Research Paper Best Practices for Deploying a .NET 8 Core Web API and React Application using GitHub Actions and Azure - wwestlake/Labyrinth GitHub Wiki

Research Paper: Best Practices for Deploying a .NET 8 Core Web API and React Application using GitHub Actions and Azure

Introduction

Deploying a modern web application involves multiple components, including backend APIs, frontend applications, and databases. For a .NET 8 Core Web API and a React Web Application with MongoDB as the database, deploying to Azure provides a scalable, secure, and efficient solution. This paper explores the best practices for setting up a deployment pipeline using GitHub Actions and Azure resources. The paper also discusses the configuration management strategies, security considerations, and monitoring setups needed to ensure a robust deployment.

Overview of Application Components

  1. .NET 8 Core Web API: The backend API developed using .NET 8 Core Web API serves as the application’s business logic layer and data access layer.
  2. React Web Application: A frontend application built with React.js that consumes the backend API and provides a user interface.
  3. MongoDB Server: A NoSQL database used to store application data, hosted in Azure.
  4. Azure Resources: Services such as Azure App Service, Azure Cosmos DB (or Azure MongoDB), Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor, and Azure Pipelines will be utilized for hosting, managing configurations, security, and deployment automation.

Deployment Strategy

The deployment strategy involves using GitHub Actions for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) and Azure for hosting both the API and the React application. The MongoDB server will be hosted on Azure Cosmos DB with the MongoDB API, providing a fully managed and scalable database solution.

1. GitHub Actions for CI/CD

GitHub Actions allows you to automate workflows directly from your GitHub repository. For deploying the .NET 8 Core Web API and React Application, GitHub Actions will perform the following steps:

  • Build: Compile the .NET Core application and the React application.
  • Test: Run unit and integration tests to ensure code quality.
  • Publish: Publish the .NET application and build the React application for production.
  • Deploy: Deploy the built applications to Azure.

2. Azure Resources

Azure offers several resources ideal for hosting and managing the application components:

  1. Azure App Service:

    • Use Azure App Service to host both the .NET 8 Core Web API and the React Application.
    • Configure a single Azure App Service Plan to host both applications, optimizing cost and resources.

  2. Azure Cosmos DB with MongoDB API:

    • Deploy Azure Cosmos DB with the MongoDB API to host the MongoDB database. This service provides scalability, security, and a fully managed environment.
    • Use Cosmos DB’s global distribution and multi-region writes for high availability and low-latency data access.

  3. Azure Key Vault:

    • Store sensitive information such as API keys, connection strings, and secrets securely in Azure Key Vault.
    • Integrate Azure Key Vault with Azure App Service and GitHub Actions to manage secrets without exposing them in the codebase or CI/CD pipelines.

  4. Azure Monitor:

    • Use Azure Monitor for logging, metrics, and alerts. This tool provides insights into the application’s performance and helps detect issues proactively.
    • Configure alerts for critical metrics like CPU usage, memory consumption, and request failure rates to ensure timely intervention.

  5. Azure Blob Storage:

    • Use Azure Blob Storage to store static files such as images, user uploads, or other content that does not change frequently.
    • Configure CDN (Content Delivery Network) with Azure Blob Storage for faster content delivery and reduced latency.

  6. Azure Application Insights:

    • Utilize Azure Application Insights to monitor application health, track usage patterns, and diagnose performance issues in both the API and the React application.

3. Configuration Management

Proper management of configuration settings, secrets, and environment variables is crucial for the security and flexibility of the deployment.

  1. Environment Variables:

    • Use environment variables for configuration settings that differ between environments (e.g., development, staging, production).
    • Store non-sensitive settings in environment variables accessible by both the .NET API and the React application.

  2. Azure Key Vault for Secrets Management:

    • Store all sensitive information such as database connection strings, API keys, and client secrets in Azure Key Vault.
    • Use managed identities to securely access Azure Key Vault from the Azure App Service without embedding secrets in code or configuration files.

  3. Azure App Configuration:

    • Use Azure App Configuration to manage application settings dynamically without the need to redeploy the application.
    • Centralize feature flags, A/B testing configurations, and other environment-specific settings.

4. Setting Up GitHub Actions for CI/CD

GitHub Actions will automate the build, test, and deployment process. Below is the recommended structure for setting up GitHub Actions:

  1. Workflow for .NET 8 Core Web API:

    • Trigger: Start the workflow on every push to the main branch or when a pull request is created.
    • Steps:
      • Check out code: Use the actions/checkout action to check out the repository code.
      • Set up .NET Core: Install .NET Core SDK using actions/setup-dotnet.
      • Restore dependencies: Run dotnet restore to restore NuGet packages.
      • Build and test: Use dotnet build and dotnet test to compile and test the API.
      • Publish: Publish the API using dotnet publish.
      • Deploy: Use the Azure CLI or Azure Web App Action to deploy the API to Azure App Service.

  2. Workflow for React Application:

    • Trigger: Start the workflow on every push to the main branch or when a pull request is created.
    • Steps:
      • Check out code: Use actions/checkout.
      • Set up Node.js: Install Node.js using actions/setup-node.
      • Install dependencies: Run npm install.
      • Build: Build the React app using npm run build.
      • Deploy: Deploy the build folder to Azure App Service using the Azure CLI or Azure Web App Action.

  3. Security Best Practices:

    • Use environment secrets in GitHub Actions to store sensitive information like Azure credentials and API keys.
    • Rotate secrets regularly and use GitHub’s security features to monitor for any unauthorized access.

5. Deployment Steps on Azure

  1. Create Azure Resources:

    • Use the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, or ARM templates to create Azure App Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Key Vault, and other necessary resources.

  2. Configure Azure App Service:

    • Set up deployment slots for staging and production to enable zero-downtime deployments.
    • Configure environment variables and link Azure Key Vault to the App Service to access secrets securely.

  3. Deploy Applications:

    • Deploy the .NET 8 Core Web API and React Application using GitHub Actions as described.
    • Ensure that both applications are accessible under the same domain or subdomains for seamless user experience.

  4. Monitor and Scale:

    • Use Azure Monitor and Azure Application Insights to monitor application performance and user behavior.
    • Set up auto-scaling rules based on CPU usage, request rates, or custom metrics to handle varying loads.

6. Conclusion

Deploying a .NET 8 Core Web API and React Application with MongoDB to Azure using GitHub Actions provides a scalable and secure deployment pipeline. By leveraging Azure’s comprehensive suite of services like App Service, Cosmos DB, Key Vault, and Monitor, you can ensure a robust infrastructure that meets modern application demands. Following the best practices outlined in this paper will help in setting up a reliable CI/CD pipeline, managing configurations securely, and maintaining the health and performance of your applications in production.