How To Run IronWord with .NET on Azure

IronWord is a powerful .NET library for creating, editing, and reading Word documents programmatically. It works seamlessly on various Azure services including Azure App Services, Azure Functions, and Azure Container Instances.

Installing IronWord

Begin by installing the IronWord NuGet package from the official NuGet repository:

Install-Package IronWord

Hosting Considerations for Azure

Choosing the Right Azure Service Tier

IronWord performs best on Azure service plans that provide consistent compute availability. For most small to medium use cases, the Basic (B1) App Service Plan is sufficient. If your application processes a high volume of Word documents or performs complex formatting tasks, consider upgrading to Standard (S1) or higher tiers to avoid performance bottlenecks.

Supported .NET Runtimes and Compatibility

IronWord works out of the box with the following frameworks commonly used in Azure-hosted solutions:

  • .NET 6+ (LTS recommended)
  • .NET Core 3.1
  • .NET Standard 2.1

This gives you flexibility to deploy IronWord across various Azure services like App Services, Azure Functions, and Docker containers without worrying about compatibility.

Deploying in Docker on Azure

Containerized Deployment with IronWord

If you're looking for maximum control over your runtime environment, consider deploying IronWord inside a Docker container on Azure Container Instances (ACI) or Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). This allows you to:

  • Pre-load templates or static resources
  • Configure document processing settings
  • Fine-tune performance at the OS level

To get started, use a base image such as mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:6.0 or 7.0 and add IronWord via NuGet or manual DLL inclusion.

Serverless with Azure Functions

Using IronWord in Azure Functions

IronWord is fully compatible with Azure Functions v4 running on .NET 6 or higher. This enables lightweight, event-driven document generation—perfect for scenarios like:

  • On-demand report creation via HTTP
  • Generating Word documents from form submissions
  • Converting structured data into .docx format

Azure Function Example: Generate Word Document on Request

Below is a real-world example of an Azure Function that creates and returns a Word document in response to an HTTP request:

using System.Net;
using System.Net.Http;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Extensions.Http;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;
using IronWord;
using IronWord.Models;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public static class WordFunction
{
    [FunctionName("GenerateWordDoc")]
    public static HttpResponseMessage Run(
        [HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Anonymous, "get", "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req,
        ILogger log)
    {
        log.LogInformation("Processing request to generate Word document...");

        // Set your IronWord license key
        IronWord.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

        // Create and populate Word document
        var doc = new WordDocument();
        Paragraph para1 = new Paragraph(new TextContent("This Word document was generated by IronWord in an Azure Function."));
        Paragraph para2 = new Paragraph(new TextContent($"Timestamp: {System.DateTime.UtcNow}"));
        doc.AddParagraph(para1);
        doc.AddParagraph(para2);

        // Save to temporary file
        string tempPath = Path.GetTempFileName().Replace(".tmp", ".docx");
        doc.SaveAs(tempPath);

        // Read the file bytes
        byte[] fileBytes = File.ReadAllBytes(tempPath);

        // Optionally delete the temp file
        File.Delete(tempPath);

        // Build the response with the document as an attachment
        var response = new HttpResponseMessage(HttpStatusCode.OK)
        {
            Content = new ByteArrayContent(fileBytes)
        };
        response.Content.Headers.ContentDisposition = new ContentDispositionHeaderValue("attachment")
        {
            FileName = $"IronWord_{System.DateTime.UtcNow:yyyyMMdd_HHmmss}.docx"
        };
        response.Content.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue(
            "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document");

        return response;
    }
}
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Http;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Extensions.Http;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;
using IronWord;
using IronWord.Models;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public static class WordFunction
{
    [FunctionName("GenerateWordDoc")]
    public static HttpResponseMessage Run(
        [HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Anonymous, "get", "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req,
        ILogger log)
    {
        log.LogInformation("Processing request to generate Word document...");

        // Set your IronWord license key
        IronWord.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

        // Create and populate Word document
        var doc = new WordDocument();
        Paragraph para1 = new Paragraph(new TextContent("This Word document was generated by IronWord in an Azure Function."));
        Paragraph para2 = new Paragraph(new TextContent($"Timestamp: {System.DateTime.UtcNow}"));
        doc.AddParagraph(para1);
        doc.AddParagraph(para2);

        // Save to temporary file
        string tempPath = Path.GetTempFileName().Replace(".tmp", ".docx");
        doc.SaveAs(tempPath);

        // Read the file bytes
        byte[] fileBytes = File.ReadAllBytes(tempPath);

        // Optionally delete the temp file
        File.Delete(tempPath);

        // Build the response with the document as an attachment
        var response = new HttpResponseMessage(HttpStatusCode.OK)
        {
            Content = new ByteArrayContent(fileBytes)
        };
        response.Content.Headers.ContentDisposition = new ContentDispositionHeaderValue("attachment")
        {
            FileName = $"IronWord_{System.DateTime.UtcNow:yyyyMMdd_HHmmss}.docx"
        };
        response.Content.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue(
            "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document");

        return response;
    }
}
Imports System
Imports System.Net
Imports System.Net.Http
Imports Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http
Imports Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs
Imports Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs.Extensions.Http
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.Logging
Imports System.Net.Http.Headers
Imports IronWord
Imports IronWord.Models
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Threading.Tasks

Public Module WordFunction
	<FunctionName("GenerateWordDoc")>
	Public Function Run(<HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Anonymous, "get", "post", Route := Nothing)> ByVal req As HttpRequest, ByVal log As ILogger) As HttpResponseMessage
		log.LogInformation("Processing request to generate Word document...")

		' Set your IronWord license key
		IronWord.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

		' Create and populate Word document
		Dim doc = New WordDocument()
		Dim para1 As New Paragraph(New TextContent("This Word document was generated by IronWord in an Azure Function."))
		Dim para2 As New Paragraph(New TextContent($"Timestamp: {DateTime.UtcNow}"))
		doc.AddParagraph(para1)
		doc.AddParagraph(para2)

		' Save to temporary file
		Dim tempPath As String = Path.GetTempFileName().Replace(".tmp", ".docx")
		doc.SaveAs(tempPath)

		' Read the file bytes
		Dim fileBytes() As Byte = File.ReadAllBytes(tempPath)

		' Optionally delete the temp file
		File.Delete(tempPath)

		' Build the response with the document as an attachment
		Dim response = New HttpResponseMessage(HttpStatusCode.OK) With {.Content = New ByteArrayContent(fileBytes)}
		response.Content.Headers.ContentDisposition = New ContentDispositionHeaderValue("attachment") With {.FileName = $"IronWord_{DateTime.UtcNow:yyyyMMdd_HHmmss}.docx"}
		response.Content.Headers.ContentType = New MediaTypeHeaderValue("application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document")

		Return response
	End Function
End Module
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Code Explanation:

  1. We define an Azure Function with the name "GenerateWordDoc".
  2. The function is triggered by an HTTP GET or POST request and logs a message when it begins processing.
  3. We specify the license key for IronWord by setting IronWord.License.LicenseKey (replace "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY" with your actual key).
  4. A new WordDocument is created using IronWord's API.
  5. Two paragraphs are added to the document — one with static text and another showing the current UTC timestamp.
  6. The document is saved to a temporary .docx file on the server using doc.SaveAs(tempPath).
  7. The saved file is read into a byte array using File.ReadAllBytes, preparing it for download.
  8. The temporary file is deleted immediately after reading to keep the system clean.
  9. An HttpResponseMessage is built, containing the document's byte content as a downloadable attachment.
  10. The Content-Disposition header sets the download filename using the current date and time.
  11. The Content-Type header is set to "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document" to indicate a Word file format.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first step to set up IronWord on Azure?

The first step to set up IronWord on Azure is to create an Azure account if you don't already have one. Then, you need to set up a new Azure App Service where you will deploy your .NET application using IronWord.

How do I deploy a .NET application using IronWord on Azure?

To deploy a .NET application using IronWord on Azure, you should package your application and its dependencies, including IronWord libraries, and upload them to your Azure App Service. You can use tools like Visual Studio Publish or Azure DevOps pipelines for this process.

Do I need any specific Azure service to run IronWord?

IronWord can be run on standard Azure App Services. However, for optimal performance, it's recommended to use a plan that provides sufficient resources based on your application's requirements.

Can IronWord be used with Azure Functions?

Yes, IronWord can be integrated with Azure Functions to process Word documents as part of a serverless architecture. Ensure that the Azure Function environment has the necessary dependencies for IronWord.

How does IronWord enhance Word document processing on Azure?

IronWord enhances Word document processing on Azure by providing powerful .NET libraries that can easily integrate with Azure services, allowing for efficient creation, manipulation, and conversion of Word documents.

Is there a way to automate IronWord tasks on Azure?

Yes, you can automate IronWord tasks on Azure using Azure Logic Apps or Azure Functions to trigger Word document processing based on specific events or schedules.

What are the benefits of using IronWord on Azure?

Using IronWord on Azure allows for scalable and reliable Word document processing, leveraging Azure's cloud infrastructure to handle large volumes of documents while maintaining high performance.

Can I integrate IronWord with Azure Blob Storage?

Yes, you can integrate IronWord with Azure Blob Storage to store and retrieve Word documents, allowing for seamless document processing and storage management within your Azure environment.

How do I ensure IronWord runs efficiently on Azure?

To ensure IronWord runs efficiently on Azure, select the right service plan that matches your workload, optimize your application's code, and implement proper error handling and logging for troubleshooting.

Are there any prerequisites for using IronWord on Azure?

The prerequisites for using IronWord on Azure include having a .NET environment set up, an Azure account with the necessary permissions, and the IronWord libraries included in your project.

Kye Stuart
Technical Writer

Kye Stuart merges coding passion and writing skill at Iron Software. Educated at Yoobee College in software deployment, they now transform complex tech concepts into clear educational content. Kye values lifelong learning and embraces new tech challenges.

Outside work, they enjoy PC gaming, streaming on Twitch, and ...Read More

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