Microsoft helps NORAD update its Santa Tracker site with Azure website services

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is once again getting ready to track Santa Claus when he goes on his trip around the world on Christmas Eve. It’s been a tradition for NORAD to keep track of the big guy since 1955. In recent years, it has partnered with Microsoft to create the Santa Tracker website at NORADSanta.org.

This year, Microsoft revealed that it has made some improvements to the Santa Tracker site. In a post on its official Azure Maps blog, it states it has updated it with a JavaScript-based site that’s hosted in six Azure Regions around the world and is available in nine different languages.

Some of the services that were used in building the site include Azure Static Web Apps, Azure Functions, and Azure Maps. That particular service is being used by the site to create an interactive map of the world so visitors can check out specific holiday traditions in many other countries.

The site also uses Azure Front Door to help keep the site loading quickly, especially during that big night that’s coming up. Microsoft says:

Utilizing Azure Front Door involves caching the site across 192 Points of Presence (POP) locations in major cities worldwide. This widespread distribution significantly enhances file delivery speed by ensuring that files are physically closer to end users.

The Santa Tracker site has plenty of stuff to check out long before Santa makes his Christmas Eve trip. They include video messages from the big man himself, an article that talks about whether Santa is “real,” and holiday music tracks you can listen to directly from the site.

The night of Christmas Eve, the site can be used to track Santa as he goes around the world. You can also follow him on NORAD’s mobile apps for iOS and Android. NORAD still offers its Santa Tracker phone number (1-877-HI-NORAD) for people who want to check out where Santa is going the old-fashioned way.