An application group allows you to add applications that share the same global configuration. Global configurations such as the Datapath Version that was part of Resources is now available in the App Groups tab. Creating an app group with a specific configuration and then associating it with applications allows the configuration to be applied to all applications in that app group.
Currently, the app group policy allows you to configure the datapath version. As an example, applications running on the same datapath version can be included to be part of one app group.
By default, all Barracuda Managed applications in the Barracuda WAF-As-A-Service are moved to an app group called Production. In the case of custom container deployments, applications become part of an app group created with the custom container name. You can also create new groups and move applications to that group. The number of groups is limited to (N/10) +1 for an account, where N denotes the number of applications. For example, if there are 20 applications in an account, it will be possible to create up to 3 app groups. All the configured app groups along with the associated applications are displayed on the APPLICATIONS page.
The table below displays the maximum app groups that are allowed for applications:
| Number of Applications | Max Allowed App Groups |
|---|---|
| 0-9 | 1 |
| 10-19 | 2 |
| 20-29 | 3 |
| 30-39 | 4 |
| 40-49 | 5 |
Changing the App Group for the Application
You can move applications from one app group to another using the Change App Group option under ACTIONS on the APPLICATIONS page.
In the case of applications having a premium plan license, it is possible to create custom containers and bind them with applications. For more information on custom container deployments, see the Getting Started – Using Your Own Containers article. For every custom container that is created, an app group is auto-created for the custom container. For example, if there are two custom containers custom_container_1 and custom_container_2, app groups with the names AG_custom_container_1 and AG_custom_container_2 are created respectively. There are a few scenarios where the containers serving the traffic will be redeployed for the application when you change the app group. To understand this better, let us consider an account with different app groups and settings:
Here's the table showing the various app group configurations for the sample account:
| App Group Name | Datapath Version | Datapath Container Type |
|---|---|---|
| app_group_1 | 12.0 | Barracuda Managed |
| app_group_2 | 12.1 | Barracuda Managed |
| AG_custom_container_1 | 12.0 | Custom container with name custom_container_1 |
| AG_custom_container_2 | 12.1 | Custom container with name custom_container_2 |
To start with, let us consider that one application is configured to be part of app_group_1.
- Scenario 1: If the application is moved from app_group_1 to app_group_2, the application is re-deployed to the data path container associated with app_group_2. The new configuration will be based on the datapath version 12.1.
- Scenario 2: If the application is moved from app group AG_custom_container_1 to app_group_2, the deployment setting under the application changes to Choose Deployment. The administrator needs to update the deployment for the application.
- Scenario 3: If the application deployed on custom_container_1 and associated with AG_custom_container_1 is changed to the app group AG_custom_container_2, the application gets re-deployed on custom_container_2 and the deployment location changes accordingly.
- Scenario 4: If the application app_group_1 is changed to the AG_custom_container_1 (app group associated with the custom container custom_container_1), the deployment of the application will not change. In this case, the application will still be deployed on the Barracuda container and take datapath settings from the AG_custom_container_1 app group.
Adding an App Group
Perform the following steps to add an app group:
- On the Barracuda WAF-as-a-Service web interface, go to the APP GROUPS tab.
- Click Add New. The Add New App Group window appears.
- On the Add New App Group window, do the following:
- App Group Name – Specify a name for the app group.
- Create Using – Select the type of app group that you want to create.
- Basic App Group – Creates an app group with the basic configuration.
- Clone Existing App Group – Use an existing app group from the drop-down list to clone the configuration settings to the new app group.
- Click Add.
Set the Default App Group
By default, the Barracuda WAF-as-a-Service sets Production as the Default app group for all applications. You can create the app group and mark it as default using the Mark as default app group option under ACTIONS on the App Groups page. If you do not provide the app group name when creating an application, the application will be moved to the Default app group.
Renaming and Deleting the App Group
To rename an app group, use the Rename option, and to delete the app group use the Delete option under ACTIONS. A group cannot be deleted if an application is associated with it. Ensure that no applications are associated with the group before you perform the delete action.