Application Submissions to the Azure Gallery

  • Article

The Azure Web Application Gallery provides a way for developers to more easily deploy applications to Azure users. The Web Application Gallery does not store code snapshots of applications. Instead, the App Gallery and Web PI retrieve the application package submitted by the application owner.   The information displayed with the package, such the Publisher link, is all provided by the application developer during the application submission process.

The App Gallery contains both ASP.NET, Java, Node JS, Python and PHP applications that follow the Web Application Gallery Principles .

Developers follow four steps to submit an application to the Web Application Gallery.

 

STEP 1: APPLY WEB APP GALLERY PRINCIPLES

First, developers must review and apply the Web Application Gallery Principles to their applications. These Principles reflect the Web Application Gallery’s goals to deliver a quality, safe user experience that is consistent across platforms supported by Azure Platform Installer.

STEP 2: TUNE APPLICATION BASED ON BEST PRACTICES AND PRINCIPLES

Azure Websites uses IIS Web server under the hood. Developers can visit IIS.NET for best practices in running applications on IIS. For ASP.NET applications, developer can start with a snapshot of ASP.NET Technical Resources or check out the Running ASP.NET Applications on IIS section. For PHP applications, developers can browse the Running PHP Applications for articles on how to make PHP applications work well on IIS. Guidance for PHP developers includes how to use web.config to set default document and static rewrite rules. IIS.NET also hosts guidance for any application developer on Windows, such as Securing Content on IIS Using File System ACLs.

If your application is compatible with IIS and does not require these conditions then it will work on Azure websites platform:

-      php configuration that cannot be updated in a .user.ini or

-      Special Python/Java configuration required at the server level may not be supported

-      IIS configuration that cannot be updated with web.config.

-      Azure websites does not allow special software to be installed on the virtual machines hosting the websites.

STEP 3: PACKAGE USING WEB DEPLOY

After tuning the application package with best practices, the developer adds Web Deploy support to the application package. Microsoft Web Deploy provides the framework for deploying the Web applications onto Azure. With Web Deploy, a developer adds a couple of manifest files to the root directory of an existing ZIP package that tell Azure Gallery installer how to deploy the application.

The manifest.XML file tells what is in the package and allows the developer to set the name of the directory and Web site where the package is deployed. The parameters.xml file gives developers the ability to ask the user for information during the install process, such as Web site path. Learn more about how to define the Web Deploy manifest files in the Application Packaging Guide. Also check out Tips and Tricks for a successful submission to Azure Website Gallery.

STEP 4: SUBMIT APPLICATION TO WEB APPLICATION GALLERY

Once the package is built and tested, the Web developer is ready to submit the package to the Web Application Gallery. To learn on how to submit the application, click here .

The Web Application Gallery Submission form in the Web Application Gallery starts by collecting information about the application. See the Submitting Links to the Web Application Gallery walkthrough for a detailed description of how to submit an application. Each application is reviewed to make sure that the application follows the Web Application Gallery Principles. Microsoft may contact the application developer in the course of the review, and also to inform the application developer about the state of the submission.

WEB APPLICATION GALLERY DEVELOPERS

If an application developer is accepted into the Web Application Gallery, the lifecycle of the application continues at the developer’s pace. With each package update, the application developer must contact the Microsoft Web Application Gallery to provide a new SHA1 hash, which helps secure the distribution point.

For general application questions and issues, the Web Application Gallery team redirects the user to the application’s free support forums.

For Installation and Deployment failures on Azure Gallery, please use Azure Websites Support forums to inform us or email us at appgal@microsoft.com.

REQUIREMENTS/CRITERIA CHECKLIST

  1. Must meet Web Application Gallery Principles 

  2. Application must work with on Azure Websites and IIS (Windows 2003 to 2012 server, Win 7, 8 clients, test application Web PI, Web Matrix)

  3. Application must belong to one of the category :

    • Blog
    • CMS
    • Forum
    • Wiki
    • Tools
    • Frameworks
    • Templates
    • eCommerce

    Application must be functional based on the category it belongs to. It must be tested by the partner on Azure websites. App Gallery team will run basic tests on the application before publishing the application in the Azure App Gallery

  4. Application must be compatible with Web Matrix:

    • User should be able to edit and download your application with Web Matrix
    • Community or Application partner ,must provide support for Web Application