The document discusses automating the app lifecycle using the Windows Azure Service Management API. It provides an overview of the API and how it can be used to programmatically manage deployments, configurations, and scaling of apps hosted on Windows Azure. Key points include that the API allows creating, updating, and deleting deployments via RESTful HTTP requests, supports certificate-based authentication, and enables building automation tools for continuous integration, deployment, and monitoring of Azure apps. Examples are given of how the API could be used for staged deployments, in-place upgrades, and automatic scaling of roles.