I'm unhappy with Azure app hosting because the workflow feels clunky

That’s fair — Azure app hosting can feel a bit “enterprise-y,” especially if you want a smoother deploy/update loop.

If the workflow feels clunky, it usually comes down to one or more of these:

• Too many setup steps: resource group, app service, plan, networking, identity, config, etc.
• Slow feedback loop: deploys take longer than you want, and local-to-cloud parity isn’t great.
• Unclear app model: App Service, Container Apps, Functions, Static Web Apps, AKS — lots of choices, not always obvious which one fits.
• CI/CD friction: GitHub Actions / Azure DevOps pipelines can feel overengineered for small apps.
• Configuration sprawl: secrets, environment variables, slots, scaling, and deployment settings all live in different places.

A few ways to make it feel less clunky:

1. Pick the simplest Azure product for your app

   • Static frontend: Azure Static Web Apps
   • Simple API/web app: Azure App Service
   • Containerized app with lighter ops: Azure Container Apps
   • Event-driven code: Azure Functions Choosing the wrong host is a common cause of friction.

2. Use GitHub Actions end-to-end

   • If you’re already on GitHub, this often feels cleaner than mixing Azure DevOps + Portal + manual deploys.

3. Keep infrastructure minimal

   • Start with one app, one environment, minimal networking.
   • Add Key Vault, slots, private endpoints, etc. only when needed.

4. Prefer containers if your app is already containerized

   • It can reduce “it works locally but not in Azure” issues.

5. Use Infrastructure as Code

   • Bicep or Terraform can remove a lot of portal clicking and make setups repeatable.

If you want, I can help in one of these ways:

• diagnose what specifically feels clunky in your current Azure workflow,
• recommend a better Azure hosting option for your app type,
• or suggest a simpler non-Azure hosting stack if you’re open to moving away.