1.
Getting Started with
Serverless Architectures
using Azure Functions
MARC DUIKER

2.
Marc Duiker
Lead Consultant
Xpirit Netherlands
@marcduiker – mduiker@xpirit.com

3.
Current situation
Client
PlaceOrder
Search
ValidateOrder
CalculatePrice
Orders
Products
Prices

4.
Current situation - Problems
Client
PlaceOrder
Search
ValidateOrder
CalculatePrice
Orders
Products
Prices
Expensive infrastructure
Performance issues
Teams require
synced delivery

5.
POC to redesign – Conditions & Requirements
Client
PlaceOrder
Search
ValidateOrder
CalculatePrice
Orders
Products
Prices
Uneven & spikey workload
2 weeks
Limited budget
Fault tolerant
Independent delivery

6.
What are serverless architectures?

7.
1. Application that fully depends on a 3rd party service
in the cloud to manage logic and state.
Multiple interpretations for Serverless

8.
2. Application where some code is written by the
developer but is run in stateless compute containers
that are event-triggered, short lived and fully
managed by a 3rd party.
Multiple interpretations for Serverless

9.
• Serverless is a misleading term
• Functions as a Service (FaaS) is better
“Serverless”

10.
Traditional n-tier architecture
Client
PlaceOrder
Search
ValidateOrder
CalculatePrice
Orders
Products
Prices

11.
Serverless architecture with FaaS
Client PlaceOrder
Gateway
Search
Validate
Order
Calculate
Price
Temp
Storage
Perm
Storage
Products
Prices

12.
Why a serverless architecture?

13.
What we all want
• A responsive application
• Regardless of workload
• Regardless of failures

14.
Solution: Reactive Systems
Responsive
Message driven
ResilientElastic
https://www.reactivemanifesto.org/FaaS enables Reactive Systems

15.
Serverless architecture with FaaS
Client Temp
Storage
Gateway
Search Products
PlaceOrder Perm
Storage
Calculate
Price
Prices
Validate
Order

16.
Serverless architecture with FaaS
Client Temp
Storage
Gateway
Search Products
PlaceOrder Perm
Storage
Calculate
Price
Prices
Validate
Order

17.
Benefits of FaaS
• Focus on code instead of servers & runtime
• Node.js , Python, C#, Java …
• Reduced operational costs
• Allows easier experimentation
• Shorter time to market

18.
Benefits of FaaS
• Consumption based pricing
• Resource consumption & number of executions
# Executions / month 2m
Time / execution 0.5 sec
Time consumption 2m * 0.5 = 1m sec
Avg memory consumption 1.5 GB
Resource consumption 1.5 * 1m = 1.5m GB-s
Resource price* 0.000014 Eur / GB-s
Resource costs 1.5m * 0.000014 = 21 EUR
Execution price* 0.169 EUR/1m executions
Execution costs 2m * 0.169 = 0.34 EUR
*Based on Azure Functions consumption plan dd 11 Oct 2017
2
1

19.
Benefits of FaaS
• Automatic scaling
• Can reduce compute costs for spikey workloads
constantspikey

20.
Disadvantages of FaaS
• Learning curve
• Limited execution duration
• Startup latency
• Development tooling

21.
FaaS offerings
AWS Lambda
(2014)
Google
Cloud Functions
(2016)
Azure Functions
(2016)

22.
How do Azure Functions fit in?

23.
What is Azure Functions?
“Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that
enables you to run code on-demand without having to
explicitly provision or manage infrastructure.”
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/

24.
What is Azure Functions?

25.
Function Anatomy: Triggers & Bindings
Input Output
Trigger
Code
1
0-n 0-n
Function

26.
Function Anatomy: Function App
Input Output
Trigger
Code
Function
Function App
Settings

27.
The rise of the Functions
WebJobs Functions

28.
Differences with WebJobs
• Seamless integration with Azure services
• Azure Storage (Queues, Blobs)
• Service Bus (Queues, Topics)
• CosmosDB
• Event Hubs
• Webhooks
• Timer
• Consumption based pricing
• Improved automatic scaling

29.
Automatic scaling

30.
Azure Functions Limitations
• Max execution duration:
10 min (default 5 min)
• Available memory:
1.5 GB

31.
Developing Azure Functions

32.
• Function scripts
- Directly in the portal
- Visual Studio Code
• Compiled Functions
- Visual Studio 2017 with Azure Function Tools
Developing Functions

33.
Demo:
Developing Function Scripts

34.
Benefits of Compiled Functions:
• Enjoy the VS IDE features
• Local debugging
• Easier package management
• Configure CI/CD pipelines
• Reduce cold start time
Developing in Visual Studio

35.
Demo:
Developing Compiled Functions

36.
User uploads image
Image requires validation
Image needs to be analyzed
Analysis result need to be stored
Use case

37.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

38.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Upload images
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

39.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Validate images
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

40.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Analyze images
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

41.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Store analysis data
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

42.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Scope of the demo
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB

43.
Demo:
Multiple Functions in one App

44.
Demo data

45.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
Start situation
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB
3
3

46.
Solution using Azure Functions & Queues
End situation
images input images to analyze
images too large
analysis results
to store
validate analyze store
blob
DB
3
1
2

47.
Demo:
Doing the magic

48.
✓ Develop function using the Azure portal
✓ Develop function using Visual Studio
✓ Multiple functions in one Function App
✓ Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer
✓ Function App Logs
Developing Functions Demos

49.
Deploying Azure Functions

50.
Edit & save scripts in Portal
Publish from Visual Studio
Deploy straight from source control
Deploy from VSTS
Deploying Functions

51.
Demo:
Deploying Functions

52.
✓ Configure deployment using Azure Portal
✓ Configure deployment using VSTS
Deploying Functions Demos

53.
Other scenarios

54.
Currently you need to provide a message queue to chain
functions.
Function Chaining & Durable Functions

55.
Function Chaining & Durable Functions
https://azure.github.io/azure-functions-durable-extension/
Durable Functions will use Orchestrator and Action
functions making it easier for developers to chain
functions.

56.
Use Functions as Actions
Functions & Logic Apps

57.
Use an API gateway to
manage your
Functions
API Gateway
Client PlaceOrder
Search
ValidateCalculate
Temp
Storage
Perm
Storage
Products
Gateway

58.
Marc Duiker
Lead Consultant
Xpirit Netherlands
@marcduiker – mduiker@xpirit.com
Go and discover endless possibilities
with Azure Functions!
https://github.com/marcduiker/
demos-serverless-architectures-functions/