Function vs. Web API.

 


I have several projects I have been looking at doing and I have been struggling with whether to use Azure functions or to build APIs and host them as an Azure app service.

In this post, I am going to try to figure out what is the best solution based on functionality, reuse, cost, maintenance, and ROI.

This post will not cover the in-depth technical difference between functions and web API.  The end result is for me to understand which one will work under a different use case.


Advantages of Functions

a. Code in the Browser

    Not only am I not interested in this one, I think it is a disadvantage.  If you or your team are un-disciplined about your changes, a bad thing can happen.

b. Additional languages supported

    Not interested in this one either.  There is a side effect, what if a team member coded a function in Python and left the team, that supports it.

c. Point and click integration with other Azure services like Blob Storage and Comos

    This is the only advantage that I think I would take advantage of.  It is a nice feature to quickly add a new service and have access to it in your code.

d. Automatic Scaling

I see this as a double-edged sword.  It is good when you are expecting a rise in usage or if you get a good review on something and it drastically increases traffic.  On the other side, you could get surprised billing or unpredictable billing.

e. Pay Per Use

    The free tier is nice, but you have to watch out for unexpected scaling

f. Logic application integration

    I currently have no plans on building logic apps

g. Built for small automatic work

    This is always a good starting point, but you can do this in your web API as well.

h. Has a timer endpoint

    This is a nice feature, I can see using this type of function in conjunction with a Web API


Advantages of Web API

a. Code, debug, build, and deploy fits into your current workflow

    To me, this is a very important advantage.  I have a well-defined process and web API fits in nicely with it.

b. Handle bigger more complex methods

    This should be avoided.  You should be able to break down things into smaller parts, but it can't always be done that way.

c. Can access external resources, files, etc.

      Many of my applications are dealing with files, text, images, etc.

d. Finer control of the API calls like setting your own routes

    This could be a double-edged sword as well.  I have seen developers over-engineer the routes just because they could.

e. Finer control over the scaling.

    App services do have built-in features to help with scaling, but they are not as instant as with functions.  But you can control the maximum amount to scale to.  This will help on the billing side


The winner is?

Functionality => Web API

Reuse => If functions are built right, it is a tie, but you have to go out of your way to do that, so I will go with Web API

Cost => Free trier is a tie.  For scaled applications, it depends on the app.

Maintenance => Web API.  This is the biggest differentiator for me.  I don't like the idea of being able to change code in the Azure portal or the extra work needed to code, debug, and deploy.

ROI
    This really depends on the actual application.  But there are several things to keep in mind as well.  

Overall

    Just like everything else in development, it depends, but for me, I will always start with Web API and evaluate the project to see if functions are a better option.

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