Quickstart: Create a function in Azure using Visual Studio Code

  • 9 minutes to read

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a C# class library-based function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a JavaScript function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a TypeScript function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a PowerShell function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a Python function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

In this article, you use Visual Studio Code to create a Java function that responds to HTTP requests. After testing the code locally, you deploy it to the serverless environment of Azure Functions.

Completing this quickstart incurs a small cost of a few USD cents or less in your Azure account.

There's also a CLI-based version of this article.

Note

If Visual Studio Code isn't your prefered development tool, check out our similar tutorials for Java developers using Maven, Gradle and IntelliJ IDEA.

Configure your environment

Before you get started, make sure you have the following requirements in place:

  • Node.js, Active LTS and Maintenance LTS versions (10.14.1 recommended). Use the node --version command to check your version.

Create your local project

In this section, you use Visual Studio Code to create a local Azure Functions project in your chosen language. Later in this article, you'll publish your function code to Azure.

  1. Choose the Azure icon in the Activity bar, then in the Azure: Functions area, select the Create new project... icon.

    Choose Create a new project

  2. Choose a directory location for your project workspace and choose Select.

    Note

    These steps were designed to be completed outside of a workspace. In this case, do not select a project folder that is part of a workspace.

  3. Provide the following information at the prompts:

    • Select a language for your function project: Choose C#.
    • Select a language for your function project: Choose JavaScript.
    • Select a language for your function project: Choose TypeScript.
    • Select a language for your function project: Choose PowerShell.

    • Select a language for your function project: Choose Python.

    • Select a Python alias to create a virtual environment: Choose the location of your Python interpreter. If the location isn't shown, type in the full path to your Python binary.

    • Select a language for your function project: Choose Java.

    • Provide a group ID: Choose com.function.

    • Provide an artifact ID: Choose myFunction.

    • Provide a version: Choose 1.0-SNAPSHOT.

    • Provide a package name: Choose com.function.

    • Provide an app name: Choose myFunction-12345.

    • Select a template for your project's first function: Choose HTTP trigger.

    • Provide a function name: Type HttpExample.

    • Provide a namespace: Type My.Functions.
    • Authorization level: Choose Anonymous, which enables anyone to call your function endpoint. To learn about authorization level, see Authorization keys.
    • Select how you would like to open your project: Choose Add to workspace.

  4. Using this information, Visual Studio Code generates an Azure Functions project with an HTTP trigger. You can view the local project files in the Explorer. To learn more about files that are created, see Generated project files.

Run the function locally

Visual Studio Code integrates with Azure Functions Core Tools to let you run this project on your local development computer before you publish to Azure.

  1. To call your function, press F5 to start the function app project. Output from Core Tools is displayed in the Terminal panel.

  2. If you haven't already installed Azure Functions Core Tools, select Install at the prompt. When the Core Tools are installed, your app starts in the Terminal panel. You can see the URL endpoint of your HTTP-triggered function running locally.

    Azure local output

  3. With Core Tools running, navigate to the following URL to execute a GET request, which includes ?name=Functions query string.

    http://localhost:7071/api/HttpExample?name=Functions

  4. A response is returned, which looks like the following in a browser:

    Function localhost response in the browser

  5. Information about the request is shown in Terminal panel.

    Function execution in Terminal panel

  6. Press Ctrl + C to stop Core Tools and disconnect the debugger.

Run the function locally

Azure Functions Core Tools integrates with Visual Studio Code to let you run and debug an Azure Functions project locally. For details on how to debug in Visual Studio Code, see Debug PowerShell Azure Functions locally.

  1. Press F5 to start the function app project. Output from Core Tools is displayed in the Terminal panel.

  2. In the Terminal panel, copy the URL endpoint of your HTTP-triggered function.

    Azure local output

  3. Append the query string ?name=<yourname> to this URL, and then use Invoke-RestMethod in a second PowerShell command prompt to execute the request, as follows:

    PS > Invoke-RestMethod -Method Get -Uri http://localhost:7071/api/HttpTrigger?name=PowerShell
Hello PowerShell

    You can also execute the GET request from a browser from the following URL:

    http://localhost:7071/api/HttpExample?name=PowerShell

    When you call the HttpTrigger endpoint without passing a name parameter either as a query parameter or in the body, the function returns a BadRequest error. When you review the code in run.ps1, you see that this error occurs by design.

  4. Information about the request is shown in Terminal panel.

    Function execution in Terminal panel

  5. When done, press Ctrl + C to stop Core Tools.

After you've verified that the function runs correctly on your local computer, it's time to publish the project to Azure.

After you've verified that the function runs correctly on your local computer, it's time to use Visual Studio Code to publish the project directly to Azure.

Sign in to Azure

Before you can publish your app, you must sign in to Azure.

  1. If you aren't already signed in, choose the Azure icon in the Activity bar, then in the Azure: Functions area, choose Sign in to Azure.... If you don't already have one, you can Create a free Azure account. Students can click here to Create a free Azure for Students account

    Function localhost response in the browser

    If you're already signed in, go to the next section.

  2. When prompted in the browser, choose your Azure account and sign in using your Azure account credentials.

  3. After you've successfully signed in, you can close the new browser window. The subscriptions that belong to your Azure account are displayed in the Side bar.

Publish the project to Azure

In this section, you create a function app and related resources in your Azure subscription and then deploy your code.

Important

Publishing to an existing function app overwrites the content of that app in Azure.

  1. Choose the Azure icon in the Activity bar, then in the Azure: Functions area, choose the Deploy to function app... button.

    Publish your project to Azure

  2. Provide the following information at the prompts:

    • Select folder: Choose a folder from your workspace or browse to one that contains your function app. You won't see this if you already have a valid function app opened.

    • Select subscription: Choose the subscription to use. You won't see this if you only have one subscription.

    • Select Function App in Azure: Choose + Create new Function App. (Don't choose the Advanced option, which isn't covered in this article.)

    • Enter a globally unique name for the function app: Type a name that is valid in a URL path. The name you type is validated to make sure that it's unique in Azure Functions.

    • Select a runtime: Choose the version of Python you've been running on locally. You can use the python --version command to check your version.
    • Select a runtime: Choose the version of Node.js you've been running on locally. You can use the node --version command to check your version.
    • Select a location for new resources: For better performance, choose a region near you.

  3. When completed, the following Azure resources are created in your subscription, using names based on your function app name:

    • A resource group, which is a logical container for related resources.
    • A standard Azure Storage account, which maintains state and other information about your projects.
    • A consumption plan, which defines the underlying host for your serverless function app.
    • A function app, which provides the environment for executing your function code. A function app lets you group functions as a logical unit for easier management, deployment, and sharing of resources within the same hosting plan.
    • An Application Insights instance connected to the function app, which tracks usage of your serverless function.

    A notification is displayed after your function app is created and the deployment package is applied.

  4. Select View Output in this notification to view the creation and deployment results, including the Azure resources that you created. If you miss the notification, select the bell icon in the lower right corner to see it again.

    Create complete notification

Run the function in Azure

  1. Back in the Azure: Functions area in the side bar, expand the new function app under your subscription. Expand Functions, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl + click (macOS) on HttpExample, and then choose Copy function URL.

    Copy the function URL for the new HTTP trigger

  2. Paste this URL for the HTTP request into your browser's address bar, add the name query string as ?name=Functions to the end of this URL, and then execute the request. The URL that calls your HTTP-triggered function should be in the following format:

    http://<functionappname>.azurewebsites.net/api/httpexample?name=Functions

    The following example shows the response in the browser to the remote GET request returned by the function:

    Function response in the browser

Clean up resources

When you continue to the next step, Add an Azure Storage queue binding to your function, you'll need to keep all your resources in place to build on what you've already done.

Otherwise, you can use the following steps to delete the function app and its related resources to avoid incurring any further costs.

  1. In Visual Studio Code, press F1 to open the command palette. In the command palette, search for and select Azure Functions: Open in portal.

  2. Choose your function app, and press Enter. The function app page opens in the Azure portal.

  3. In the Overview tab, select the named link next to Resource group.

    Select the resource group to delete from the function app page.

  4. In the Resource group page, review the list of included resources, and verify that they are the ones you want to delete.

  5. Select Delete resource group, and follow the instructions.

    Deletion may take a couple of minutes. When it's done, a notification appears for a few seconds. You can also select the bell icon at the top of the page to view the notification.

To learn more about Functions costs, see Estimating Consumption plan costs.

Next steps

You have used Visual Studio Code to create a function app with a simple HTTP-triggered function. In the next article, you expand that function by adding an output binding. This binding writes the string from the HTTP request to a message in an Azure Queue Storage queue.

Add an Azure Storage queue binding to your function