Lab 04: Application Insights Setup¶

This lab adds application performance monitoring to the sandbox. You will create an Application Insights resource, configure a sample App Service to send telemetry, emit custom events and traces, and create an availability test to verify end-user reachability.

Lab Metadata¶

Attribute	Value
Difficulty	Intermediate
Estimated Duration	45-60 minutes
Azure Monitor Tier	Application telemetry
Primary Services	Application Insights, App Service, availability tests
Skills Practiced	Instrumentation, connection strings, custom telemetry, validation

Prerequisites¶

Azure CLI authenticated with az login.
Permission to create Application Insights resources and App Service resources.
A sandbox resource group in the same subscription as the Log Analytics workspace.
Familiarity with connection strings and application settings.

Set variables for the lab:

export LOCATION="koreacentral"
export RG="rg-monitoring-lab04"
export WORKSPACE_NAME="lawmonlab04"
export APP_INSIGHTS_NAME="appimonlab04"
export PLAN_NAME="aspmonlab04"
export WEBAPP_NAME="webmonlab04demo"
export WEB_TEST_NAME="webtest-monlab04"

Architecture Diagram¶

flowchart TD
    User[Browser or synthetic client] --> App[App Service app]
    App --> SDK[Application Insights SDK]
    SDK --> AI[Application Insights component]
    AI --> LAW[Workspace-based Log Analytics]
    App --> Custom[Custom events and traces]
    Custom --> AI
    Test[Availability test] --> App
    AI --> Workbook[Workbooks and alerts]

Lab Objectives¶

Create a workspace-based Application Insights component.
Deploy a minimal App Service app and configure its connection string.
Generate requests, traces, and custom telemetry.
Confirm telemetry lands in requests, traces, and customEvents tables.
Create an availability test that probes the app endpoint.

Step-by-Step Instructions¶

Step 1: Create the resource group and workspace¶

az group create \
    --name "$RG" \
    --location "$LOCATION" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az group create`	Create a resource group.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--location`	Azure region for the resource.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --workspace-name "$WORKSPACE_NAME" \
    --location "$LOCATION" \
    --sku "PerGB2018" \
    --retention-time 30 \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics workspace create`	Create a Log Analytics workspace.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--workspace-name`	Name of the Log Analytics workspace.
`--location`	Azure region for the resource.
`--sku`	SKU tier of the resource.
`--retention-time`	Data retention period in days.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Capture the workspace ID:

export WORKSPACE_ID=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace show \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --workspace-name "$WORKSPACE_NAME" \
    --query "id" \
    --output tsv)

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics workspace show`	Show a Log Analytics workspace.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--workspace-name`	Name of the Log Analytics workspace.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Step 2: Create a workspace-based Application Insights resource¶

az monitor app-insights component create \
    --app "$APP_INSIGHTS_NAME" \
    --location "$LOCATION" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" \
    --application-type "web" \
    --kind "web" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights component create`	Create an Application Insights component.
`--app`	Application Insights component name.
`--location`	Azure region for the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--workspace`	Log Analytics workspace resource ID that backs the component.
`--application-type`	Application Insights application type.
`--kind`	Resource kind.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Retrieve the connection string:

export APPINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING=$(az monitor app-insights component show \
    --app "$APP_INSIGHTS_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --query "connectionString" \
    --output tsv)

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights component show`	Show an Application Insights component.
`--app`	Application Insights component name.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Step 3: Create an App Service plan and web app¶

az appservice plan create \
    --name "$PLAN_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --location "$LOCATION" \
    --sku "B1" \
    --is-linux \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az appservice plan create`	Create an App Service plan.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--location`	Azure region for the resource.
`--sku`	SKU tier of the resource.
`--is-linux`	Creates a Linux App Service plan.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

az webapp create \
    --name "$WEBAPP_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --plan "$PLAN_NAME" \
    --runtime "PYTHON:3.11" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az webapp create`	Create a web app.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--plan`	App Service plan for the web app.
`--runtime`	Runtime stack for the app.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Step 4: Configure application settings for telemetry¶

az webapp config appsettings set \
    --name "$WEBAPP_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --settings \
        APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING="$APPINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING" \
        SCM_DO_BUILD_DURING_DEPLOYMENT="true" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az webapp config appsettings set`	Set application settings on the web app.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--settings`	Configuration settings for the resource.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Optionally enable App Service logs for troubleshooting during instrumentation.

az webapp log config \
    --name "$WEBAPP_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --application-logging filesystem \
    --level information \
    --detailed-error-messages true \
    --failed-request-tracing true \
    --web-server-logging filesystem

Command	Purpose
`az webapp log config`	Configure logging for the web app.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--application-logging`	Enables application logging for the web app.
`--level`	Severity level filter.
`--detailed-error-messages`	Enables detailed error message logging.
`--failed-request-tracing`	Enables failed request tracing for the web app.
`--web-server-logging`	Enables web server logging for the app.

Step 5: Generate requests and custom telemetry¶

For a real app, deploy code that uses an Application Insights SDK. The example below uses az webapp ssh only as a placeholder workflow; in practice you would deploy source code that sends traces, dependencies, and custom events.

Suggested application patterns:

from applicationinsights import TelemetryClient

tc = TelemetryClient("<connection-string>")
tc.track_trace("lab-start")
tc.track_event("checkout-demo", {"region": "lab"}, {"durationMs": 125})
tc.flush()

Generate inbound traffic to the web app:

export APP_URL=$(az webapp show \
    --name "$WEBAPP_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --query "defaultHostName" \
    --output tsv)

Command	Purpose
`az webapp show`	Show properties of the web app.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

az rest \
    --method get \
    --url "https://$APP_URL/"

Command	Purpose
`az rest`	Invoke a raw Azure REST API request.
`--method`	HTTP method for the REST call.
`--url`	Target URL for the operation.

Repeat the request a few times so the requests table has fresh rows.

Step 6: Query Application Insights tables in the workspace¶

az monitor log-analytics query \
    --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" \
    --analytics-query "requests | where timestamp > ago(30m) | summarize RequestCount=count(), AvgDurationMs=avg(duration) by cloud_RoleName" \
    --output table

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics query`	Run a KQL query against a Log Analytics workspace.
`--workspace`	Log Analytics workspace ID for the query.
`--analytics-query`	Kusto (KQL) query to execute.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

az monitor log-analytics query \
    --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" \
    --analytics-query "traces | where timestamp > ago(30m) | summarize TraceCount=count() by severityLevel" \
    --output table

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics query`	Run a KQL query against a Log Analytics workspace.
`--workspace`	Log Analytics workspace ID for the query.
`--analytics-query`	Kusto (KQL) query to execute.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

az monitor log-analytics query \
    --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" \
    --analytics-query "customEvents | where timestamp > ago(30m) | summarize EventCount=count() by name" \
    --output table

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics query`	Run a KQL query against a Log Analytics workspace.
`--workspace`	Log Analytics workspace ID for the query.
`--analytics-query`	Kusto (KQL) query to execute.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Step 7: Create an availability test¶

URL ping tests are deprecated

Microsoft has announced that Application Insights URL ping tests retire on September 30, 2026 (availability tests reference). The Az CLI command shown below still uses --web-test-kind "ping" and creates a URL ping test; use it only if you understand it must be migrated before the retirement date.

The forward path is Standard tests, which cover the same single-request use case and additionally validate TLS/SSL certificate lifetime, custom HTTP verbs, custom headers, and custom request bodies. Standard tests are created through the Application Insights portal blade (Availability → Add Standard test) or through ARM templates. See the official migration guide for the PowerShell-based migration path.

Create a URL ping test for the app endpoint (subject to the deprecation note above):

az monitor app-insights web-test create \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --name "$WEB_TEST_NAME" \
    --location "$LOCATION" \
    --web-test-kind "ping" \
    --frequency 300 \
    --timeout 120 \
    --enabled true \
    --request-url "https://$APP_URL" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights web-test create`	Create an availability web test.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--location`	Azure region for the resource.
`--web-test-kind`	Type of availability web test.
`--frequency`	Evaluation frequency of the rule.
`--timeout`	Maximum time to wait for the operation.
`--enabled`	Whether the resource is enabled.
`--request-url`	URL invoked by the availability web test.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

List the test to confirm it exists:

az monitor app-insights web-test show \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --name "$WEB_TEST_NAME" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights web-test show`	Show an availability web test.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Step 8: Review component settings¶

az monitor app-insights component show \
    --app "$APP_INSIGHTS_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --query "{name:name,workspaceResourceId:workspaceResourceId,applicationType:applicationType,connectionString:connectionString}" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights component show`	Show an Application Insights component.
`--app`	Application Insights component name.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

This confirms the component is workspace-based and ready for alerts and workbooks.

Validation Steps¶

Run these checks:

Confirm the component is linked to the workspace.

az monitor app-insights component show \
    --app "$APP_INSIGHTS_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --query "{name:name,workspaceResourceId:workspaceResourceId}" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights component show`	Show an Application Insights component.
`--app`	Application Insights component name.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Confirm the App Service app has the connection string setting.

az webapp config appsettings list \
    --name "$WEBAPP_NAME" \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --query "[?name=='APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING']" \
    --output json

Command	Purpose
`az webapp config appsettings list`	List application settings of the web app.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--query`	JMESPath projection of the fields to return.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Confirm request telemetry is arriving.

az monitor log-analytics query \
    --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" \
    --analytics-query "requests | where timestamp > ago(30m) | summarize Count=count()" \
    --output table

Command	Purpose
`az monitor log-analytics query`	Run a KQL query against a Log Analytics workspace.
`--workspace`	Log Analytics workspace ID for the query.
`--analytics-query`	Kusto (KQL) query to execute.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Confirm the availability test exists.

az monitor app-insights web-test list \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --output table

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights web-test list`	List availability web tests.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--output`	Output format for the result.

Validation succeeds when the Application Insights component is workspace-based, the web app contains the connection string, telemetry is queryable, and the availability test is present.

Cleanup Instructions¶

If you want to remove just the availability test:

az monitor app-insights web-test delete \
    --resource-group "$RG" \
    --name "$WEB_TEST_NAME"

Command	Purpose
`az monitor app-insights web-test delete`	Delete an availability web test.
`--resource-group`	Resource group that contains the resource.
`--name`	Name of the resource.

If you want to delete the full lab environment:

az group delete \
    --name "$RG" \
    --yes \
    --no-wait

Command	Purpose
`az group delete`	Delete a resource group.
`--name`	Name of the resource.
`--yes`	Skips the confirmation prompt.
`--no-wait`	Returns without waiting for the operation to finish.