Learn to deploy Java applications on the cloud

According to Stack Overflow and GitHub, Java is one of the most used languages. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) provides a proven way to run Java applications efficiently. In today's learning push, we will first introduce the most typical deployment types of Java applications, and guide you how to choose the appropriate Azure service according to the deployment type you need .

Application Deployment Type

Do you want to deploy your application on a virtual machine (VM), within a container, or as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solution?

With virtual machines , you are in an environment similar to an on-premises or traditional data center environment. Azure provides a set of preconfigured VMs that run the main operating system (Windows and Linux), and you need to configure and maintain these virtual machines.

With containers , you still have most of the control over the VM, but with fewer operations. You can install your own Java Virtual Machine (JVM) or some specific software, and your containers can run locally or on any cloud provider.

With a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solution , most of the maintenance and operational tasks will be undertaken by the cloud provider. Operating system (OS) updates, Java patches, security and compliance are all available. Therefore, this option is generally safer and less expensive. It also comes with some scalability features that should allow your application to better adapt to your customers' needs. It also allows for better performance under load and lower costs with less traffic.

▌Deployment options

Whether you use VMs, containers, or a platform-as-a-service solution, Java applications can generally be deployed to the cloud in one of two ways:

• Source code deployment : The source code is committed to a Git repository, and the cloud provider runs a process that compiles, builds, and packages the application.
• JAR, WAR, or EAR file deployment : Packages applications as executable JAR (Java Archive) files, but can also be packaged in WAR (Web Application Archive), EAR (Enterprise Application Archive), and other file formats. The cloud provider will then run this executable.

Compare Solutions

▌Azure App Service

Azure App Service provides an easy-to-use service for running Java web applications with automatic OS and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) updates and patches, as well as automatic scaling or monitoring. App Service can run any executable JAR file (such as those provided by Spring Boot) and deploy any WAR application on the most commonly used application servers such as Apache Tomcat or Red Hat JBoss. This is the better choice for running simple Java monolithic applications.

▌Azure Functions

Running Java applications on Azure Functions usually requires some minor configuration and setup. Essentially, a serverless function will have a short lifetime (usually only a few minutes), typically a function is woken up by an event (such as an HTTP request), only remains "hot" for a few minutes, and then It will go back to sleep. Essentially, serverless functions require specialized coding. Their functionality depends on the cloud provider running them, and their short lifecycle complicates using traditional solutions such as caching or HTTP session replication. Serverless functions scale well and offer the best price for low usage environments. At the same time, they are capable of handling the most demanding traffic loads. As a result, some services that would traditionally be used may not be as efficient or practical as Azure App Service.

▌Azure Spring Cloud

Azure Spring Cloud is a unique Azure service that provides a platform-as-a-service solution for running Spring Boot microservices. Spring Cloud provides many tools such as service registry or configuration server. It also provides specific autoscaling and security mechanisms that greatly simplify the use of Spring Boot-based microservices architectures.

You can also use the Azure Spring Cloud service to run other workloads like Spring Boot monolithic applications, or even .NET microservices using Steeltoe, but this service is primarily intended for running Spring Boot microservices.

There are more solutions, which are not introduced one by one here, you can read them on the relevant pages.

We've discussed options for deploying Java applications in the cloud, which option is most likely to meet your specific needs? Welcome to continue learning to deploy Java applications on the cloud .