Getting Started with Azure App Configuration Service

Azure App Configuration is a managed service that allows you to store and manage application configuration settings.

To get started, you need to create an Azure App Configuration instance, which can be done through the Azure portal.

The service provides a simple and secure way to store and retrieve configuration settings, making it ideal for applications that require frequent updates or changes.

Azure App Configuration supports a wide range of data types, including strings, integers, and booleans.

To get started with Azure App Configuration, you need an Azure subscription. You can create an instance by starting the Azure App Configuration creation flow and clicking "Create" to kickoff deployment.

Log in if necessary, and once your instance is created, grab the Host (Endpoint) or your Connection string. You'll need to add this information to an azappconfig.yaml file that Dapr can apply.

The host key should be set to [Endpoint] or the connectionString key to the values you saved earlier. In a production-grade application, follow the secret management instructions to securely manage your secrets.

Azure App Configuration offers several key features that simplify the management of application settings and enhance application performance and security. These features include centralized configuration management and dynamic configuration changes.

Centralized configuration management provides a single place to manage application settings and feature flags, reducing the complexity of handling configurations across multiple environments and services. This is particularly useful in large-scale applications.

Dynamic configuration changes allow real-time updates to application settings without requiring redeployment, enabling more responsive and adaptable applications.

Here are the key features of Azure App Configuration:

Connection Strings are a crucial part of Azure App Configuration, and managing them efficiently is key to a smooth experience.

You can edit connection strings in bulk using the az webapp config connection-string set command, which takes the name of a JSON file as an argument.

To create a JSON file with multiple connection strings, use a JSON array format where the slot setting field is optional.

You can save existing connection strings into a JSON file using the az webapp config connection-string list command, which can be run in Bash.

Accessing an App Configuration instance requires its connection string, which is available in the Azure portal, but be cautious as connection strings contain credential information that should be treated as secrets and stored securely.

You can map a URL path to a directory in Azure App Service, which is useful when your app doesn't start in the root directory. For example, Laravel starts in the public subdirectory.

To do this, you'll need to edit or add virtual applications and directories. This feature is only available on Windows apps.

Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

You can have multiple virtual applications, like setting the root path / to the public subdirectory and also adding a second virtual application at the /app2 path.

To configure default documents in Azure App Service, you need to specify the web page that's displayed at the root URL of your app.

The first matching file in the list is used as the default document. If your app doesn't serve static content, you can skip this step.

To add a default document, you can either use the Azure portal or the az resource update command in PowerShell.

Here's a step-by-step guide to adding a default document using the Azure portal:

Alternatively, you can use the az resource update command to add a default document by modifying your app's PowerShell object.

If your app's startup file is in a different folder, you can edit or add virtual applications and directories. This feature is only available on Windows apps.

You can access the virtual directory to a physical path feature in the Azure portal. To do this, search for and select App Services, and then select your app.

In the app's left menu, select Configuration > Path mappings. From here, you can select New virtual application or directory.

The following example sets the root path / to the public subdirectory, which works for Laravel. This is done by creating a file called json.txt with the following contents.

Azure App Configuration offers a centralized place to manage application settings and feature flags, reducing the complexity of handling configurations across multiple environments and services.

This centralized management allows for real-time updates to application settings without requiring redeployment, enabling more responsive and adaptable applications.

Feature flags can be used to toggle features on or off dynamically, which is particularly useful for A/B testing, gradual rollouts, and instant rollbacks of features.

Here are some key features that support customization and security:

Configuring custom containers is a crucial step in customizing your Azure App Service. You can do this by configuring a custom container for Azure App Service.

To get started, you'll need to add custom storage for your containerized app. This will ensure that your app has the storage it needs to run smoothly.

You can configure a custom container for Azure App Service by following these steps:

Using private endpoints for Azure App Configuration is like having a direct, secured, and private line to your configuration data, ensuring it remains safe from potential threats on the public internet.

By configuring a firewall to block all connections from the public internet, you can put your configuration data behind a protective barrier, making it accessible only via the private link.

Private endpoints in Azure App Configuration offer a secure connection to Azure services using a private link, allowing clients within a Virtual Network (VNet) to access App Configuration directly, bypassing public internet.

This secure connection is made possible by assigning an IP address to your App Configuration store from the VNet's own address range, making the App Configuration service appear just like another resource in your VNet.

All network traffic between your VNet and the App Configuration store flows within Microsoft's own network infrastructure, which is highly secure, ensuring data doesn't touch the public internet, where it could be exposed to potential threats.

The key-value store in Azure App Configuration is a flexible and powerful way to manage your application settings.

You can add a key-value pair to the store using the az appconfig kv set command, or by going to Operations > Configuration explorer > Create > Key-value in the Azure portal.

To add a key-value pair, you'll need to specify a key and a value. The key should be a unique identifier for the setting, such as "TestApp:Settings:TextAlign". The value should be the corresponding setting, such as "center".

Here's a breakdown of the key-value pair format:

You can also use labels to organize and retrieve key-value pairs. For example, you could use a label like "Development" to store environment-specific settings.

Remember to always validate your settings before creating the App Configuration store, and to note down the primary read-only key connection string for future use.

To access an App Configuration instance, you'll need its connection string, which is available in the Azure portal.

You should treat connection strings as secrets and store them securely in a secret store, as they contain credential information.

To authenticate, use the connection string to access your App Configuration instance, and then you can manage and retrieve configuration data.

Spec metadata fields are crucial for configuring Azure App Configuration instances. They provide a way to specify how Dapr should interact with the instance.

To connect to an Azure App Configuration instance, you'll need to specify either the `host` or `connectionString` field. If you choose to use `connectionString`, it should be a string in the format `Endpoint=https://foo.azconfig.io;Id=osOX-l9-s0:sig;Secret=00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000`.

Alternatively, you can use the `host` field, which should be a URL like `https://dapr.azconfig.io`. Note that `host` and `connectionString` are mutually exclusive, so you can't specify both at the same time.

If you're experiencing issues connecting to the instance, you can increase the number of retries by specifying a value for the `maxRetries` field. By default, this is set to 3, but you can increase it to 5 or 10 if needed.

The `retryDelay` field controls the initial delay between retries, and it defaults to 4 seconds. You can also specify a maximum delay using the `maxRetryDelay` field, which defaults to 120 seconds.

Finally, if you're subscribing to keys, you can specify a poll interval using the `subscribePollInterval` field. The default interval is 24 hours, but you can adjust it to suit your needs.

Here's a summary of the spec metadata fields:

In Azure App Configuration, you can use labels to define different values for the same key, such as different values for development and production.

The Azure App Configuration store component supports the label metadata property, which is optional.

You can specify which label to load when connecting to App Configuration by using the label property.

The label can be populated using query parameters in the request URL.

If the label is not present, the configuration store returns the configuration for the specified key and a null label.

Authenticating with Connection String is a straightforward process that involves using the connection string available in the Azure portal. You can access an App Configuration instance using its connection string.

Connection strings contain credential information, so it's essential to treat them as secrets and use a secret store. This will ensure the security of your App Configuration instance.

To authenticate with a connection string, you'll need to specify either the `connectionString` or `host` field in your spec metadata. Since `connectionString` and `host` are mutually exclusive, you can only use one of them.

Here's a comparison of the two fields:

As you can see, the `connectionString` field is required when using a connection string, while the `host` field is not required but can be used when Azure Authentication is used.

Azure App Configuration offers robust data security and management features. By default, it encrypts data at rest using a 256-bit AES encryption key provided and managed by Microsoft.

This encryption key is unique to every instance of App Configuration, providing an additional layer of security. Users can opt to use their own encryption keys for heightened security.

App Configuration uses a customer-managed key capability that involves creating a managed identity to authenticate with Azure Active Directory. This identity is used to communicate with Azure Key Vault, which securely stores and handles cryptographic keys.

The customer's encryption key stored in Azure Key Vault is used to wrap the App Configuration encryption key, adding an extra layer of security. This wrapped key is then stored, while the original unwrapped key is cached in App Configuration for an hour and refreshed every hour to ensure service availability.

Azure App Configuration uses 256-bit AES encryption for data at rest, managed by Microsoft by default.

This default encryption provides a high level of security, but users have the option to elevate their security by using their own encryption keys.

Opting for customer-managed keys requires Azure App Configuration to receive a managed identity to authenticate with Azure Active Directory.

This managed identity is used to communicate with Azure Key Vault, which securely stores and handles cryptographic keys.

The key from App Configuration is "wrapped" using the user's key in the Key Vault, adding an extra layer of security.

The wrapped key is stored, while the unwrapped version is cached in App Configuration for an hour, and refreshed every hour to ensure service availability.

This ensures that even if something were to compromise or lose the unwrapped key, a fresh version would be available within an hour, keeping the service operational under normal conditions.

In a production environment, it's essential to have a streamlined way to manage multiple versions or variants of the same configuration key.

Using labels in Azure App Configuration is a great way to do this, making it easier to handle settings for different scenarios, versions, or environments without having to duplicate keys.

Here's a key-value pair that shows how this works: Key: AppName:DbEndpointLabel: Production

This approach ensures that configurations are organized, easy to navigate, and reduces complexity, making it a valuable tool for data security and management.

Azure App Configuration is a great tool for managing application configurations and feature flags, but it's not designed to store secrets like authentication keys and API keys.

Azure Key Vault is specifically used for this purpose, so it's essential to keep your secrets safe and separate from your app configurations.

In contrast to Azure App Configuration, Azure Key Vault focuses on secure storage of sensitive information.

If you're using Azure App Configuration, you can easily integrate it with Azure Key Vault to keep your secrets secure and organized.

By using Azure Key Vault to store your secrets and Azure App Configuration to manage your app configurations, you can ensure a clean and secure separation of concerns.

Azure App Configuration offers two pricing tiers: Free and Standard. The Free tier is a great starting point for small projects or testing purposes.

The Free tier provides a single configuration store per subscription, with 10 MB of storage and a 7-day revision history. This is a good option if you don't need a lot of storage or frequent updates.

Users on the Free tier are allocated a request quota of 1,000 requests per day, after which they receive HTTP status code 429 for any additional requests until the end of the day. This means you'll need to plan your requests carefully to avoid hitting this limit.

The Standard tier is a more robust option that's suitable for larger projects or high-traffic applications. It allows for unlimited configuration stores, providing 1 GB of storage and a 30-day revision history per resource.

Pricing for the Standard tier starts at $1.20 per store per day, which includes the first 200,000 requests. Additional requests incur an overage charge of $0.06 per 10,000 requests.

The Azure App Configuration Service is a managed service that offers a central place for managing application settings and feature flags.

It simplifies the task of keeping application settings in sync across various environments, such as development, testing, and production.

Developers can easily modify application behavior without the need to redeploy or change code, thanks to the service's ability to support dynamic configuration changes at runtime.

This enables applications to be more adaptable and easier to manage.

The service provides features for managing app configurations, including grouping configurations into labels and using feature flags for toggling functionality without deploying new code.

It also secures sensitive information with encryption, ensuring that your app's settings are safe and secure.

The Azure App Configuration Service integrates seamlessly with popular Azure services like Azure Functions and Azure App Service, enhancing developer productivity.

Azure App Configuration offers two pricing tiers: Free and Standard. The Free tier provides a single configuration store per subscription, with 10 MB of storage and a 7-day revision history.

Users are allocated a request quota of 1,000 requests per day with the Free tier, after which they receive HTTP status code 429 for any additional requests until the end of the day.

Pricing for the Standard tier starts at $1.20 per store per day, which includes the first 200,000 requests.

The Standard tier allows for unlimited configuration stores, providing 1 GB of storage and a 30-day revision history per resource.

Additional requests beyond the initial 200,000 incur an overage charge of $0.06 per 10,000 requests with the Standard tier.