WIshing to know if migrating an old vb.net (version 4.8) website to Azure is possible.

Hi @Glenn Reed,

WIshing to know if migrating an old vb.net (version 4.8) website to Azure is possible.

If you just want to migrate it to Azure App Service, it is possible. Please refer to this document: Migrate your .NET web app or service to Azure App Service.

In addition, the document mentions that most ASP.NET websites (Webforms, MVC) and services (Web API, WCF) can move directly to Azure App Service with no changes. You should be able to achieve this requirement easily by referring to the relevant documentation steps.

Best regards,

Xudong Peng

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your source is correct. a .net 4.8 application only run on windows. also as your website is vb.net it must also be webforms. while asp.net core runs on linux, there is no support for webforms, so an upgrade is basically a rewrite.

azure supports asp.net 4.8 applications. the main issue in porting is authentication if your current site uses windows authentication, you will need to pick another form see azure builtin:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/overview-authentication-authorization

the pricing will depend on the scaling you need and how much activity your site provides. use the azure app service pricing calculator. add app service and azure SQL Database.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/

for app service be sure to pick windows.

for sql database you probably want Serverless, so pick DTU under purchase model. pick shared if cost is more important than max performance.

Hi Glenn,

You're absolutely right about .NET Framework 4.8 requiring Windows hosting. Here are the viable migration paths:

Modernize to .NET 6/8: This is the most strategic long-term approach. Upgrading to modern .NET would enable cross-platform hosting and provide better performance and security. The migration would involve converting from Web Forms to ASP.NET Core (likely MVC or Razor Pages) and updating any framework-specific dependencies. Given your relatively small database footprint, the data layer migration should be straightforward.

Windows Cloud Hosting: If timeline or budget constraints make a full migration impractical, moving to cloud-based Windows hosting (Azure App Service, AWS EC2, or similar) requires minimal code changes while providing better scalability and maintenance than on-premises hosting.

The migration complexity will depend heavily on the application's architecture and dependencies. Key factors to evaluate:

• Framework dependencies: Third-party controls, custom components
• Data access patterns: Entity Framework, raw ADO.NET, or custom ORM usage
• Authentication/authorization: Custom implementations vs. standard approaches
• Business logic complexity: How tightly coupled is the logic to Web Forms lifecycle

For a straightforward CRUD application with standard patterns, you're looking at several weeks of development effort. More complex applications with heavy framework dependencies could require months.

Recommended Approach:

I'd suggest starting with a technical assessment - examine the codebase for Windows-specific dependencies and framework coupling. Consider creating a proof-of-concept migration for a representative page or feature to gauge the actual effort required.

Your database size (roughly 1M records across 4 tables) makes data migration relatively simple regardless of which path you choose.

Planning:

You can refer to Azure Pricing Calculator Pricing Calculator | Microsoft Azure for actual numbers.

For VMs: B2 instance should be able to handle your workload well given your database size

For Azure SQL Database: DTU is recommended, basic or standard would be cost effective considering your database standard.

Hope this help, please reach out if you have any problem. Also consider consulting questions under Azure tags for better insights.