#Deploy to Azure

StoryLark runs on Azure the same way it runs on Cloudflare: one deployment per brand, from the same codebase. This guide provisions a branded site on Azure App Service, PostgreSQL Flexible Server, and Blob Storage.

Full detail (env vars, publishing content, how the Azure path differs internally) lives in platforms/azure/README.md — this page is the quick path.

#What gets created

platforms/azure/infra.bicep provisions, per brand:

#Picking a region — check before you deploy, not after

Not every Azure region works for every resource on every subscription. This isn't about which regions Azure offers in general — it's about what your specific subscription is allowed to provision, which varies per-subscription and can differ for each resource type independently. On the subscription this was built and tested against, eastus turned out to be blocked for both resources this template needs (Postgres Flexible Server provisioning restricted; zero App Service B-series VM quota), while centralus had neither problem. There's no way to know in advance which region is open for your subscription — you have to check.

Before setting AZURE_LOCATION, run both of these checks:

1. Is PostgreSQL Flexible Server provisioning open in this region?

   az rest --method get --url "https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/<sub-id>/providers/Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/locations/<region>/capabilities?api-version=2025-08-01" --query "value[0].reason"
   

   An empty/null result means it's open. Any text back (e.g. "Provisioning is restricted in this region...") means it's blocked for your subscription — try a different region for this check.
2. Does this region have App Service compute quota for the SKU you want?

   az vm list-usage --location <region> --query "[?contains(localName, 'BS Family')]" -o table
   

   If CurrentValue equals Limit (often 0/0), there's no quota here — either pick a different region or use the free F1 tier (APP_SERVICE_SKU=F1 in install.env — see the note on F1 below).

If the two checks disagree — say Postgres is open in eastus but App Service quota is only open in centralus — you don't have to pick one region for everything. AZURE_LOCATION covers App Service + Storage; DB_LOCATION (defaults to AZURE_LOCATION if unset) covers Postgres independently, so the database can live in a different region from everything else. This template does that by design.

#Steps

1. Fill the installer's env file:

   cp platforms/azure/install.env.example platforms/azure/install.env
   

   Set BRAND_ID, AZURE_RESOURCE_GROUP, AZURE_LOCATION, DB_ADMIN_PASSWORD — run the region checks above first. See install.env.example for the optional overrides (DB_LOCATION, APP_SERVICE_SKU, BRAND).
2. Verify before provisioning anything (creates nothing — checks your values, that you're logged into Azure, and that the infrastructure template compiles):

   cd platforms/azure && node install.mjs --verify
   

3. Deploy (creates real resources and real cost — confirm the plan with whoever approves cloud spend before running this). This one command does everything: provisions the infrastructure, applies the database schema, builds the app for your brand, and deploys the app code to the App Service.

   node install.mjs --deploy --yes
   

   It prints the live URL when done.
4. Publish content through Azure Blob instead of the Cloudflare default:

   node packages/pipeline/publish.mjs --brand <your-id> \
     --source <path-to-your-content> --storage azure-blob
   

   See authoring-stories.md for the content format.

#Things that go wrong (found by actually deploying, not just reading the template)

• ParameterOutOfRange: 'Version' should be in: [] on the PostgreSQL resource, or SubscriptionIsOverQuotaForSku on the App Service Plan. You skipped (or need to redo) the region checks above — see "Picking a region." Note on F1: the free tier doesn't support Always On (the template already handles this) and has a small daily compute quota that a crash-loop can burn through fast — it's a workaround for zero App Service quota, not the recommended target for anything beyond a quick test.
• extension "citext" is not allow-listed for users during migration. Already fixed in infra.bicep (an azure.extensions configuration resource allow-lists it) — if you're deploying against an existing server that predates this, allow-list it manually: az postgres flexible-server parameter set --name azure.extensions --value citext.

#Nothing about your brand changes

Switching platforms never touches brands/<id>/ — the same theme, presentation, and content publish identically whether the site runs on Cloudflare or Azure. Only the infrastructure underneath differs.

Found a gap? StoryLark is open source — improve these docs on GitHub.