Can i upload to CDN server directly in Azure? - azure

I have been exploring the features available in Azure and AWS. The fact that most features is not available or not clear.In CDN part i have comparisson criteria like 'Whether I can push/upload content to CDN Servers like in AKamai.
I have seen the feedback program and find that Custom-Origin is not available(
Link : http://feedback.azure.com/forums/169397-cdn/status/191761 ).But this one i could not find any link.Anyone has any idea?

No. Azure CDN currently does not support direct interaction (i.e. direct content upload, explicit or on-demand content expiration, etc.). It works as advertised serves files from Azure Storage Account or azure Cloud Service.

Related

Can I use something like deployments slots with Azure Storage Static Website?

I tried the Static website feature for Blob Storage in Azure and it is great!! Just copied my SPA static files (js, html, css, ...) and everything worked. Now to my question: how can I update the files and make sure that they are consistent?
With App Services I could use deployment slots and swap them when they are ready. If I just copy a new version the clients could get an inconsistent version (some files from the older one, some others from the new one).
This would be a huge problem for my .js files. Can I use something like a transaction that will make my files visible just when all of them were copied?
Consider creating another Storage Account that represents a staging environment and use Azure Traffic Manager to implement a swap.
This will also allow you to perform a blue-green deployment where you can send only a few user (lets say 1%) to your new deployment...
For those that can't find how to setup the Azure Storage Account with Traffic Manager like I could not, here:
Setup the traffic manage endpoint as a External endpoint, then add the storage account's FQDN found on the static website page.
Then set the custom domain of the storage account to the traffic manager's DNS name.

Access Azure Files Services from Azure WebSites

As the title says, I'm looking for a way to access an azure files share (in preview) directly from an azure website. I cannot use any REST API or anything like this and I was looking for the possibility of mounting a SMB share directly into the website (through the new portal or any other way).
I found the following links, from which I understand that this is still under review (http://feedback.azure.com/forums/169385-web-apps-formerly-websites/suggestions/6084609-allow-map-azure-file-share-microsoft-azure-file-s) and also a SO question (Can the new Azure File Service be used from Azure WebSites?) that doesn't answer my question.
To be honest and for the sake of giving more details, my scenario is pretty simple - I have some websites and also some virtual machines that should access the files from the azure files service. Regarding the VM, the approach is pretty straight forward and easy but regarding the WebSites, I don't find any way at this moment.
On the other hand, regardless of the answer to the above question, does it make sense to (or do I have the possibility to) enable CDN over an Azure Files Share?
Thank you very much.
As of today, no single technology will serve your purpose. You can't use File Service as you don't have the capability to mount a share in an Azure Website as well as it is not suited for streaming purposes (all access to files there need to be authorized and there's no concept of Shared Access Signature in File Service today).
I guess, you would have to pick one of the two technologies (Blob Service and File Service) and make some compromises to make it work in both Websites and Virtual Machines.
Assuming you go with File Service, then you can mount them in the Virtual Machine and do the processing on the files there. On the website front, you would need to use Storage Client library to download the relevant files in some folder in your website and stream those files from there.
Assuming you go with Blob Service, then you can simply stream them in your website directly from blob storage (no need to have those files in your website). In the Virtual Machine, when you need to process those files (blobs), you would simply download them to your VM for processing and then re-upload them in blob storage.
Does it make sense to (or do I have the possibility to) enable CDN
over an Azure Files Share?
Currently it is not possible to serve Azure File Service files via CDN.

Can you use Azure CDN without having to upload the files to Azure storage?

I have a website where I would like to cache the few images/stylesheets/javascript-files I have. Is it possible to have Azure CDN point directly on the files on my server, and then cache them, instead of having to upload them to an Azure storage?
It's not possible. Azure will not allow you to configure arbitrary domain as origin domain to support origin content pull. The only available targets are existing azure website, cloudservice or storage account.
Let us discuss your desired end goal.
If you want to improve your caching with CDN related functionality with the same domain name, take a look at Cloud Flare.
However, if you were going to a separate your content into a CDN domain and the application domain, you could look at expanding the following MSDN sample. The idea with this sample is so that as a deployment step, you upload all the CDN related content to the Azure Storage Account.
https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsazure/Synchronizing-Files-to-a14ecf57

azure cdn - multiple end points?

Can you have a single azure CDN instance configured for multiple items?
i.e I currently have a web role in a cloud service...the web role uses an azure storage account to store all images etc.
I currently have the azure CDN configured to the cloud service (prompted on create) - so now I have my various scripts and css etc on the CDN. I would like to also have all images/assets from the storage account on cdn too and was wondering if this could be done from this one CDN or would I need to create another CDN just for the images etc?
I'm not sure by what you meant by "same cdn" but you can use the same CDN profile to have two CDN endpoints. One pointing two the cloud service root. The other one to the images contents blob. Kindly find below two links that describe the two approaches both for the cloud service and the storage below.
Hope this helps!
Storage: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/cdn-create-a-storage-account-with-cdn/
Cloud Services: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/cdn-cloud-service-with-cdn/

Image Hosting Azure

I'm creating a website where users will be able to upload various images when creating a new page on my website. What service does Microsoft offer to host many user uploaded images. Would a Blob suffice? If so, if I were to add a CDN, would it be worthwhile? From what I understand, a CDN copies the images on various servers. If my local server has 1 million images, would that mean all the other locations will have 1 million images as well? Would that be very costly?
Blob storage is the perfect place for images in Azure.
CDN is great for when your images are at least somewhat static and will be viewed more than once.
With CDN you do not pay for storage costs (on the CDN), but instead for transfers out of the CDN - http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cdn/
I should also mention that if you're using Azure and Blob storage is your primary facility for storing images, Azure's CDN does not have to be your primary CDN - and any CDN will work. CDN's are pretty commodity service these days.
HTH
A CDN on top of Azure storage would be useful if you have lot of users fetching the same file(hot files/Cache hits) Accessing files that are not heavily used will result in a Cache Miss. The CDN will then fetch the file from the origin (Azure Storage) before delivering it to the user. For such a scenario adding a CDN on top of Azure storage provides very little benefit.

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