AZURE APP SERVICE / AZURE FRONT DOOR
Azure certificate lifecycle: visibility before expiry
A practical checklist for inventory, ownership and renewal verification.
Start with an inventory
List the hostnames and endpoints that serve each application. Record where TLS terminates, who owns the certificate and how renewal is handled. An Azure App Service endpoint and an Azure Front Door endpoint can have different operational responsibilities.
Make ownership explicit
For each certificate, record the renewal method, notification recipient and escalation path. Managed certificates reduce manual work, but operations still needs visibility into endpoint health and configuration changes.
Verify the endpoint
A renewal task is only part of the workflow. Check the certificate served by the hostname that users actually reach, confirm its expiry and chain, and record the result. DNS-based PowerShell checks can provide a repeatable starting point.
Close the loop
Use an expiry threshold that leaves time for investigation and approval. Route alerts to an accountable owner and document the steps for remediation. In my portfolio work, checks notify below 15 days for Front Door and 30 days for internal endpoints.