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Quickstart: Create and deploy a Python web app from GitHub Codespaces to Azure using an Azure Developer CLI template

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This quickstart guides you through the easiest and fastest way to create and deploy a Python web and database solution to Azure. By following the instructions in this quickstart, you will:

  • Choose an Azure Developer CLI (azd) template based on the Python web framework, Azure database platform, and Azure web hosting platform you want to build on.
  • Create a new GitHub Codespace containing code generated from the azd template you selected.
  • Use GitHub Codespaces and the online Visual Studio Code's bash terminal. The terminal allows you to use Azure Developer CLI commands to run an azd template to create a sample web app and database, and create and configure the necessary Azure resources, then deploy the sample web app to Azure.
  • Edit the web app in a GitHub Codespace and use an azd command to redeploy.
  • Use an azd command to clean up Azure resources.
  • Close and reopen your GitHub Codespace.
  • Publish your new code to a GitHub repository.

It should take less than 25 minutes to complete this tutorial. Upon completion, you can start modifying the new project with your custom code.

To learn more about these azd templates for Python web app development:

Prerequisites

Important

Both GitHub Codespaces and Azure are paid subscription based services. After some free allotments, you may be charged for using these services. Following this quickstart could affect these allotments or billing. When possible, the azd templates were built using the least expensive tier of options, but some may not be free. Use the Azure Pricing calculator to better understand the costs. For more information, see GitHub Codespaces pricing for more details.

Choose a template and create a codespace

Choose an azd template based on the Python web framework, Azure web hosting platform, and Azure database platform you want to build on.

  1. From the following list of templates, choose one that uses the technologies that you want to use in your new web application.

    Template Web Framework Database Hosting Platform New Codespace
    azure-django-postgres-flexible-aca Django PostgreSQL Flexible Server Azure Container Apps New Codespace
    azure-django-postgres-flexible-appservice Django PostgreSQL Flexible Server Azure App Service New Codespace
    azure-django-cosmos-postgres-aca Django Cosmos DB (PostgreSQL Adapter) Azure Container Apps New Codespace
    azure-django-cosmos-postgres-appservice Django Cosmos DB (PostgreSQL Adapter) Azure App Service New Codespace
    azure-django-postgres-addon-aca Django Azure Container Apps PostgreSQL Add-on Azure Container Apps New Codespace

  1. For your convenience, the last column of each table contains a link that creates a new Codespace and initializes the azd template in your GitHub account. Right-click and select "Open in new tab" on the "New Codespace" link next to the template name you selected to initiate the setup process.

    During this process, you may be prompted to log into your GitHub account, and you're asked to confirm that you want to create the Codespace. Select the "Create Codespace" button to see the "Setting up your codespace" page.

  2. After a few minutes, a web-based version of Visual Studio Code is loaded in a new browser tab with the Python web template loaded as a workspace in the Explorer view.

Authenticate to Azure and deploy the azd template

Now that you have a GitHub Codespace containing the newly generated code, you use the azd utility from within the Codespace to publish the code to Azure.

  1. In the web-based Visual Studio Code, the terminal should be open by default. If it isn't, use the tilde ~ key to open the terminal. Furthermore, by default, the terminal should be a bash terminal. If it isn't, change to bash in the upper right hand area of the terminal window.

  2. In the bash terminal, enter the following command:

    azd auth login

    azd auth login begins the process of authenticating your Codespace to your Azure account.

    Start by copying the next code: XXXXXXXXX
Then press enter and continue to log in from your browser...

Waiting for you to complete authentication in the browser...

  3. Follow the instructions, which include:

    • Copying a generated code
    • Selecting enter to open a new browser tab and pasting the code into the text box
    • Choosing your Azure account from a list
    • Confirming that you're trying to sign in to Microsoft Azure CLI

  4. When successful, the following message is displayed back in the Codespaces tab at the terminal:

    Device code authentication completed.
Logged in to Azure.

  5. Deploy your new application to Azure by entering the following command:

    azd up

    During this process, you're asked to:

    • Enter a new environment name
    • Select an Azure Subscription to use [Use arrows to move, type to filter]
    • Select an Azure location to use: [Use arrows to move, type to filter]

    Once you answer those questions, the output from azd indicates the deployment is progressing.

    Important

    Once azd up completes successfully, the sample web app will be available on the public internet and your Azure Subscription will begin accruing charges for all resources that are created. The creators of the azd templates intentionally chose inexpensive tiers but not necessarily free tiers since free tiers often have restricted availability. Once you have finished working with the sample web app, use azd down to remove all of the services that were created by azd up.

    Follow the instructions when prompted to choose Azure Subscription to use for payment, then select an Azure location to use. Choose a region that is close to you geographically.

    Executing azd up could take several minutes since it's provisioning and deploying multiple Azure services. As progress is displayed, watch for errors. If you see errors, see the Troubleshooting section at the bottom of this document.

  6. When azd up completes successfully, similar output is displayed:

    (✓) Done: Deploying service web
- Endpoint: https://xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx-ca.example-xxxxxxxx.westus.azurecontainerapps.io/

SUCCESS: Your application was provisioned and deployed to Azure in 11 minutes 44 seconds.
You can view the resources created under the resource group xxxxx-rg in Azure Portal:
https://portal.azure.com/#@/resource/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/xxxxx-rg/overview

    If you see a default screen or error screen, the app may be starting up. Please wait 5-10 minutes to see if the issue resolves itself before troubleshooting.

    Ctrl + click the first URL after the word - Endpoint: to see the sample web app project running live in Azure.

  7. Ctrl + click the second URL from the previous step to view the provisioned resources in the Azure portal.

Edit and redeploy

The next step is to make a small change to the web app and then redeploy.

  1. Return to the browser tab containing Visual Studio Code, and use Visual Studio Code's Explorer view to navigate to src/templates folder, and open the index.html file. Locate the following line of code:

    <h1 id="page-title">Welcome to ReleCloud</h1>

    Change the text inside of the H1:

    <h1 id="page-title">Welcome to ReleCloud - UPDATED</h1>

    Your code is saved as you type.

  2. To redeploy the app with your change, run the following command in the terminal:

    azd deploy

  3. Once the command completes, refresh the browser tab with the ReleCloud website to see the update. Depending on the web hosting platform being used, it could take several minutes before your changes are visible.

    You're now ready to edit and delete files in the template. For more information, see What can I edit or delete in the template?

Clean up resources

Clean up the resources created by the template by running the azd down command.

azd down

The azd down command deletes the Azure resources and the GitHub Actions workflow. When prompted, agree to deleting all resources associated with the resource group.

Optional: Find your codespace

This section demonstrates how your code is (temporarily) running and persisted short-term in a Codespace. If you plan on continuing to work on the code, you should publish the code to a new repository.

  1. Close all tabs related to this Quickstart article, or shut down your web browser entirely.

  2. Open your web browser and a new tab, and navigate to: https://github.com/codespaces

  3. Near the bottom, you'l see a list of recent Codespaces. Look for the one you created in a section titled "Owned by Azure-Samples".

  4. Select the ellipsis to the right of this Codespace to view a context menu. From here you can rename the codespace, publish to a new repository, change machine type, stop the codespace, and more.

Optional: Publish a GitHub repository from Codespaces

At this point, you have a Codespace, which is a container hosted by GitHub running your Visual Studio Code development environment with your new code generated from an azd template. However, the code isn't stored in a GitHub repository. If you plan on continuing to work on the code, you should make that a priority.

  1. From the context menu for the codespace, select "Publish to a new repository".
  2. In the "Publish to a new repository" dialog, rename your new repo and choose whether you want it to be a public or private repo. Select "Create repository".
  3. After a few moments, the repository will be created and the code you generated earlier in this Quickstart will be pushed to the new repository. Select the "See repository" button to navigate to the new repo.
  4. To reopen and continue editing code, select the green "< > Code" drop-down, switch to the Codespaces tab, and select the name of the Codespace you were working on previously. You should now be returned to your Codespace Visual Studio Code development environment.
  5. Use the Source Control pane to create new branches and stage and commit new changes to your code.

Troubleshooting

If you see errors during azd up, try the following:

  • Run azd down to remove any resources that may have been created. Alternatively, you can delete the resource group that was created in the Azure portal.
  • Go to the Codespaces page for your GitHub account, find the Codespace created during this Quickstart, select the ellipsis at the right and choose "Delete" from the context menu.
  • In the Azure portal, search for Key Vaults. Select to Manage deleted vaults, choose your subscription, select all key vaults that contain the name azdtest or whatever you named your environment, and select Purge.
  • Retry the steps in this quickstart again. This time when prompted, choose a simpler name for your environment. Try a short name, lower-case letters, no numbers, no upper-case letters, no special characters.
  • When retrying the quickstart steps, choose a different location.

See the FAQ for a more comprehensive list of possible issues and solutions.

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