App Service Backup & Restore
What it is
App Service offers automatic backups and configurable custom backups for supported plan tiers. They can restore app content and selected configuration to an existing app, another app, or a deployment slot. They are an App Service feature, not the same as Azure Backup.
Why it exists
An App Service app has files and configuration that can be lost through a bad deployment or accidental change. Backups offer a point-in-time recovery aid, but the app’s dependencies—database, identity, network configuration, domains, certificates, and external state—need their own protection plan.
Key ideas
- Automatic backups: need no setup on supported Basic, Standard, Premium, and Isolated plans. They run hourly, retain data for 30 days, and do not back up linked databases. They are stored in the App Service datacenter, so Microsoft does not recommend them as a disaster-recovery plan.
- Custom backups: can be on-demand or scheduled, require an Azure Storage account using SAS-based authorization, and can be retained from 0–30 days or indefinitely. They have size and frequency limits.
- Restore impact: a restore stops the target app or slot. Restoring to an existing target erases and overwrites its current file-system content; restore to a new app or slot when a safer test path is needed.
- Coverage gaps: network features, managed identities, custom domains, TLS/SSL settings, scale-out settings, alerts, and some other configuration are not restored by automatic backups. Document and redeploy them separately.
- Linked databases: App Service custom backup support for linked databases is being removed on a published schedule and ends March 31, 2028. Use the database service’s native backup and restore capability for reliable database protection.
Northwind example
Before a major release, Northwind relies on source control and deployment slots for code rollback, not an App Service backup alone. It still verifies that automatic backups exist and tests restoring one to a non-production slot. Its order database uses its database-native recovery design, and its private endpoint, managed identity, DNS, and certificate are redeployed from documented configuration because they are not restored automatically.
Exam notes
- Automatic and custom backups have different schedules, storage, coverage, and recovery limits.
- A green backup status is not proof that a complete application can be restored; test the full dependency set.
Related
app-service · app-service-plan · azure-backup · recovery-services-vault · storage-account
📘 Source: Microsoft Learn — Back up and restore your app in Azure App Service