Azure DevOps deploy overwrites not always cshtml files

Question

Sometimes it happens that when we do a deploy, the last committed files with extension cshtml, are not updated. We have not seen other type files being not updated. It could be that a file is in use and can't be overwrited. Is it possible to add an extra step to the deployment process so we can avoid this?

Answer 1

That is strange. If you are using the Azure App Service Deploy task within Azure Pipelines to deploy to your Web App, you have the option to Remove additional files at destination. Enabling this option deletes files in the Azure App Service that have no matching files in the App Service artifact package or folder being deployed.

Based on the chosen deployment method, there are other helpful additional deployment options like:

• Rename locked files: Rename any file that is still in use by the web server by enabling the msdeploy flag MSDEPLOY_RENAME_LOCKED_FILES=1 in the Azure App Service settings. This option, if set, enables msdeploy to rename files that are locked during app deployment. This way, you can avoid deployment failures with ERROR_FILE_IN_USE errors.

• Take App Offline: Select this option to take the Azure App Service offline by placing an app_offline.htm file in the root directory before the synchronization operation begins. The file will be removed after the synchronization completes successfully.

Having these in place can streamline your deployments and make them robust. Here is the complete reference for the task: Azure App Service Deploy task.