When should I use a Logic App as opposed to a Web Job?

Question

I'm planning to build an integration between two systems in Azure. The basic architecture of the application will be the Azure equivalent of an on-premise console app. E.g. on a scheduled basis shuffle data between the two systems

I can see two ways to do this within the App Services.

1. A web app, which has web jobs. In my case I don't really need the web site at all at the moment.

2. A logic app with custom coded API apps. In my case the entire integration would probably just be one custom API app, instead of a series of chained API apps.

Both look like they will support scheduled activities and the connectivity I need. Both look like they will scale but that's not really a concern for what I'm planning. Both seem to have pretty straightforward deployment paths. Really both look quite similar.

The only major difference I believe is that a web app for web jobs will always come with a web site. Is this correct? If so I'll probably go for a web app as might use the web site in the far flung future.

Am I missing anything else here which should affect my decision? Is the difference this simple?

Answer 1

Good question. WebJob may be great for your use-case of a console app. Logic Apps provide a few features which may or may not benefit you based on your use case:

Logic Apps

• Comes with some Out-of-the-box support for connectors to SaaS solutions like Salesforce, Blob storage, Dropbox, etc.
• Allows you to build and extend jobs by adding additional 'steps' without writing code using the designer
• Has retry policies and do-until to insure delivery of messages when integrating
• Can live-edit and save workflows to change things like recurrence schedule without having to modify any code.
• "Runs" pane that will detail when each run started, the inputs and outputs, and the status

If any of those features make it worth the jump, Logic Apps may be a better fit. If you are just running a recurring background task and want to pop something up real quick, web job may be great. Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any questions.