Getting Started with Azure Functions: Serverless Made Simple

Azure Functions lets you run event-driven code without managing servers. You pay only for what you use and Azure handles scaling automatically. This guide walks you from zero to a deployed, monitored function.

Prerequisites

How Azure Functions Works

Hosting Plan Comparison

Getting Started in 5 Steps

Step 1 — Install Azure Functions Core Tools:

# Windows (winget)
winget install Microsoft.Azure.FunctionsCoreTools

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew tap azure/functions
brew install azure-functions-core-tools@4

# Verify
func --version

Step 2 — Create your first function:

func init MyFunctionApp --worker-runtime dotnet-isolated
cd MyFunctionApp
func new --name HelloWorld --template "HTTP trigger" --authlevel anonymous

Step 3 — Run locally:

func start
# Listening on: http://localhost:7071
# Test: curl http://localhost:7071/api/HelloWorld?name=Azure

Step 4 — Deploy to Azure:

az login
az group create --name rg-functions-demo --location eastus
az storage account create --name safunctionsdemo --resource-group rg-functions-demo --sku Standard_LRS
az functionapp create \
  --resource-group rg-functions-demo \
  --consumption-plan-location eastus \
  --runtime dotnet-isolated \
  --runtime-version 8 \
  --functions-version 4 \
  --name fn-hello-world-demo \
  --storage-account safunctionsdemo
func azure functionapp publish fn-hello-world-demo

Production Best Practices

When to Use Azure Functions

Key Takeaways

Further Reading

• Azure Functions documentation on Microsoft Learn
• Best practices for Azure Functions
• Durable Functions overview
• Azure Functions pricing