In my previous post “Introduction to Azure serverless with Azure Functions, Logic Apps and Azure Event Grid” I briefly introduced each of those services from Azure. In this post I’ll show you how you can try Azure Functions for free without signing up for an Azure subscription. Let’s get started.
Microsoft has setup a free sandbox environment for trying out Azure Functions for free. Navigate to the free trial link and select the function you want to create:
After clicking on the Create this function button you will be asked to choose an auth provider. Any will do and it’s just needed to get some basic information for the trial. No credit card information is required:
After a few seconds you should see your new HttpTrigger C# function (based on the selection from the previous screen). Click on the Run button to see your function run. From this portal you can edit your function code and save the changes, run the function and view the logs from the, test your function with different input, and see the output and status.
Your function also has a URL you can use to run your function outside of this portal. Go to the top right corner and click on Get function URL:
You will then see the get function URL modal with the key and URL. Click on the copy link and then open up another browser tab or use it within Postman:
Paste your function link and then add the required query string parameter Name with a value. You should then see the output of your function like so:
This environment is limited in what you can do. So although you can change your function code and the integrations it works with, you are prevented from managing your function app. You also only have only 59 minutes to try it out.
As you can see you can quickly try out Azure Functions in a sandbox environment. If and when you’re ready you can move to an Azure subscription where you can fully manage your Azure Function and get access to a world of other resources to use with your function app. It’s worth mentioning that with your Azure subscription you get access to a number of Azure resources for free within certain limits…including Azure Functions. So take a look and give Azure Functions a try.
Enjoy!
The Flying Maverick 