What's the most cost-effective and simple method for deploying an ASP.NET Core backend with React frontend in 2025?

Hey folks! I’m curious about the current trends in deploying ASP.NET Core backends with React frontends. I’ve mostly used IIS on Windows before, but I’m looking for something more modern and budget-friendly.

I prefer having both frontend and backend on the same domain. For example, serving frontend assets from the root and using /api for the backend. I’ve seen some projects use internal proxies, but they felt a bit clunky.

I’m working on a project created with VS’s latest ASP.NET Core + React template. It has separate .Server and .client projects, with Vite proxying to the backend API for local development.

What’s the best way to deploy this setup to production nowadays? Any tips or recommendations for a smooth, cost-effective deployment process? I’d love to hear about your experiences and what’s working well for you!

For a cost-effective and straightforward deployment in 2025, I’d recommend looking into Azure App Service. It’s particularly well-suited for ASP.NET Core and React applications, offering seamless integration and easy scaling. You can deploy both your backend and frontend to the same App Service instance, using the built-in Kudu deployment engine to handle your React build process. This approach eliminates the need for separate hosting solutions and simplifies your architecture. Additionally, Azure’s pay-as-you-go model can be quite economical, especially if you optimize your resource usage. To further reduce costs, consider implementing Azure CDN for your static assets, which can significantly improve performance while keeping expenses in check.

Ooh, interesting question! Have u considered using docker containers? They’re super flexible and can make deployment a breeze. What about cloud platforms like Azure or AWS? They offer some cool options for hosting .NET apps. whats ur budget like? That could help narrow down the choices. Anyone else have experience with serverless deployments for this stack?