Azure Functions

A binding is a connection to data within your function. Bindings are optional and can be input bindings, output bindings, or both. An input binding is the data that your function receives. An output binding is the data that your function sends.

Unlike a trigger, a function can have multiple input bindings and output bindings.

A trigger is an object that defines how an Azure Function is invoked. For example, if you want a function to execute every 10 minutes, you can trigger a timer.

Every function must have exactly one trigger associated with it. If you want to execute a logic that runs under multiple conditions, you need to create multiple functions that share the same core function code.

Azure Functions support a wide range of trigger types. Some of the most common types:

• Timer: Execute a function at a set interval.
• HTTP: Execute a function when an HTTP request is received.
• Blob: Execute a function when a file is uploaded or updated in Azure Blob storage.
• Queue: Execute a function when a message is added to an Azure Storage queue.
• Azure Cosmos DB: Execute a function when a document changes in a collection.
• Event Hub: Execute a function when an event hub receives a new event.

This runtime provides a new way for customers to take advantage of the Functions programming model on-premises. Built on the same open-source roots that Azure Functions service is built on, Azure Functions Runtime can be deployed on-premises and provides a near similar development experience as the cloud service.

• Harness unused compute power: It provides a cheap way for customers to perform certain tasks such as harnessing the compute power of on-premises PCs to run batch processes overnight, leveraging devices on the floor to conditionally send data to the cloud, and so on.
• Future-proof your code assets: Customers who want to experience Functions-as-a-Service even before committing to the cloud would also find this runtime very useful. The code assets they build on-premises can easily be translated to the cloud when they eventually move.

Source: Introducing Azure Functions Runtime preview