Cloud service without web role

Question

I want to deploy a cloud service with only worker role (without web role. Web role is deployed as Azure WebSite). Is it possible?

PS. Why I think about this solution - I need a website with ability to send emails. I put messages to queue in web and get these messages in worker role, which send emails. I tried to deploy both in cloud service, but web is much more comfortable to deploy as WebSite (much more quickly to deploy and ability to set connections strings for local and remote). So, I want to deploy a service only with worker role

Answer 1

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: Absolutely. :) Have you tried it? Just create a new cloud service with only a worker role and deploy it.

The chief difference between a web role and a worker role is that the web role will have IIS installed on it for web hosting. If you don't need IIS, why put it there? Just make a worker role and be done with it. :)

Answer 2

To deploy a solution to cloud service without web-role, you have to upload a certificate (otherwise you will get an error like:

A staging deployment could not be created for cloud service [ServiceName].

The certificate with thumbprint XXXX was not found.

To create and upload a certificate you can do follow:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2977336?wa=wsignin1.0

and Azure cloud deployment fails : Certificate with thumbprint was not found (second answer)

I did by second way, with import private key. I want to ask, it's safe for me, deploy this certificate with private key to Azure cloud service of my customer?