Terminal.skills
Skills/azure-functions
>

azure-functions

Build serverless applications with Azure Functions. Create HTTP and event-driven functions with input/output bindings, configure triggers for queues, timers, and blob storage. Use Durable Functions for stateful orchestration workflows.

#azure#functions#serverless#durable-functions
terminal-skillsv1.0.0
Works with:claude-codeopenai-codexgemini-clicursor
Source

Usage

$
✓ Installed azure-functions v1.0.0

Getting Started

  1. Install the skill using the command above
  2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
  3. Reference the skill in your prompt
  4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

  • "Deploy the latest build to the staging environment and run smoke tests"
  • "Check the CI pipeline status and summarize any recent failures"

Information

Version
1.0.0
Author
terminal-skills
Category
DevOps
License
Apache-2.0

Documentation

Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that runs event-driven code without managing infrastructure. Its unique binding system connects to Azure services declaratively, and Durable Functions enable complex stateful workflows.

Core Concepts

  • Trigger — what causes a function to run (HTTP, timer, queue, blob, etc.)
  • Input Binding — declaratively read data from a service when function runs
  • Output Binding — declaratively write data to a service after function runs
  • Function App — a container for one or more functions sharing configuration
  • Hosting Plan — Consumption (pay-per-execution), Premium, or Dedicated
  • Durable Functions — extension for stateful orchestrations and workflows

Project Setup

bash
# Create a new function project
func init my-functions --worker-runtime node --language javascript
cd my-functions
bash
# Create a new HTTP-triggered function
func new --name HandleWebhook --template "HTTP trigger" --authlevel anonymous
bash
# Create Azure resources
az group create --name my-app-rg --location eastus

az storage account create \
  --name myappfuncstorage \
  --resource-group my-app-rg \
  --sku Standard_LRS

az functionapp create \
  --name my-app-functions \
  --resource-group my-app-rg \
  --storage-account myappfuncstorage \
  --consumption-plan-location eastus \
  --runtime node \
  --runtime-version 20 \
  --functions-version 4

HTTP Functions

javascript
// src/functions/handleWebhook.js — HTTP triggered function
const { app } = require('@azure/functions');

app.http('handleWebhook', {
    methods: ['POST'],
    authLevel: 'anonymous',
    route: 'webhooks/{source}',
    handler: async (request, context) => {
        const source = request.params.source;
        const body = await request.json();

        context.log(`Webhook from ${source}:`, body);

        // Process webhook
        const result = await processWebhook(source, body);

        return {
            status: 200,
            jsonBody: { received: true, id: result.id }
        };
    }
});

Timer Functions

javascript
// src/functions/dailyCleanup.js — runs on a CRON schedule
const { app } = require('@azure/functions');

app.timer('dailyCleanup', {
    schedule: '0 0 2 * * *', // 2:00 AM daily
    handler: async (myTimer, context) => {
        context.log('Running daily cleanup at', new Date().toISOString());

        const deleted = await cleanupExpiredSessions();
        context.log(`Deleted ${deleted} expired sessions`);
    }
});

Queue Trigger with Output Binding

javascript
// src/functions/processOrder.js — triggered by queue, writes to Cosmos DB
const { app, output } = require('@azure/functions');

const cosmosOutput = output.cosmosDB({
    databaseName: 'app-db',
    containerName: 'processed-orders',
    connection: 'CosmosDBConnection',
    createIfNotExists: true
});

app.storageQueue('processOrder', {
    queueName: 'order-queue',
    connection: 'AzureWebJobsStorage',
    return: cosmosOutput,
    handler: async (queueItem, context) => {
        context.log('Processing order:', queueItem.orderId);

        const processedOrder = {
            id: queueItem.orderId,
            ...queueItem,
            status: 'processed',
            processedAt: new Date().toISOString()
        };

        // Returned value goes to Cosmos DB via output binding
        return processedOrder;
    }
});

Blob Trigger

javascript
// src/functions/processImage.js — triggered when blob is uploaded
const { app } = require('@azure/functions');

app.storageBlob('processImage', {
    path: 'uploads/{name}',
    connection: 'AzureWebJobsStorage',
    handler: async (blob, context) => {
        const fileName = context.triggerMetadata.name;
        context.log(`Processing blob: ${fileName}, size: ${blob.length} bytes`);

        // Resize image, extract metadata, etc.
        await generateThumbnail(blob, fileName);
    }
});

Durable Functions

javascript
// src/functions/orderOrchestrator.js — orchestrate multi-step order processing
const { app } = require('@azure/functions');
const df = require('durable-functions');

// Orchestrator function
df.app.orchestration('orderOrchestrator', function* (context) {
    const order = context.df.getInput();

    // Step 1: Validate inventory
    const inventory = yield context.df.callActivity('checkInventory', order.items);
    if (!inventory.available) {
        yield context.df.callActivity('notifyCustomer', {
            orderId: order.id,
            message: 'Items out of stock'
        });
        return { status: 'cancelled', reason: 'out_of_stock' };
    }

    // Step 2: Process payment
    const payment = yield context.df.callActivity('processPayment', {
        amount: order.total,
        customerId: order.customerId
    });

    // Step 3: Ship order (with retry)
    const retryOptions = new df.RetryOptions(5000, 3); // 5s interval, 3 attempts
    const shipment = yield context.df.callActivityWithRetry(
        'shipOrder', retryOptions, order
    );

    // Step 4: Notify customer
    yield context.df.callActivity('notifyCustomer', {
        orderId: order.id,
        message: `Shipped! Tracking: ${shipment.trackingNumber}`
    });

    return { status: 'completed', tracking: shipment.trackingNumber };
});

// Activity functions
df.app.activity('checkInventory', { handler: async (items) => { /* ... */ } });
df.app.activity('processPayment', { handler: async (payment) => { /* ... */ } });
df.app.activity('shipOrder', { handler: async (order) => { /* ... */ } });
df.app.activity('notifyCustomer', { handler: async (notification) => { /* ... */ } });

// HTTP starter
app.http('startOrder', {
    route: 'orders/start',
    methods: ['POST'],
    extraInputs: [df.input.durableClient()],
    handler: async (req, context) => {
        const client = df.getClient(context);
        const order = await req.json();
        const instanceId = await client.startNew('orderOrchestrator', { input: order });
        return client.createCheckStatusResponse(req, instanceId);
    }
});

Deployment

bash
# Deploy to Azure
func azure functionapp publish my-app-functions
bash
# Set application settings
az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name my-app-functions \
  --resource-group my-app-rg \
  --settings "CosmosDBConnection=AccountEndpoint=..."
bash
# View function logs
func azure functionapp logstream my-app-functions

Best Practices

  • Use bindings to avoid boilerplate for reading/writing Azure services
  • Choose Consumption plan for sporadic workloads, Premium for consistent traffic
  • Use Durable Functions for multi-step workflows instead of chaining queues
  • Store connection strings in Application Settings, not code
  • Set FUNCTIONS_WORKER_PROCESS_COUNT for CPU-bound workloads
  • Use managed identities instead of connection strings where possible
  • Enable Application Insights for monitoring and diagnostics
  • Keep functions small and focused — one trigger, one purpose