Question 1

What's the difference between Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps?

Accepted Answer

Azure Functions is code-first: you write code (C#, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, etc.) to handle events or HTTP requests. Logic Apps is workflow-first: you build integrations and business processes using a visual designer with connectors. Use Functions when you need custom code, complex logic, or fine control over performance; use Logic Apps when you want to orchestrate steps across many SaaS/services with minimal code.

Question 2

When should I use Azure Functions?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure Functions for event-driven tasks like processing files uploaded to Blob Storage, reacting to messages in queues/topics, handling webhooks, running scheduled jobs, or building lightweight APIs. It’s a good fit when workloads are bursty or unpredictable, you want automatic scaling, and you don’t want to manage servers. If you need long-running compute, specialized networking, or full control of the runtime environment, consider containers (Azure Container Apps/AKS) or VMs.

Question 3

How much does Azure Functions cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends mainly on the hosting plan and usage. On the Consumption plan, you typically pay based on number of executions and execution duration (GB-seconds), with a free grant each month. On Premium or Dedicated (App Service) plans, you pay for reserved/allocated compute instances (and get features like VNET integration and reduced cold starts). Other costs can come from triggers and dependencies (Storage, Service Bus, Application Insights logging, outbound bandwidth).

Functions

Definition

Real-World Example

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Cloud Provider Equivalencies

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