Merge pull request #248714 from craigshoemaker/aca/c2c-choices

[Container Apps] Code to cloud choices

Author: JamesJBarnett

articles/container-apps/TOC.yml

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
       href: overview.md
     - name: Compare container options in Azure
       href: compare-options.md
+    - name: Code to cloud options
+      href: code-to-cloud-options.md
     - name: Overview
       items:
         - name: What's new

articles/container-apps/code-to-cloud-options.md

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+---
+title: Code to cloud options in Azure Container Apps
+description: Learn about the different options to deploy a container app directly from your development environment.
+services: container-apps
+author: craigshoemaker
+ms.service: container-apps
+ms.topic: how-to
+ms.date: 08/30/2023
+ms.author: cshoe
+---
+
+# Select the right code-to-cloud path for Azure Container Apps
+
+You have several options available as you develop and deploy your apps to Azure Container Apps. As evaluate your goals and the needs of your team, consider the following questions:
+
+- Do you want to focus more on application changes, or infrastructure configuration?
+- Are you working on a team or as an individual?
+- How fast do you need to see changes reflected in the application or infrastructure?
+- How important is an automated workflow vs. an experimental workflow?
+
+Based on your situation, your answers to these questions affect your preferred development and deployment strategies. Individuals who want to rapidly iterate features have different needs than structured teams deploying to mature production environments.
+
+This article helps you select the most appropriate option for how you develop and deploy your applications to Azure Container Apps.
+
+Depending on your situation, you may want to deploy from a [code editor](#code-editor), through the [Azure portal](#azure-portal), with a hosted [code repository](#code-repository), or via [infrastructure as code](#infrastructure-as-code).
+
+## Code editor
+
+If you spend most your time editing code and favor rapid iteration of your applications, then you may want to use [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/) or [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/). These editors allow you to easily build Docker files a deploy your applications directly to Azure Container Apps.
+
+This approach allows you to experiment with configuration options made in the early stages of an application's life.
+
+Once your application works as expected, then you can formalize the build process through your [code repository](#code-repository) to run and deploy your application.
+
+### Resources
+
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps using Visual Studio](deploy-visual-studio.md)
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps using Visual Studio Code](deploy-visual-studio-code.md)
+
+## Azure portal
+
+The Azure portal's focus is on setting up, changing, and experimenting with your Container Apps environment.
+
+While you can't use the portal to deploy your code, it's ideal for making incremental changes to your configuration. The portal's strengths lie in making it easy for you to set up, change, and experiment with your container app.
+
+You can also use the portal with [Azure App Spaces](/azure/app-spaces/overview) to deploy your applications to Container Apps.
+
+### Resources
+
+- [Deploy your first container app using the Azure portal](quickstart-portal.md)
+- [Deploy a web app with Azure App Spaces](/azure/app-spaces/quickstart-deploy-web-app?tabs=app-service)
+
+## Code repository
+
+GitHub and Azure DevOps repositories provide the most structured path to running your code on Azure Container Apps.
+
+As you maintain code in a repository, deployment takes place on the server rather than your local workstation. Remote execution engages safeguards to ensure your application is only updated through trusted channels.
+
+### Resources
+
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps with GitHub Actions](github-actions.md)
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps from Azure Pipelines](azure-pipelines.md)
+
+## Infrastructure as code
+
+Infrastructure as Code (IaC) allows you to maintain your infrastructure setup and configuration in code. Once in your codebase, you can ensure every deployed container environment is consistent, reproducible, and version-controlled.
+
+In Azure Container Apps, you can use the [Azure CLI](/cli/azure/) or the [Azure Developer CLI](/azure/developer/azure-developer-cli/overview) to configure your applications.
+
+| CLI | Description | Best used with |
+|--|--|--|
+| Azure CLI | The Azure CLI allows you to deploy directly from your local workstation in the form of local code or container image. you can use PowerShell or Bash to automate application and infrastructure deployment. | Individuals or small teams during initial iteration phases. |
+| Azure Developer CLI (AZD) | AZD is a hybrid solution for handling both the development and operation of your application. When you use AZD, you need to maintain both your application code and infrastructure code in the same repository. The application code requires a Dockerfile for packaging, and the infrastructure code is defined in Bicep. | Applications managed by a single team. |
+
+#### Resources
+
+- **Azure CLI**
+  - [Build and deploy your container app from a repository](quickstart-code-to-cloud.md)
+  - [Deploy your first container app with containerapp up](get-started.md)
+  - [Set up GitHub Actions with Azure CLI](github-actions-cli.md)
+  - [Build and deploy your container app from a repository](tutorial-deploy-first-app-cli.md)
+
+- **Azure Developer CLI (AZD)**
+  - [Get started using Azure Developer CLI](/azure/developer/azure-developer-cli/get-started?tabs=localinstall&pivots=programming-language-nodejs)
+
+## Next steps
+
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps using Visual Studio](deploy-visual-studio.md)
+- [Deploy to Azure Container Apps using Visual Studio Code](deploy-visual-studio-code.md)