Update 11/7/18

Retiring this in favor of Azure Functions V2

http://aka.ms/functions-python-preview

Update 4/25/17 : Adding steps to install python from Site Extensions. These are Python binaries patched to work well in Azure App Services. Thanks to Steve Dower for contributing Python Site extensions and keeping them up-to-date.

Azure Functions is an event driven, compute-on-demand experience that extends the existing Azure application platform with capabilities to implement code triggered by events occurring in Azure or third party service as well as on-premises systems.

More Info : https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-azure-functions/ Get Started with Azure Functions @ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/functions/

In this blog, I would provide details to run Python Code in Azure Functions. Below are the steps I would follow

  1. Create Function App in Azure Portal
  2. Using Custom Python Version
  3. Install and Use Third-party Modules

Note: Python is still in experimental mode for Azure Functions, so this experience is going to change before it comes to General Available


Create Function App in Azure Portal

Follow content in below link to quickly create a Function App in Azure Portal https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/functions-create-first-azure-function

Adding your First Python Function

Python is still in experimental phase, so there is no easy way to create a function. I would use a little hack for now but it might change in future

  • Select GenericWebHook-JS from available templates in portal and create it JS Generic Webhook
  • Create new file run.py with below content and delete index.js using View Files Nav on right
import os
import platform

message = "Using Python '{0}'".format(platform.python_version())
print(message)

Above code will print the Python version after clicking Run Button on top Python First Function App

Using Custom Python Version

You might have realized that it uses Python v2.7.8 from above output which is very old. In this section I would provide details to upgrade python version

To Install Custom Python Version,

  • Navigate to Kudu Console - https://Your_APP_NAME.scm.azurewebsites.net/DebugConsole
  • Run Below command in kudu cli to install Python in D:\home\site\tools Folder
nuget.exe install -Source https://www.siteextensions.net/api/v2/ -OutputDirectory D:\home\site\tools python352x64

Above command will install Python v3.5.2 64-bit. For other python versions/arch refer below link https://www.siteextensions.net/profiles/steve.dower

  • We need to have python.exe in D:\home\site\tools Folder. so lets move sub-folder content(D:\home\site\tools\python352x64.3.5.2.6\content\Python35 ) to D:\home\site\tools using below command 
    mv /d/home/site/tools/python352x64.3.5.2.6/content/python35/* /d/home/site/tools/

    Click Run for the function we created earlier in portal and it should use newer version of python now. After updating Python

Install and Use Third-party Modules

  • Navigate to Kudu Console - https://Your_APP_NAME.scm.azurewebsites.net/DebugConsole
  • Run below command to install pandas module in function app 
    D:\home\site\tools\python.exe -m pip install pandas

    Installing Pandas on Azure Functions

You can replace pandas with any other module in above command

Refer below link on different ways to install Python modules in app services https://prmadi.com/install-python-modules-on-azure-app-services/

Using Panda module in our example code

import os
import platform
import pandas as pd
message = "Using Python '{0}'".format(platform.python_version())
print(message)
print('Pandas version ' + pd.__version__)

Final Output :

Function App Using Custom Python version(2.7.13) and Third-party Module(Pandas)

Pandas on App Services

Additional Info

1. How do I read post data in HTTP trigger ?

postreqdata = open(os.environ['req']).read()
print postreqdata

2. How do I output data in HTTP response ?

response = open(os.environ['res'], 'w')
response.write("hello world prashanth")
response.close()

Troubleshoot

Logging:

  • Use basicConfig of logging and set filename. you should see file created in function folder with “Watch out!”. 
    import logging
logging.basicConfig(filename='example.log',level=logging.DEBUG)
logging.warning('Watch out!')

References :

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PYTHON INSTALLERS? http://stevedower.id.au/blog/why-so-many-python-installers/

Thanks to Chris Anderson (@crandycodes) in helping me write this blog. Thanks to Laurent Mazuel for blog-review and making it better.