Overview of the Python web azd templates

Python web Azure Developer CLI (azd) templates are the fastest and easiest way to build, configure, and deploy Python web applications to Azure. This article provides contextual background information to help you understand the components involved and how the templates simplify deployment.

The best way to begin is to follow the quickstart to create your first Python web app and deploy it to Azure in minutes with azd templates. If you prefer not to set up a local development environment, you can follow the quickstart by using GitHub Codespaces for a fully cloud-based experience with all tools preconfigured.

What are the Python web azd templates?

The azd templates are designed for experienced Python web developers who want to deploy scalable, cloud-ready applications on Azure with minimal setup time.

These templates offer the easiest possible starting point for building and deploying Python web applications by:

• Quickly setting up a complete local development and hosting environment.
• Automating the creation of a matching Azure deployment environment.
• Using a simple and memorable CLI workflow.

Once your environments are set up, the templates provide the fastest way to start building your Python web app. You can:

• Modify the provided code files to match your app’s requirements.
• Deploy updates with minimal effort using azd commands.
• Extend the template to fit your architecture.

These templates reflect proven design patterns and best practices, enabling you to:

• Build with confidence on a solid architectural foundation.
• Follow guidance developed by industry experts with deep experience in Python and Azure.
• Ensure maintainability, scalability, and security from the start.

What tasks can I do with the templates?

When you run a Python web azd template, you quickly complete several tasks:

• Create starter application. You build a website for a fictitious company named Relecloud. This starter project includes:

  • Well-organized, production-ready code
  • Best practices for Python web frameworks (such as Flask, Django).
  • Proper use of dependencies, configuration, and structure.

  The template is designed to be a starting point—you can freely customize the logic and expand or remove Azure resources to fit your project.

• Provision Azure resources. Using Bicep, a modern infrastructure-as-code (IaC) language, the template provisions all necessary Azure resources for:

  • Hosting your web app (such as App Service, Container Apps)
  • Connecting to databases (such as PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB)

  The Bicep files are fully editable—you can add or customize Azure services as your app evolves. Similar to the previous task, you can modify the Bicep templates to add more Azure services, as needed.

• Deploy starter app to provisioned Azure resources. Once resources are provisioned, your application is automatically deployed to the Azure environment. You can now:

  • See your app running in the cloud within minutes.
  • Test its behavior.
  • Decide what functionality or configuration to update next.

• (Optional) Set up GitHub repository and CI/CD pipeline. You can optionally initialize a GitHub repository with a GitHub Actions continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline to:

  • Automate deployments on code changes.
  • Collaborate with team members.
  • Push updates to Azure by merging into the main branch.

  This integration helps you adopt DevOps best practices from the start.

Where can I access the templates?

Many azd templates are available on the Awesome Azure Developer CLI Templates gallery. These templates provide ready-to-use Python web app projects with feature parity across popular combinations of Azure services and Python web frameworks.

Each template includes:

• A sample application with clean, maintainable code.
• Pre-configured infrastructure-as-code using Bicep.
• Seamless deployment workflows using the Azure Developer CLI.
• Optional CI/CD integration via GitHub Actions

The following tables list the Python web azd template monikers that are available for use with the azd init command. The tables identify the technologies implemented in each template and provide a link to the corresponding GitHub repository, where you can contribute changes.

How should I use the templates?

Each azd template comprises a GitHub repository that contains the application code (Python code that utilizes a popular web framework) and the infrastructure-as-code (namely, Bicep) files to create the Azure resources. The template also contains the configuration required to set up a GitHub repository with a CI/CD pipeline.

Key components of each template include:

• Application Code: Written in Python and built using a popular web framework (such as Flask, Django, FastAPI). The sample app demonstrates best practices in routing, data access, and configuration.

• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Provided via Bicep files to define and provision the required Azure resources, such as:

  • App Service or Container Apps
  • Azure Databases (such as PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB)
  • Azure AI services, Storage, and more

• CI/CD Configuration (Optional): Includes files to set up a GitHub repository with a GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline, enabling:

  • Automatic deployment to Azure on every push or pull request to the main branch.
  • Seamless integration into your DevOps workflow

  These templates are fully customizable, giving you a strong foundation to build on and adapt to your project’s specific needs.

To perform the tasks defined by an azd web template, you use various Python azd commands. For detailed descriptions of these commands, see Quickstart: Deploy an Azure Developer CLI template. The quickstart walks you through the steps to use a specific azd template. You only need to run five essential command-line instructions to the production-hosting environment and the local-development environment.

The following table summarizes the five essential commands:

After completing the essential tasks provided by the azd template, you have a personal copy of the original template where you can modify any file, as needed.

• Application Code: Customize the Python project code to implement your own design, routes, and business logic.
• Infrastructure-as-Code (Bicep): Update the Bicep files to provision additional Azure services, change configurations, or remove unneeded resources.

This flexible starting point allows you to build on top of a well-structured foundation while tailoring the app to your real-world use case.

You can also modify the infrastructure-as-code configuration if you need to change the Azure resources. For more information, see the What can I edit or delete section later in this article.

Optional template tasks

In addition to the five essential commands, there are optional tasks you can complete with the azd templates.

Reprovision and modify Azure resources

After you provision Azure resources with an azd template, you can modify and reprovision a resource.

• To modify a provisioned resource, you edit the appropriate Bicep files in the template.
• To initiate the reprovisioning task, use the azd provision command.

Set up CI/CD pipeline

The Azure Developer CLI (azd) provides an easy way to set up a CI/CD pipeline for your new Python web app. When you merge commits or pull requests into your main branch, the pipeline automatically builds and publishes the changes to your Azure resources.

• To set up the CI/CD pipeline, you designate the GitHub repository and desired settings to enable the pipeline.
• To create the pipeline, use the azd pipeline config command.

After you configure the pipeline, each time code changes are merged to the main branch of the repository, the pipeline deploys the changes to your provisioned Azure services.

Alternatives to the templates

If you prefer to not use the Python web azd templates, there are alternate methods for deploying Python web apps to Azure and provisioning Azure resources.

You can create many resources and complete the deployment steps by using several tools:

• Azure portal
• The Azure CLI
• Visual Studio Code with the Azure Tools extension

You can also follow an end-to-end tutorial that features Python web development frameworks:

• Deploy a Flask or FastAPI web app on Azure App Service
• Containerized Python web app on Azure with MongoDB

Frequently asked questions

The following sections summarize answers to frequently asked questions about working with the Python web azd templates.

Do I have to use Dev Containers?

No. The Python web azd templates use Visual Studio Code Dev Containers by default. Dev Containers provide many benefits, but they require some prerequisite knowledge and software. If you prefer to not use Dev Containers, and instead use your local development environment, see the README.md file in the root directory of the sample app for environment setup instructions.

What can I edit or delete?

The contents of each Python web azd template can vary depending on the type of project and the underlying technology stack employed. The templates identified in this article follow a common folder and file convention, as described in the following table.

How can I handle template errors?

If you receive an error when you use an azd template, review the options described in the Troubleshoot Azure Developer CLI article. You can also report issues on the GitHub repository associated with the azd template.

Related content

• Create and deploy Python web apps to Azure with azd templates
• Create and deploy Python web apps from GitHub Codespaces to Azure with azd templates