A
abhishekreddy
We are excited to share with you that we will be transitioning from Alpine to Debian as the default Linux distribution for WordPress on App Service. While Alpine has served us well with its lightweight and performant nature, our evolving needs require a more feature-rich environment. Debian is the ideal candidate to support our next phase of development and growth. This transition will also align us with App Service Linux, which already utilizes Debian as the default Linux distribution.
For those who might not be familiar, Linux distributions, or Linux distros, are complete operating system packages that include the Linux kernel and a set of pre-installed programs. There are hundreds of distros available; some are commercial, while others are community-developed. Alpine Linux and Debian are examples of community-developed distros. The main difference between these two is that Alpine is a small, minimalistic distro ideal for starting projects, whereas Debian comes with extensive functionality and packages, making it suitable for development, testing, and production environments.
Key Points to Note:
1. New Deployments: Starting October 7, 2024, all new WordPress sites will be deployed on Debian.
2. Existing Sites: For sites created on or before October 7, 2024, you will need to follow a few steps to upgrade from Alpine to Debian.
3. Support Timeline: WordPress sites on the Alpine stack will be supported until December 31, 2024. Please ensure your websites are upgraded by this date.
Benefits of Transitioning to Debian:
Switching to Debian will enhance your site's performance and security. By aligning with App Service Linux, you will benefit directly from platform improvements rolled out by App Service Linux. You will receive stack upgrades sooner and more frequently. Additionally, as all future development will be focused on the Debian platform, you will continue to receive all product upgrades if you are on Debian. It is important to note that support for Alpine will end on December 31, 2024. Failure to transition to Debian by this date will result in missing out on new features, improvements, crucial security patches, and support.
How to upgrade from Alpine to Debian?
Prerequisites:
1. Ensure you have taken a backup of your App Service. You can follow the instructions here: Back up an app in App Service - Azure App Service
2. Startup Scripts: Verify that your startup scripts are functioning correctly. You may need to modify them to ensure compatibility with Debian. You can find more details here: Using custom startup commands with Web App for Containers
Upgrade Steps:
1. Navigate to the App Service page for your WordPress site in the Azure portal.
2. Access the Configuration blade.
3. In the General settings tab, locate the Stack settings section. Add screenshot
• If you are using Alpine – PHP 8.3, select ‘PHP 8.3’ as the Minor version.
• If you are using Alpine – PHP 8.2, select ‘PHP 8.2’ as the Minor version.
• For versions preceding Alpine – PHP 8.2, it’s advisable to first upgrade to Alpine – PHP 8.3, and then proceed to select ‘PHP 8.3’. This step-by-step approach ensures a smooth transition, first updating the PHP version followed by the switch from Alpine to Debian. However, if you prefer to perform both upgrades simultaneously, that option is available as well.
4. Next, select ‘Save’ to save the changes and initiate a restart of your App Service. The App Service will be updated in the background. You can check it in the App Service overview page.
Post-Upgrade:
We have thoroughly tested the Debian images, and it is highly unlikely that this upgrade will result in unexpected issues. However, to ensure a smooth transition, we recommend testing your website before going live.
Functionality Testing: Test the functionality of your website. If you encounter any issues, you can debug or roll back changes using the App Service configuration blade. Additionally, you can restore your site to a previous snapshot using your App Service backup.
Support and Feedback
We’re here to help! If you need any assistance, feel free to open a support request through the Microsoft Azure portal. New support request - Microsoft Azure
For more details about our offering, check out the announcement on the General Availability of WordPress on Azure App Service in the Microsoft Tech Community. Announcing the General Availability of WordPress on Azure App Service - Microsoft Tech Community.
We value your feedback and ideas on how we can improve WordPress on Azure App Service. Share your thoughts and suggestions on our Community page Post idea · Community (azure.com) or report any issues on our GitHub repository Issues · Azure/wordpress-linux-appservice (github.com).
Alternatively, you can start a conversation with us by emailing wordpressonazure@microsoft.com.
Continue reading...
For those who might not be familiar, Linux distributions, or Linux distros, are complete operating system packages that include the Linux kernel and a set of pre-installed programs. There are hundreds of distros available; some are commercial, while others are community-developed. Alpine Linux and Debian are examples of community-developed distros. The main difference between these two is that Alpine is a small, minimalistic distro ideal for starting projects, whereas Debian comes with extensive functionality and packages, making it suitable for development, testing, and production environments.
Key Points to Note:
1. New Deployments: Starting October 7, 2024, all new WordPress sites will be deployed on Debian.
2. Existing Sites: For sites created on or before October 7, 2024, you will need to follow a few steps to upgrade from Alpine to Debian.
3. Support Timeline: WordPress sites on the Alpine stack will be supported until December 31, 2024. Please ensure your websites are upgraded by this date.
Benefits of Transitioning to Debian:
Switching to Debian will enhance your site's performance and security. By aligning with App Service Linux, you will benefit directly from platform improvements rolled out by App Service Linux. You will receive stack upgrades sooner and more frequently. Additionally, as all future development will be focused on the Debian platform, you will continue to receive all product upgrades if you are on Debian. It is important to note that support for Alpine will end on December 31, 2024. Failure to transition to Debian by this date will result in missing out on new features, improvements, crucial security patches, and support.
How to upgrade from Alpine to Debian?
Prerequisites:
1. Ensure you have taken a backup of your App Service. You can follow the instructions here: Back up an app in App Service - Azure App Service
2. Startup Scripts: Verify that your startup scripts are functioning correctly. You may need to modify them to ensure compatibility with Debian. You can find more details here: Using custom startup commands with Web App for Containers
Upgrade Steps:
1. Navigate to the App Service page for your WordPress site in the Azure portal.
2. Access the Configuration blade.
3. In the General settings tab, locate the Stack settings section. Add screenshot
• If you are using Alpine – PHP 8.3, select ‘PHP 8.3’ as the Minor version.
• If you are using Alpine – PHP 8.2, select ‘PHP 8.2’ as the Minor version.
• For versions preceding Alpine – PHP 8.2, it’s advisable to first upgrade to Alpine – PHP 8.3, and then proceed to select ‘PHP 8.3’. This step-by-step approach ensures a smooth transition, first updating the PHP version followed by the switch from Alpine to Debian. However, if you prefer to perform both upgrades simultaneously, that option is available as well.
4. Next, select ‘Save’ to save the changes and initiate a restart of your App Service. The App Service will be updated in the background. You can check it in the App Service overview page.
Post-Upgrade:
We have thoroughly tested the Debian images, and it is highly unlikely that this upgrade will result in unexpected issues. However, to ensure a smooth transition, we recommend testing your website before going live.
Functionality Testing: Test the functionality of your website. If you encounter any issues, you can debug or roll back changes using the App Service configuration blade. Additionally, you can restore your site to a previous snapshot using your App Service backup.
Support and Feedback
We’re here to help! If you need any assistance, feel free to open a support request through the Microsoft Azure portal. New support request - Microsoft Azure
For more details about our offering, check out the announcement on the General Availability of WordPress on Azure App Service in the Microsoft Tech Community. Announcing the General Availability of WordPress on Azure App Service - Microsoft Tech Community.
We value your feedback and ideas on how we can improve WordPress on Azure App Service. Share your thoughts and suggestions on our Community page Post idea · Community (azure.com) or report any issues on our GitHub repository Issues · Azure/wordpress-linux-appservice (github.com).
Alternatively, you can start a conversation with us by emailing wordpressonazure@microsoft.com.
Continue reading...