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Azure Functions Deployment

This guide explains how to deploy and run Kexa as an Azure Function.

Prerequisites​

  • Azure subscription
  • Azure CLI installed
  • Azure Functions Core Tools
  • Access to cloud provider accounts (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Quick Start​

1. Create Function App​

# Create resource group
az group create --name kexa-rg --location eastus

# Create storage account
az storage account create \
  --name kexastorage \
  --location eastus \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --sku Standard_LRS

# Create function app
az functionapp create \
  --name kexa-function \
  --storage-account kexastorage \
  --consumption-plan-location eastus \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --runtime node \
  --runtime-version 18 \
  --functions-version 4

2. Configure Function App​

# Configure app settings
az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --settings \
    RULESDIRECTORY=/home/site/wwwroot/rules \
    OUTPUT=/home/site/wwwroot/output \
    NODE_ENV=production

3. Deploy Function​

# Deploy function code
func azure functionapp publish kexa-function

Function Configuration​

1. Function Definition​

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "name": "myTimer",
      "type": "timerTrigger",
      "direction": "in",
      "schedule": "0 0 * * *"
    }
  ]
}

2. Function Code​

import { AzureFunction, Context } from "@azure/functions";
[...]

const timerTrigger: AzureFunction = async function (context: Context, myTimer: any): Promise<void> {
    [...]
};

export default timerTrigger;

If you want to see the full code, you can find it here.

Also, you will have to update the host.json file to be able to run properly. You can find the full code here.

Storage Configuration​

1. Blob Storage​

# Create containers
az storage container create \
  --name rules \
  --account-name kexastorage

az storage container create \
  --name output \
  --account-name kexastorage

2. Access Configuration​

# Get storage account key
STORAGE_KEY=$(az storage account keys list \
  --account-name kexastorage \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --query '[0].value' \
  --output tsv)

# Configure function app
az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --settings \
    AzureWebJobsStorage="DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=kexastorage;AccountKey=$STORAGE_KEY;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net"

Monitoring​

1. Application Insights​

# Create Application Insights
az monitor app-insights component create \
  --app kexa-insights \
  --location eastus \
  --resource-group kexa-rg

# Configure function app
az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --settings \
    APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING="<connection-string>"

2. Logs​

# View function logs
az functionapp log tail \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg

Security​

1. Managed Identity​

# Enable managed identity
az functionapp identity assign \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg

# Get principal ID
PRINCIPAL_ID=$(az functionapp identity show \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --query principalId \
  --output tsv)

# Assign roles
az role assignment create \
  --assignee $PRINCIPAL_ID \
  --role "Storage Blob Data Contributor" \
  --scope "/subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourceGroups/kexa-rg/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/kexastorage"

2. Network Security​

# Configure private endpoints
az network private-endpoint create \
  --name kexa-endpoint \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --vnet-name kexa-vnet \
  --subnet default \
  --private-connection-resource-id $(az functionapp show --name kexa-function --resource-group kexa-rg --query id -o tsv) \
  --group-id sites \
  --connection-name kexa-connection

Maintenance​

1. Updates​

# Deploy updates
func azure functionapp publish kexa-function

# Update app settings
az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --settings \
    VERSION=2.0.0

2. Backup​

# Backup function app
az functionapp backup create \
  --name kexa-function \
  --resource-group kexa-rg \
  --storage-account kexastorage \
  --container-name backups

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Function Won't Start

    • Check function logs
    • Verify app settings
    • Check storage account access

  2. Timer Trigger Issues

    • Verify CRON expression
    • Check function permissions
    • Verify time zone settings

  3. Storage Issues

    • Check storage account access
    • Verify container permissions
    • Check connection strings

Next Steps​