SSL Setup for .NET Apps Running on Azure Virtual Machines

Goal:

• Run both .NET apps (frontend and backend) on an Azure VM
• Each accessible over HTTPS (e.g., https://app.example.com and https://api.example.com)
• Use free SSL certificates (e.g., via Let’s Encrypt)

Phase 1 : Setup Azure VM and Network Configuration

🖥️ Create an Azure VM:

• OS: Windows Server 2019 Datacenter
• Size: Standard B2s (2 vCPUs, 4 GiB Memory)
• Public IP: Assign a static public IP during creation

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🌐 Configure Network Settings (NSG – Network Security Group)

Navigate to your VM’s Networking > Network Interface > NSG (or directly via the NSG resource) and ensure the following security rules are in place.

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🔐 Inbound Security Rules

Priority	Name	Port	Protocol	Source	Destination	Action
100	RDP-Access	3389	TCP	Your public IP	Any	Allow
200	HTTP	80	TCP	Any	Any	Allow
300	HTTPS	443	TCP	Any	Any	Allow

💡 Note: Azure uses priority numbers (not index). Lower values have higher precedence. Also, “Your public IP” means using a specific IP range (e.g., 203.0.113.10/32) to restrict RDP access securely.

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🔄 Outbound Security Rules (if defaults are missing)

Priority	Name	Port	Protocol	Source	Destination	Action
100	VirtualNetwork	Any	Any	VirtualNetwork	VirtualNetwork	Allow
200	Internet	Any	Any	Any	Internet	Allow
300	DenyAll	Any	Any	Any	Any	Deny

📥 Step 1: Download Win-ACME

• Visit https://www.win-acme.com
• Download the latest .zip version
• Extract it (e.g., to C:\win-acme)
• Right-click wacs.exe > Run as Administrator

⚙️ Step 2: Request a New SSL Certificate