minhdua / nd081-c3-migrating-non-native-cloud-applications-project-starter

TechConf Registration Website

Project Overview

The TechConf website allows attendees to register for an upcoming conference. Administrators can also view the list of attendees and notify all attendees via a personalized email message.

The application is currently working but the following pain points have triggered the need for migration to Azure:

• The web application is not scalable to handle user load at peak
• When the admin sends out notifications, it's currently taking a long time because it's looping through all attendees, resulting in some HTTP timeout exceptions
• The current architecture is not cost-effective

In this project, you are tasked to do the following:

• Migrate and deploy the pre-existing web app to an Azure App Service
• Migrate a PostgreSQL database backup to an Azure Postgres database instance
• Refactor the notification logic to an Azure Function via a service bus queue message

Dependencies

You will need to install the following locally:

• Postgres
• Visual Studio Code
• Azure Function tools V3
• Azure CLI
• Azure Tools for Visual Studio Code

Project Instructions

Part 1: Create Azure Resources and Deploy Web App

1. Create a Resource group
2. Create an Azure Postgres Database single server
   • Add a new database techconfdb
   • Allow all IPs to connect to database server
   • Restore the database with the backup located in the data folder
3. Create a Service Bus resource with a notificationqueue that will be used to communicate between the web and the function
   • Open the web folder and update the following in the config.py file
     • POSTGRES_URL
     • POSTGRES_USER
     • POSTGRES_PW
     • POSTGRES_DB
     • SERVICE_BUS_CONNECTION_STRING
4. Create App Service plan
5. Create a storage account
6. Deploy the web app

Part 2: Create and Publish Azure Function

1. Create an Azure Function in the function folder that is triggered by the service bus queue created in Part 1.

   Note: Skeleton code has been provided in the README file located in the function folder. You will need to copy/paste this code into the __init.py__ file in the function folder.

   • The Azure Function should do the following:
     • Process the message which is the notification_id
     • Query the database using psycopg2 library for the given notification to retrieve the subject and message
     • Query the database to retrieve a list of attendees (email and first name)
     • Loop through each attendee and send a personalized subject message
     • After the notification, update the notification status with the total number of attendees notified

2. Publish the Azure Function

Part 3: Refactor routes.py

1. Refactor the post logic in web/app/routes.py -> notification() using servicebus queue_client:
   • The notification method on POST should save the notification object and queue the notification id for the function to pick it up
2. Re-deploy the web app to publish changes

Monthly Cost Analysis

Complete a month cost analysis of each Azure resource to give an estimate total cost using the table below:

Azure Resource	Service Tier	Monthly Cost
Azure Postgres Database	Basic - Single Server	$65.08
Azure Service Bus	Basic Service Plan - B1	$13.14
App Service	Basic	$0.05
Azure Functions	Consumption Tier	$0
Storage Accounts	Storage (general purpose v1)	$0.018

Architecture Explanation

1. Azure Postgres Database:

   • Service Tier: Basic - Single Server
   • Monthly Cost: $65.08
   • Explanation:
     • The Basic tier was chosen for cost effectiveness while meeting database requirements.
     • The Single Server option suits small applications, providing a standalone PostgreSQL server.
     • This tier provides a balance of performance and cost for your database needs.

2. App Service:

   • Service Tier: Basic
   • Monthly Cost: $0.05
   • Explanation:
     • The Basic tier was chosen to keep costs low while meeting the needs to host a Flask based web application.
     • This tier provides enough resources for small to medium applications.
     • App Service provides easy and scalable deployments on demand.

3. Azure Functions:

   • Service Tier: Consumption Tier
   • Monthly Cost: (Not specified in the table)
   • Explanation:
     • The Consumption tier was chosen for Azure Functions to take advantage of a serverless architecture.
     • This tier incurs costs based on actual usage, making it cost effective for uneven workloads.
     • Azure Functions handles background processing tasks, like notification jobs, in an event-driven way.

Additional Considerations:

• Azure Service Bus:

  • Service Tier: Basic Service Plan - B1
  • Monthly Cost: $13.14
  • Explanation:
    • The Basic Service Plan provides enough capabilities for message queuing.
    • B1 was chosen for cost effectiveness while meeting the application's needs.
    • Azure Service Bus supports asynchronous communication between the web application and Azure Functions.

• Storage Accounts:

  • Service Tier: Storage (general purpose v1)
  • Monthly Cost: (Not specified in the table)
  • Explanation:
    • A Storage account can be used to store static assets, logs, or other data.
    • General-purpose v1 is a standard storage tier suitable for many storage needs.
    • Costs depend on the amount of data stored and operations performed.

This architecture enables efficient handling of user interactions, background processing, and communication between components, ensuring a cost-effective and scalable solution for the application.