How to host multiple websites on a Standard Azure Websites Instance, Is this a Web Hosting Plan?

Question

I want to host many websites in my Azure Standard Websites instance. Apparently one could put hundreds in, although I do not plan to.

As I understand it the "Instance" container is a VM, and web processes within these get recycled if idle. Are these VMs/Containers the same as "Web Hosting Plan", and therefore is the method to add a site to a Standard Instance via Add Website, Choose Web Hosting Plan and that is it.

So My question: Is "Web Hosting Plan" the same as VM Server/instance, and if so is my logic above correct for adding multiple websites to a VM Server otherwise known in Azure parlance as a "Standard" or "Basic" Website instance?

Thanks.

Answer 1

You are correct. "Instance" == Web Hosting Plan == VM. Settings like the pricing tier (Standard vs Basic), autoscaling, and usage quotas are all set at the Plan level and shared by all websites within that plan.

This relationship is a lot more intuitive in the new portal.

Edit: This article further explains the relationships between resource groups, hosting plans, and websites.