I’m trying to understand what sets apart regular WordPress hosting on Azure from the Scalable WordPress option that Azure offers. From what I can tell so far, the main thing I notice is that the scalable version lets you pick Azure storage as an option. But I’m wondering if there are other important differences I’m missing. Are there performance benefits, cost differences, or feature limitations between these two WordPress hosting approaches on Azure? I want to make sure I choose the right option for my project but need to understand what exactly makes the scalable version different from the standard WordPress deployment. Can someone explain the key distinctions between these two Azure WordPress solutions?
scalable wp is way better for traffic spikes, while standard is static. Also, it has better db clustering and built-in cdn. a bit more expensive at start, but can save cash when traffic goes down.
I switched from standard to scalable WordPress last year and the differences are pretty huge. Standard WordPress uses regular security plugins and you have to update everything manually. Scalable has built-in security scanning and patches itself automatically at the infrastructure level. Plugin compatibility gets tricky though - some plugins that need local file storage won’t work with scalable since it spreads files across Azure blob storage. Database performance is different too. Standard uses basic Azure Database for MySQL, but scalable automatically uses read replicas and spreads things geographically. For monitoring, scalable gives you detailed Azure Monitor metrics right out of the box. With standard, you’re setting up logging and performance tracking yourself. Cost-wise, standard gives you predictable monthly bills while scalable fluctuates based on how much you actually use it.
The biggest difference is resource management. Standard WordPress on Azure uses fixed App Service plans - you pay for allocated power whether you use it or not. Scalable WordPress uses Azure’s container instances and automatically adjusts resources based on demand. I’ve deployed both, and the scalable version handles database connections way better through connection pooling. This matters when you’ve got multiple instances spinning up. Standard deployment hits connection limits during traffic spikes because each instance maintains its own database connections. Backup and disaster recovery is another big difference. Scalable WordPress integrates better with Azure’s backup services and restores faster since it separates compute from storage. Standard hosting uses traditional file-system backups that take forever to restore. Scalable WordPress has a steeper learning curve though. You need to understand container orchestration basics, while standard WordPress feels like traditional shared hosting that most people know.