Azure Utility and Resource Recommendations: From Performance Optimization to Architecture Design
Azure Utility and Resource Recommendations: From Performance Optimization to Architecture Design
Azure, as Microsoft's cloud computing platform, provides a wealth of services and tools covering computing, storage, databases, artificial intelligence, and many other fields. Faced with such a vast ecosystem, how to quickly get started and efficiently utilize the resources provided by Azure is a problem that every developer and operations personnel needs to face. This article will combine discussions about Azure on X/Twitter to recommend some practical tools and resources to help everyone better utilize Azure for development and deployment.
Azure SQL Performance Optimization: Improvements Brought by the Next-Generation GP
On X/Twitter, the official Azure SQL account (@AzureSQL) shared the performance improvements of the next-generation General Purpose (GP). This update is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
- Lower latency: Reduces data access latency and improves application response speed.
- Higher throughput: Supports higher concurrent access volume and can handle more requests.
- Higher IOPS: Improves the number of input/output operations per second, accelerating data reading and writing.
- Stronger scalability: Can better cope with the traffic pressure brought by business growth.
- Finer control: Provides IOPS and memory sliders, allowing users to fine-tune resource allocation according to their own needs.
To learn more details, you can watch the video shared by the official AzureSQL account: https://msft.it/6018QRXky.
Practical Tips:
- Monitor performance metrics: Use Azure Monitor to regularly monitor the performance metrics of Azure SQL, such as CPU utilization, memory utilization, IOPS, etc., to detect potential problems in time.
- Optimize query statements: Use tools such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to analyze the execution plan of query statements, identify performance bottlenecks and optimize them.
- Adjust resource configuration: According to actual business needs, reasonably configure Azure SQL's CPU, memory, storage and other resources to avoid resource waste or insufficient performance.
- Utilize Temporal Tables: Azure SQL's Temporal Tables feature can record historical versions of data, making it easy to perform data auditing and rollback. For more information, please refer to: http://dlvr.it/TQs665
Azure App Service Quick Deployment: ARM Templates and Azure CLI
Azure Support (@AzureSupport) recommends using Azure App Service and ARM (Azure Resource Manager) templates to quickly deploy cloud applications. An ARM template is a declarative way to define Azure resources in JSON format, which can implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
Deployment Steps:
- Choose a hosting platform: Azure App Service supports various hosting platforms, such as Windows, Linux, Docker, etc. Choose the appropriate platform based on application requirements.
- Define infrastructure and configuration: Use the JSON format to write an ARM template, defining the infrastructure and configuration information required for the application, including the App Service plan, Web application, database connection strings, etc.
{ "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#", "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0", "parameters": { "appServiceName": { "type": "string", "defaultValue": "[concat('app-', uniqueString(resourceGroup().id))]", "metadata": { "description": "The name of the App Service app." } }, "skuName": { "type": "string", "defaultValue": "F1", "metadata": { "description": "The SKU of the App Service plan." } } }, "resources": [ { "type": "Microsoft.Web/serverfarms", "apiVersion": "2022-09-01", "name": "[parameters('appServiceName')]", "location": "[resourceGroup().location]", "sku": { "name": "[parameters('skuName')]", "tier": "[substring(parameters('skuName'),0,1)]" }, "properties": { "reserved": false } }, { "type": "Microsoft.Web/sites", "apiVersion": "2022-09-01", "name": "[parameters('appServiceName')]", "location": "[resourceGroup().location]", "dependsOn": [ "[resourceId('Microsoft.Web/serverfarms', parameters('appServiceName'))]" ], "properties": { "serverFarmId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Web/serverfarms', parameters('appServiceName'))]" } } ] } - Deploy using Azure CLI: Execute commands in Cloud Shell through Azure CLI to quickly deploy the application.
az deployment group create --resource-group --template-file --parameters appServiceName= - Utilize the free tier: Azure App Service provides a free tier, making it easy for users to quickly start and test.More information can be found here: https://msft.it/6018QP8uO
Advantages:
- Rapid Deployment: Automated deployment can be achieved through ARM templates and Azure CLI, greatly shortening deployment time.
- Consistency: ARM templates ensure environment consistency, avoiding environment differences caused by manual configuration.
- Repeatability: ARM templates can be reused, making it easy to copy and migrate environments.
Architecture Design Tools: Draw.io and GitHub Copilot
Architecture design is an important part of cloud application development. Tamstar1234 recommends using Draw.io's MCP server and combining it with GitHub Copilot to quickly draw architecture diagrams.
Steps:
- Use Draw.io MCP Server: Draw.io provides an MCP (Multi Cloud Platform) server, which makes it easy to draw cloud architecture diagrams.
- Combine with GitHub Copilot: Through GitHub Copilot's code generation capabilities, you can quickly generate Draw.io XML code, thereby achieving automatic drawing.
Examples:
- Example 1: Use the following prompt to have Copilot generate a CI/CD pipeline diagram
"Create a clean CI/CD diagram for GitHub Actions deploying to an Azure Container Registry using drawio mcp" - Example 2: Use the following prompt to have Copilot generate an architecture diagram of Azure API Management + Web Apps/Functions
"Azure API Management + Web Apps/Functions"
Advantages:
- Improved Efficiency: Through GitHub Copilot's code generation capabilities, drawing efficiency can be greatly improved.
- Standardization: Draw.io provides a rich set of cloud service icons, allowing you to draw standardized architecture diagrams.
- Collaboration: Draw.io supports multi-person collaboration, making it easy for team members to participate in architecture design together.
Recommended Azure Learning Resources
- Microsoft Official Documentation: Azure's official documentation provides detailed service introductions, sample code, and best practices, making it an important resource for learning Azure.
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Learn provides free Azure learning paths and certification courses to help developers systematically learn Azure-related knowledge.
- Azure Sample Code: There is a large amount of Azure sample code on GitHub to help developers quickly get started with Azure development.
Other Azure Services and Tools Worth Noting
- Azure Storage Account: CyberWarship mentioned "Azure Storage Account Attacks and Detections", reminding us to pay attention to storage security. Be sure to configure appropriate access permissions and security policies to prevent unauthorized access.
- Visual Studio subscriber benefits: MSAzureDev mentioned that Visual Studio subscribers can get more value from Azure. You can check https://youtube.com/watch?v=DqKa-hDoCl4 for more information.
- Azure Power Solar: AzurePowerSolar focuses on clean energy and environmental protection, demonstrating Azure's efforts in sustainable development.## Summary
Azure provides a wealth of tools and resources to help developers and operations personnel develop and deploy cloud applications more efficiently. This article recommends practical tools and resources for Azure SQL performance optimization, Azure App Service quick deployment, Draw.io architecture design, and more. We hope this information can help everyone make better use of Azure and achieve business goals. Remember to continuously pay attention to Azure's updates and developments, and constantly learn and practice to better master Azure's powerful capabilities.
