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Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Blazor Data Orchestrator?

Blazor Data Orchestrator is an open-source distributed job orchestration platform built on .NET Aspire and Blazor Server. It lets you create, schedule, and run automated jobs written in C# or Python through a web-based interface with an in-browser Monaco code editor and AI-assisted development. It fills the gap between simple scheduled tasks and enterprise-grade orchestration platforms.

How does this compare to Azure Functions with Timer Triggers?

Azure Functions with Timer Triggers work well for basic scheduled tasks, but they break down when you need job grouping, parameterization, execution history, horizontal scaling across multiple queues, and a unified management UI. Blazor Data Orchestrator provides all of these on top of Azure services you already know — without the operational overhead of enterprise platforms like Azure Data Factory or Apache Airflow.

How does this compare to Azure Data Factory or Apache Airflow?

Azure Data Factory and Apache Airflow are powerful platforms, but they carry significant operational overhead and learning curves that many teams cannot justify for internal automation workloads. Blazor Data Orchestrator is a lightweight, self-hosted alternative built on .NET Aspire and Azure Storage — you can clone the repo and deploy to Azure Container Apps with a single azd up command.

What technologies does it use?

  • .NET 10 with Blazor Server for the web UI
  • .NET Aspire for service orchestration
  • Azure Storage (Blob, Queue, Table) for packages, messaging, and logs
  • SQL Server for job metadata and configuration
  • Monaco Editor for in-browser code editing
  • Roslyn for C# compilation
  • Radzen for UI components

Do I need Azure to run this locally?

No. Aspire automatically starts an Azurite container (Azure Storage emulator) and a SQL Server container for local development. No Azure subscription is required to develop and test locally.

How do I deploy to Azure?

Run azd up from the repository root. This single command provisions all required Azure resources (Azure SQL, Storage Account, Container Registry, Container Apps Environment), builds and containerizes all services, and deploys them to Azure Container Apps. See the Deployment guide for details.

Installation

The app won't start — what should I check?

  1. Ensure Docker Desktop (or Podman) is running.
  2. Verify the .NET 10 SDK is installed: dotnet --version
  3. Run dotnet workload restore from the solution root.
  4. Check that ports 14330, 10000, 10001, and 10002 are not in use by other applications.
  5. Review the terminal output from aspire run for error messages.

Do I need to install the Aspire workload?

No. The legacy aspire workload is obsolete. Run dotnet workload restore from the solution root — this restores only the workloads the solution requires.

Can I use an existing SQL Server instead of the container?

Yes. Update the connection string in the Web, Scheduler, and Agent appsettings.json files to point to your SQL Server instance. The Install Wizard will create the required database schema on first launch.

The Install Wizard doesn't appear

Clear your browser cache and navigate to the root URL of the web application. The wizard appears when the application detects that the database schema has not been created.

Job Development

How do I add NuGet dependencies to my C# job?

Add dependencies in the .nuspec file within the Code Tab editor:

<dependencies>
    <dependency id="Newtonsoft.Json" version="13.0.3" />
</dependencies>

Alternatively, use CS-Script syntax at the top of your .cs file:

//css_nuget Newtonsoft.Json

Dependencies are resolved automatically via dotnet restore at compilation and execution time.

What is the entry point for a C# job?

The entry point is the BlazorDataOrchestratorJob.ExecuteJob() static method in main.cs.

What is the entry point for a Python job?

The entry point is the execute_job() function in main.py.

Can I use multiple code files?

Yes. In the online editor, you can add additional .cs or .py files alongside main.cs/main.py. All files are packaged together in the .nupkg.

How do environment-specific settings work?

Jobs can include appsettings.json, appsettingsProduction.json, and appsettingsStaging.json. The Agent loads the appropriate file based on the job's JobEnvironment setting and merges in connection strings from its own configuration.

Operations

How do I trigger a job manually?

Click Run Job Now on the Details tab or Code tab of the Job Details dialog. This compiles (if in Code Edit mode), packages, uploads, and queues the job for immediate execution.

How do I set up a job schedule?

  1. Open the Job Details dialog.
  2. Navigate to the Schedules tab.
  3. Click Add Schedule.
  4. Configure days of the week, start/stop time, and run interval.
  5. Enable the schedule.

Can I trigger a job from an external system?

Yes. Enable the webhook on the Webhook tab in Job Details. The displayed URL (/webhook/{GUID}) accepts HTTP GET and POST requests. Query parameters are forwarded to the job execution context.

How do I scale job processing?

Deploy multiple Agent instances or replicas. Each agent monitors a specific queue (configured via the QueueName setting). You can:

  • Deploy multiple replicas of the same agent for horizontal scaling on a single queue.
  • Deploy separate agents with different QueueName values to create dedicated processing pools.

Troubleshooting

Where are job logs stored?

Job execution logs are stored in Azure Table Storage in the JobLogs table. You can view them in the Logs tab of the Job Details dialog.

My C# job fails to compile — how do I debug?

The compilation error dialog shows the file name, line number, and error description. Common issues:

  • Missing NuGet dependency — add it to the .nuspec file.
  • Incorrect class or method name — the entry point must be BlazorDataOrchestratorJob.ExecuteJob().
  • Syntax errors — check the line number referenced in the error message.

The agent isn't picking up jobs

  1. Check the queue name in the agent's appsettings.json — it must match the queue assigned to the job.
  2. Verify the Azurite or Azure Storage Queue service is running.
  3. Check the agent logs in the Aspire dashboard.
  4. Ensure the job is enabled and has been queued (visible in the home page table).

Why was my job executed twice (or more)?

This typically indicates an agent crash during execution. The message visibility timeout expires (default: 5 minutes), making the message visible to another agent. The visibility timeout renewal (every 3 minutes) normally prevents this, but if the agent process terminates unexpectedly, the message will be reprocessed.

How do I connect the AI Code Assistant?

  1. Navigate to Administration > Settings.
  2. Select your AI provider.
  3. Enter your API key and endpoint.
  4. Select a model (e.g., gpt-4).
  5. The AI button appears in the Code Tab editor toolbar.

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