Azure Functions are serverless compute services that allow you to run event-triggered code without having to explicitly provision or manage infrastructure. Some key benefits of Azure Functions include:
- Serverless - No infrastructure to manage. The service handles scaling and capacity planning for you. You only pay for the time your code runs.
- Event-driven - Functions can be triggered by events from many Azure services as well as external services like webhook triggers. This makes them useful for automated workflows and processing data.
- Flexible scaling - Functions scale automatically based on demand. This makes them a good choice for workloads that are intermittent or have variable loads.
- Choice of languages - Functions support a variety of languages including C#, Python, JavaScript, PowerShell, and more. You can write functions in the language best suited for the task.
- Integrations - Functions work seamlessly with other Azure services like Logic Apps, Event Grid, App Services, and more. This unlocks integration scenarios and automations.
- Open source - The Functions runtime is open source which allows you to contribute to the
- project on GitHub.
- Pay-per-use pricing - You only pay for the time your functions run making it a very cost-effective service. There are no upfront costs or resource commitments.
In summary, Azure Functions provide a simple yet powerful serverless compute option to run code snippets and scripts on-demand without managing servers. The auto-scaling, integrations, and pay-per-use pricing make them a great choice for a lot of automation and processing tasks.