C# script function apps beyond Azure portal
Creating a C# function app in the Azure portal is incredibly simple and great for playing and learning. I love the simplicity and light-ness that comes from just having a single
.csx script file with everything you need for the function. The more "serious" approach with a "proper" C# project, the functions SDK and the corresponding CI/CD setup seems quite the leap, in comparison.I recently had to move a bunch of functions from one subscription to another and wanted to take the chance to improve the maintainability for some in-portal functions I had. Moving them also failed in the portal, so I looking at a non-enjoyable time copying/pasting files over. Made me question why I used in-portal functions at all.
So, while trying to save myself some time doing that, I got a zip of the existing in-portal function app using the Kudu debug console at https://[APP_NAME].scm.azurewebsites.net/DebugConsole, and simply clicking the download icon next to the wwwroot folder:
And that's where it clicked: why not just put all those files in my own GitHub repo and deploy straight from there via a subfolder?
Well, that *totally* works, and you can keep the simplicity of the
.csx while having a proper deployment history (and rollback capabilities) you're likely going to need sooner or later, no matter how simple the function.I couldn't get rid of the function.json file though, so placing the Functions SDK attributes on the code in the .csx doesn't work, but I'd say it's an acceptable trade-off.