azure portal Overview blade for `app-appsvc-guide-recap` (Web App) with a command bar (`Browse`, `Stop`, `Swap`, `Restart`, `Delete`, `Refresh`, `Download publish profile`, `Reset publish profile`, `Share to mobile`, `Send us your feedback`) and an Essentials panel showing Resource group `rg-p2b-recapture`, Status `Running`, Location `Korea Central`, Subscription `Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription`, Subscription ID `00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000`, Default domain `app-appsvc-guide-recap.azurewebsites.net`, App Service Plan `plan-p2b-recapture (B1: 1)`, Operating System `Linux`, and Health Check `Not Configured`. The Properties tab is selected (next to Monitoring, Logs, Capabilities, Notifications (0), Recommendations) and surfaces Web app (`Name: app-appsvc-guide-recap`, `Publishing model: Code`, `Runtime Stack: Python - 3.11`, `Runtime status: Healthy`), Domains (`Default domain: app-appsvc-guide-recap.azurewebsites.net`, `Custom domain: Add custom domain`), Hosting (`Plan Type: App Service plan`, `Name: plan-p2b-recapture`, `Operating System: Linux`, `Instance Count: 1`, `SKU and size: Basic (B1)` with `Scale up` link), Deployment Center (`Last deployment: No deployments found`, `Deployment provider: None`), Application Insights (`Name: Enable Application Insights`), and Networking (`Inbound IP addresses: 192.0.2.1, 2001:db8::1`, `Private endpoint connections: 0 private endpoints`, `Virtual network integration: Not configured`). Left nav under the search box lists Overview (selected), Activity log, Access control (IAM), Tags, Diagnose and solve problems, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Events (preview), AI (preview), Resource visualizer, a Favorites group (Networking, API definition), and collapsed groups Deployment and Settings.

After running az webapp up --runtime "NODE:24-lts" in this tutorial, the Overview blade is the first Portal verification surface. The Essentials panel confirms the app the command created or reused: Status: Running, Operating System: Linux, Default domain, and the attached App Service Plan are all visible on this blade. The selected Properties tab adds Runtime Stack and Runtime status rows under Web app — the screenshot was captured from a Python deployment, so the visible value is Runtime Stack: Python - 3.11; the same row reports the Node.js stack value for this tutorial's Express app after deployment. Use the Default domain value to open the deployed app in a browser, which is the Portal-side check that corresponds to this tutorial's curl verification step.

See Also

Sources