With the latest release of Azure Web Sites, the backup and restore feature is now out of preview and generally available. This change includes several improvements to the feature.

First, backup now supports larger backup jobs and bigger sites can be backed up. We also identified and addressed several scenarios that could prevent a backup from succeeding, such as cases where the site operator locked files from access causing the backup to fail.

Managing backups and performing restores is now possible via the new Azure portal preview. This shows you a status summary within the site’s blade, and gives quick access to the backup blade directly. In addition, you can now configure a backup retention directly from the backup configuration without the need to manually delete old backups or create special scripts for removal:

Another significant improvement to the feature is the ability to restore a backup directly to a specific slot of your choice, which provides significant flexibility in managing your site and code versions:

With these changes we have given you complete control and flexibility in backing up your files!