Microsoft is launching support for Java-based web sites on Azure Web Sites. This capability is intended to satisfy many common Java scenarios combined with the manageability and easy scaling options from Azure Web Sites.
There is built-in support within the Portal UX to enable any of the following:
- Java 1.7.0_51 (32bit) – this is the default supported Java version
- Tomcat 7.0.50 – the default Java container
- Jetty 9.1.0
With this UI the user can select a version of Java and then select a web container from the two options noted above. Today there is only one version option for Java, but additional versions will be added in the future.
In addition to the configuration UI, the web application gallery has complete installations available for Tomcat and Jetty for those customers that need to modify and customize the Java web container.
Beyond what is offered in the portal UI or in the web application gallery, customers are also able to upload their own versions of Java, as well as Java based applications. For example, a customer could choose to upload Java 6 and Tomcat 6 instead of using what is available on Azure Web Sites.
Because many enterprise class Java applications require substantial memory, there is also the ability to run the 64 bit version of Java 1.7.0_51. For now developers will have to choose the 64-bit runtime through configuration in the web.config file – in the future the 64-bit version will also be selectable from the UI.
Constraints
At least initially all Java applications running on Azure Web Sites only listen for incoming HTTP traffic. This means currently no JMX or JMS messaging and no JDWP or JDI remote debugging at this time.
Also note that all Java processes must run as applications and not as services.
Summary
The addition of Java is available immediately on all tiers for no additional cost. It offers new possibilities to host your pre-existing Java web applications. New Java web site development on Azure is easy using the Java Azure SDK which provides integration with Azure services.