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I have a semi-popular Django website with postgresql backend where users share photos with one another (approx 3 are shared per minute).

The whole set up is hosted on two separate Azure VMs - one for the web application and one for the database. I use classic VMs, both are part of the same resource group, and map to the same DNS as well (i.e. they both live on xyz.cloudapp.net). I also use Azure blob storage for my images (but not for other static files like the CSS) - for this I've provisioned a storage account.

Since I'm heavily reliant on images and I want to speed up how fast my static content is displayed to my users, I want to get Azure CDN into the mix. I just provisioned one from the portal, making it part of the same resource group as my classic VMs.

Next, I'm trying to add a CDN endpoint. I need help in setting that up:

1) Can a CDN be used with classic VMs, or is it feature solely for the resource manager deployment?

2) Given 'yes' to the previous one, when one provisions a CDN endpoint, what should the origin type be? Should it be the cloud service I'm using (i.e. under which my VMs fall), OR should it be the azure storage which holds all my images? What about other static content (e.g. the CSS), which isn't hosted on Azure blobs?

3) What's the purpose of the optional origin path? Should I specify directories? What happens if I don't?

4) Will I be up and running right after the CDN endpoint is successfully provisioned? Or is there more configuration to come after this? I'm unsure what to expect, and I don't want to disrupt my live service.

Btw, going through the answer here still doesn't comprehensively answer my questions. Reason being:

1) I don't use an azure web app, I've provisioned virtual machines and done my own set up over Ubuntu

2) I'm unsure whether I'm supposed to create a new storage account for the CDN, as discussed in this question's answer.

3) Again, not being a web app, should I map the origin type to my blob service URL? The answer seems to say so, however, I do have the option of using my cloudservice DNS instead. What happens in each case?

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Hassan Baig
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1 Answers1

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Sounds like you have two origins, a storage account and a VM. What you need to do here is to create two CDN endpoints, one for your pictures in the storage account, one for the css on the VM.

Let's say I created myendpoint1.azureedge.net, using the VM as an origin and I also created myendpoint2.azureedge.net, using the storage account as an origin.

If I access myendpoint1.azureedge.net/Content/css/bootstrap.css, I should be able to get same content as xyz.cloudapp.net/Content/css/bootstrap.css

If I access myendpoint2.azureedge.net/myPictureContainer/pic.jpg, I should be able to get same content as mystorageaccount.blob.core.net/myPictureContainer/pic.jpg

After all the validation is done, you need to change your html files to reference the css from the myendpoint1.azureedge.net and reference the pictures from myendpoint2.azureedge.net, and then you deploy your website. There will be no interrupt of the service.

Also, CDN can be used on any kind of origins, so yes for Classic VM. They type of the origin doesn't matter, if the url of your VM/storage is not in any of the dropdown list, then just use the custom origin and use the correct url.

Kuangwei Zhang
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  • So this means I can set up my CDN endpoint first, and once it's ready redirect my live traffic's URLs later, without any service interruption, correct? – Hassan Baig Jun 29 '16 at 04:26
  • Thanks! And I've been told that I'll need to wait 90 mins for the changes to reach every CDN POP. Should I redirect the URLs *after* these 90 mins are up? – Hassan Baig Jun 29 '16 at 05:19
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    I would say after the changes reach the CDN POP, fully test your CDN endpoint first with the *.azureedge.net url to make sure all of the files are served as expected. After that you can update your htmls and etc for redirection. Also, if you found out that your files are served as expected within 90 minutes, it's still good to wait for 90 minutes to make sure changes reach POPs globally. – Kuangwei Zhang Jun 29 '16 at 05:22