Cloud

How to Deploy a Static Website on Azure Blob Storage – Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re looking for a simple, scalable, and cost-effective way to host a static website, Azure Blob Storage is one of the best solutions out there. Whether you’re showcasing a portfolio, hosting documentation, or building a small business website, Azure’s static hosting feature provides global reach, SSL support, and custom domain configuration — with minimal effort.

In this in-depth guide, you’ll learn everything you need to deploy your static website using Azure Blob Storage — from creating a storage account to enabling static site hosting, uploading files, and even adding a custom domain.


✅ What Is a Static Website?

A static website consists of pre-built HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media files — served directly to the browser, without server-side processing. It’s ideal for:

  • Portfolios

  • Blogs (with static generators like Hugo or Jekyll)

  • Documentation websites

  • Marketing landing pages


🌐 Why Host on Azure Blob Storage?

Feature Benefit
Low Cost Pay only for the storage you use
Global Reach Served from Microsoft’s global CDN
HTTPS Support Built-in SSL certificates
Custom Domains Easily connect your own domain name
Zero Maintenance No servers or backend management needed

🚀 Step-by-Step: Deploy a Static Website on Azure Blob Storage

🔹 Step 1: Create a Storage Account

  1. Log into the Azure Portal

  2. Click “Create a resource” → Storage → Storage account

  3. Fill in the required details (Name, Region, Performance, etc.)

  4. Click “Review + Create”, then hit Create


🔹 Step 2: Enable Static Website Hosting

  1. Go to the newly created Storage Account

  2. Navigate to “Static website” in the left sidebar

  3. Click “Enabled”

  4. Set:

    • Index document name: index.html

    • Error document path: 404.html

  5. Click Save

  6. Copy the Primary endpoint URL — this is your live site URL


🔹 Step 3: Upload Website Files

  1. Go to the Containers section in your storage account

  2. Open the special container named $web

  3. Upload your website files (HTML, CSS, JS, images, etc.)


🔹 Step 4: (Optional) Configure a Custom Domain

  1. Purchase a domain from a registrar (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy)

  2. In the Azure Portal, go to Custom domain under your storage account

  3. Add your domain name and follow the DNS configuration instructions

  4. Enable HTTPS (via Azure CDN or Front Door) if needed


💡 Bonus Tips for Production

  • Use Azure CDN to boost global performance

  • Compress images and minify CSS/JS

  • Use a static site generator like Hugo, Gatsby, or Jekyll

  • Consider version control using GitHub + GitHub Actions


🧠 Use Case: Hosting Documentation

If you’re hosting internal or external documentation, combine MkDocs or Docusaurus with Azure Blob for blazing-fast delivery — all you need is the exported static site uploaded to $web.


🧪 Azure CLI Alternative (for pros)

Prefer scripting? You can set everything up with Azure CLI:

bash
# Create the storage account
az storage account create --name mystaticweb --resource-group mygroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS --kind StorageV2

# Enable static website hosting
az storage blob service-properties update --account-name mystaticweb --static-website --index-document index.html --error-document 404.html

# Upload files
az storage blob upload-batch --account-name mystaticweb --destination \$web --source ./website

Mohamed Assem

I'm Mohamed Assem, an IT professional with over 14 years of experience. I've worked extensively in infrastructure and server management, as well as software development, particularly with .NET technologies. Currently, I combine both skill sets in my role as a DevOps and Automation Engineer. Through my website, I aim to share my knowledge and make the field more accessible for beginners, helping them navigate the complexities of IT with ease

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