Azure has a plethora of products and can be confusing to the first-time customer. This post will cover a popular MySQLÂ database options for WordPress when hosting on Azure.
| Product | Database Type | PROs | CONs | Recommendation |
| IaaS (Virtual Machines) | MySQL on Virtual Machine | Full control of MySQL Server Multitude of VM options | Maintenance Multitude of VM options VM cost | If you enjoy/don’t mind server maintenance |
| PaaS (App Service) | MySQL In-App (Windows only) | Easy to enable Free withWindows web app | Windows-only Not production-ready App cannot scale horizontally Shares resources with web app Requires additional configuration for MySQL port umber | For development or 1-instance situations |
| DBaaS | Azure Database for MySQL | Production-ready Microsoft-backed Easy to upgrade Supports app scaling | DB Cost | For production websites receiving constant traffic |
These are the three main database options when hosting WordPress on Azure. I have tried all of them. I prefer the Azure DB for MySQL for production-ready scenarios the best. Microsoft maintains the database and you don’t have to worry about patching, security fixes, etc.
If you are on budget, MySQL In-App is great for getting started in development scenarios.
Those with DB/Admin/Webmaster experience may prefer the Virtual Machines option. They are all good and offer their advantages and disadvantages.
What about you? Which database type do you prefer on Azure for WordPress?