how to deploy a Webapi project (coupled with EF & LocalDb) to Azure

Question

Quickly to get a feeling on azure, I created a webapi project which uses EF and Local DB and it has some crud operations.

Then I signed up to Azure, created a WebApp and then downloaded the publish profile.

Using VS 2013, deployed the application to Azure. Navigated to index.html everything is working fine.

The problem is when I try to execute a simple HttpGet (which returns the value from the LocalDB), I am getting the below stack trace.

<Error>
<Message>An error has occurred.</Message>
<ExceptionMessage>
The 'ObjectContent`1' type failed to serialize the response body for content type 'application/xml; charset=utf-8'.
</ExceptionMessage>
<ExceptionType>System.InvalidOperationException</ExceptionType>
<StackTrace/>
<InnerException>
<Message>An error has occurred.</Message>
<ExceptionMessage>
Format of the initialization string does not conform to specification starting at index 0.
</ExceptionMessage>
<ExceptionType>System.ArgumentException</ExceptionType>
<StackTrace>
at System.Data.Common.DbConnectionOptions.GetKeyValuePair(String connectionString, Int32 currentPosition, StringBuilder buffer, Boolean useOdbcRules, String& keyname, String& keyvalue) at System.Data.Common.DbConnectionOptions.ParseInternal(Hashtable parsetable, String connectionString, Boolean buildChain, Hashtable synonyms, Boolean firstKey) at System.Data.Common.DbConnectionOptions..ctor(String connectionString, Hashtable synonyms, Boolean useOdbcRules) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionString..ctor(String connectionString) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionFactory.CreateConnectionOptions(String connectionString, DbConnectionOptions previous) at System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.GetConnectionPoolGroup(DbConnectionPoolKey key, DbConnectionPoolGroupOptions poolOptions, DbConnectionOptions& userConnectionOptions) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.ConnectionString_Set(DbConnectionPoolKey key) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.set_ConnectionString(String value) at System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.Interception.DbConnectionDispatcher.<SetConnectionString>b__18(DbConnection t, DbConnectionPropertyInterceptionContext`1 c) at System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.Interception.InternalDispatcher`1.Dispatch[TTarget,TInterceptionContext](TTarget target, Action`2 operation, TInterceptionContext interceptionContext, Action`3 executing, Action`3 executed) at System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.Interception.DbConnectionDispatcher.SetConnectionString(DbConnection connection, DbConnectionPropertyInterceptionContext`1 interceptionContext) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.InitializeFromConnectionStringSetting(ConnectionStringSettings appConfigConnection) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.Initialize() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalConnection.get_Connection() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.get_Connection() at System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DbContextInfo..ctor(Type contextType, DbProviderInfo modelProviderInfo, AppConfig config, DbConnectionInfo connectionInfo, Func`1 resolver) at System.Data.Entity.Migrations.DbMigrator..ctor(DbMigrationsConfiguration configuration, DbContext usersContext, DatabaseExistenceState existenceState, Boolean calledByCreateDatabase) at System.Data.Entity.MigrateDatabaseToLatestVersion`2.InitializeDatabase(TContext context) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.<>c__DisplayClassf`1.<CreateInitializationAction>b__e() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.PerformInitializationAction(Action action) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.PerformDatabaseInitialization() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.<InitializeDatabase>b__4(InternalContext c) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.RetryAction`1.PerformAction(TInput input) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.InitializeDatabaseAction(Action`1 action) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.LazyInternalContext.InitializeDatabase() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.InternalContext.GetEntitySetAndBaseTypeForType(Type entityType) at System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet`1.Initialize() at System.Data.Entity.Internal.Linq.InternalSet`1.GetEnumerator() at System.Data.Entity.Infrastructure.DbQuery`1.System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<TResult>.GetEnumerator() at WriteArrayOfBankModelToXml(XmlWriterDelegator , Object , XmlObjectSerializerWriteContext , CollectionDataContract ) at System.Runtime.Serialization.CollectionDataContract.WriteXmlValue(XmlWriterDelegator xmlWriter, Object obj, XmlObjectSerializerWriteContext context) at System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerWriteContext.WriteDataContractValue(DataContract dataContract, XmlWriterDelegator xmlWriter, Object obj, RuntimeTypeHandle declaredTypeHandle) at System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializerWriteContext.SerializeWithoutXsiType(DataContract dataContract, XmlWriterDelegator xmlWriter, Object obj, RuntimeTypeHandle declaredTypeHandle) at System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer.InternalWriteObjectContent(XmlWriterDelegator writer, Object graph, DataContractResolver dataContractResolver) at System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer.InternalWriteObject(XmlWriterDelegator writer, Object graph, DataContractResolver dataContractResolver) at System.Runtime.Serialization.XmlObjectSerializer.WriteObjectHandleExceptions(XmlWriterDelegator writer, Object graph, DataContractResolver dataContractResolver) at System.Runtime.Serialization.DataContractSerializer.WriteObject(XmlWriter writer, Object graph) at System.Net.Http.Formatting.XmlMediaTypeFormatter.WriteToStream(Type type, Object value, Stream writeStream, HttpContent content) at System.Net.Http.Formatting.XmlMediaTypeFormatter.WriteToStreamAsync(Type type, Object value, Stream writeStream, HttpContent content, TransportContext transportContext, CancellationToken cancellationToken) --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown --- at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task) at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task) at System.Web.Http.WebHost.HttpControllerHandler.<WriteBufferedResponseContentAsync>d__1b.MoveNext()
</StackTrace>
</InnerException>
</Error>

I also see there are no options to create a LocalDb in Azure Website.

I initially guessed since I am using CodeFirst approach, Azure will automatically create the database for me.

EDIT: I have seeded the database and added some sample data to the localdb. The api works just fine in my local machine.

Any inputs on this please ?

Answer 1

You should use Azure SQL Database instead of local DB. You will still use CodeFirst.

Here is how to do it : Enable Migrations, create the database, add sample data and a data initializer

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/web-sites-dotnet-rest-service-aspnet-api-sql-database/#enable-migrations-create-the-database-add-sample-data-and-a-data-initializer

If needed, you can jump to the top of the page to see the complete tuto starting from the Web API...