Preface What this book covers What you need for this book Who this book is for Conventions Reader feedback Customer support Downloading the example code Downloading the color images of this book Errata Piracy Questions Introducing Microsoft Azure Services and Functions An overview of serverless architectures Cloud computing and service models Cloud computing and its basics Serverless computing Benefits Why Azure Functions? An overview of Microsoft Azure Services Regions Resource groups App Services - Microsoft Azure Web Apps App Service plan Azure Active Directory App Insights Azure Services versus AzureFunctions versus AWS Lambda Summary First Function App - Anatomy and Structure of a Function App Anatomy of Azure Functions Azure Function App Function code Function configuration Function settings Runtime Setting up a basic Azure Function Summary Application of Triggers Common types of triggers Example of creating a simple scheduled trigger HTTP trigger Event hubs Service bus Summary Bindings Available input and output bindings Types of input bindings Types of output bindings Types of Event Hubs Event Hubs Example Service Bus Storage Example Summary Webhooks for Azure Functions Creating a JavaScript function triggered by a Webhook Using a Webhook with an Azure Function Using an event with an Azure Function Summary The Real World - Functions to Build Consumable APIs Outlining a project Architecting the solution Building the project Using storage Test Summary Managing and Deploying your Code Projects in VSTS Continuous Integration Continuous Delivery Summary Business Considerations Monitoring of Azure Functions Integration of Application Insights and Azure Functions Pricing/hosting plans Best practices Summary Working with Different Languages The Python Function App Example The PHP Function App Example Summary