This paper is an endeavor to investigate some estimation problems of the unknown parameters and some reliability measures of the alpha power exponential distribution in the presence of progressive first-failure censored data. In this regard, the classical and Bayesian approaches are considered to acquire the point and interval estimates of the different quantities. The maximum likelihood approach is proposed to obtain the estimates of the unknown parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions. The approximate confidence intervals are also considered. The Bayes estimates are obtained by considering both symmetric and asymmetric loss functions. The Bayes estimates and the associated highest posterior density credible intervals are given by applying the Monte Carlo Markov Chain technique. Due to the complexity of the given estimators which cannot be compared theoretically, a simulation study is implemented to compare the performance of the different procedures. In addition, diverse optimality criteria are employed to pick the best progressive censoring plans. Two engineering applications are considered to illustrate the applicability of the offered estimators. The numerical outcomes showed that the Bayes estimates based on symmetric or asymmetric loss functions perform better than other estimates in terms of minimum root mean square errors and interval lengths.