Building a Complete Azure PaaS Architecture: From Theory to CLI Automation
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Cristian Sifuentes

Cristian Sifuentes @cristiansifuentes

About: 🧠 Full-stack dev crafting scalable apps with [NET - Azure], [Angular - React], Git, SQL & extensions. Clean code, dark themes, atomic commits.

Joined:
Apr 15, 2025

Building a Complete Azure PaaS Architecture: From Theory to CLI Automation

Publish Date: Jun 5
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Building a Complete Azure PaaS Architecture: From Theory to CLI Automation

Building a Complete Azure PaaS Architecture: From Theory to CLI Automation

In modern cloud-native development, Platform as a Service (PaaS) empowers teams to deliver applications without worrying about underlying infrastructure. Whether you're a developer launching an API, a startup scaling a SaaS product, or an architect designing multi-region solutions—Azure PaaS offers the building blocks to get there faster.

In this post, we’ll break down the core PaaS components in Azure, their roles, and how to deploy them using real-world CLI commands. We’ll explore a full use case and map it to best practices, limitations, and scaling potential.

What is Azure PaaS?

Azure PaaS abstracts infrastructure and provides:

  • App Engine: Executes and scales application workloads (App Service)
  • Databases: Relational (Azure SQL) and non-relational (Cosmos DB)
  • Storage: Blobs, files, queues, and tables
  • Dev Tools: GitHub integration, DevOps pipelines, APIs
  • Monitoring & Security: Insights, alerts, Key Vault, managed identities

Real Use Case: Deploying a Multi-Tier Web App

You’re building an app with:

  • A React front-end hosted in Azure Web App
  • A Node.js backend also in Web App
  • A Cosmos DB for user data (NoSQL)
  • An Azure SQL for transactional data
  • Blob Storage for media uploads
  • Key Vault for secrets and connection strings

CLI-Based Sequential Deployment

Step 1: Create a Resource Group 

az group create --name PaaSDemoGroup --location eastus
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Step 2: Create a Cosmos DB Account 

az cosmosdb create --name demoCosmosDB --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup
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Step 3: Create a SQL Server and Database 

az sql server create --name demoSqlServer --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --location eastus --admin-user adminuser --admin-password StrongP@ssw0rd
az sql db create --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --server demoSqlServer --name demoDb --service-objective S0
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Step 4: Create a Storage Account and Blob Container 

az storage account create --name demostoragepoc --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS
az storage container create --name mediauploads --account-name demostoragepoc --auth-mode login
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Step 5: Create an App Service Plan 

az appservice plan create --name demoAppPlan --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --sku B1 --is-linux
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Step 6: Deploy Front-End App 

az webapp create --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --plan demoAppPlan --name demoReactApp --runtime "NODE|18-lts"
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Step 7: Deploy Back-End App 

az webapp create --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --plan demoAppPlan --name demoNodeAPI --runtime "NODE|18-lts"
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Step 8: Create a Key Vault and Store Secrets 

az keyvault create --name demoVault123 --resource-group PaaSDemoGroup --location eastus
az keyvault secret set --vault-name demoVault123 --name CosmosConnString --value "<your-connection-string>"
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Components Summary

Component Purpose
App Service (Web App) Hosts the front-end and back-end
Cosmos DB Handles NoSQL document storage
Azure SQL Stores transactional/relational data
Blob Storage Stores files/media uploaded from the app
Key Vault Secures secrets, tokens, passwords
App Service Plan Defines compute resources for apps
Resource Group Logical container for all resources

Limitations and Considerations

❌ Limited Infrastructure Customization

You can’t configure deep networking or OS-level changes—focus is on productivity, not control.

🔐Security Responsibility

You must secure secrets, ensure RBAC is enforced, and evaluate compliance standards.

🌐 Vendor Lock-In

Migrating from Azure PaaS to another provider could involve platform differences or rework.

💰 Transition Cost

Modernizing legacy applications to PaaS often involves code refactoring and migration tools.

Bonus: Teardown Script 

az group delete --name PaaSDemoGroup --yes --no-wait
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Final Thoughts

Azure PaaS provides a high-productivity platform that lets developers focus on features, not servers. It supports fast prototyping, scalable microservices, and secure multi-tier architectures. The key is knowing how to connect the dots using automation and best practices.

Build smart, deploy fast, and let Azure manage the rest. ⚙️💡

✍️ Written by: Cristian Sifuentes – Full-stack dev crafting scalable apps with [NET - Azure], [Angular - React], Git, SQL & extensions. Clean code, dark themes, atomic commits

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