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02 - First Deploy (Dedicated)

Provision resources and publish your first Node.js v4 function app to an App Service (Dedicated) plan.

Prerequisites

  • You completed 01 - Run Locally.
  • You are signed in to Azure CLI and have Contributor access.
  • You already exported: $RG, $APP_NAME, $PLAN_NAME, $STORAGE_NAME, $LOCATION (use koreacentral for this guide).

What You'll Build

  • A Linux Node.js Function App on Dedicated B1 with Always On support.
  • A first deployment pipeline (func azure functionapp publish) and endpoint verification.
  • All 20 functions indexed and serving requests on Dedicated infrastructure.

Network Scenario Choices

This tutorial deploys with public networking (B1 tier). For private networking, upgrade to Standard (S1+):

Scenario Description Guide
Public Only No VNet (this tutorial, B1) Current page
Private Egress VNet + Storage PE (S1+ required) Private Egress
Private Ingress + Site Private Endpoint (S1+ required) Private Ingress
Fixed Outbound IP + NAT Gateway (S1+ required) Fixed Outbound

Infrastructure Context

Plan: Dedicated (B1) | Network: Public | Always On: ✅

Dedicated deploys on a traditional App Service Plan. Unlike Premium, there are no pre-warmed instances or elastic scaling — you get a fixed compute allocation. Storage uses connection string authentication by default. No content file share is required (WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE=1).

flowchart TD
    INET[Internet] -->|HTTPS| FA[Function App\nDedicated B1\nLinux Node.js 20]

    subgraph PLAN["App Service Plan\nB1 Basic"]
        FA
        ALWAYS["Always On ✅"]
    end

    FA --> ST["Storage Account\nBlob + Queue"]
    FA --> AI[Application Insights]
    FA -.->|System-Assigned MI| ENTRA[Microsoft Entra ID]

    style FA fill:#ff8c00,color:#fff
    style PLAN fill:#E3F2FD,stroke:#1976D2
    style ST fill:#FFF3E0
    style ALWAYS fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#FF9800

Steps

  1. Set environment variables for the deployment.

    export RG="rg-func-node-ded-demo"
export LOCATION="koreacentral"
export STORAGE_NAME="stnddedi0410"
export PLAN_NAME="plan-ndded-04100022"
export APP_NAME="func-ndded-04100022"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    export RG="..." Sets the resource group name for the deployment.
    export LOCATION="..." Chooses the Azure region for the deployment.
    export STORAGE_NAME="..." Defines a unique name for the storage account.
    export PLAN_NAME="..." Sets the name for the App Service (Dedicated) plan.
    export APP_NAME="..." Defines a globally unique name for the Function App.

    Globally unique names required

    Both $APP_NAME and $STORAGE_NAME must be globally unique across all Azure subscriptions. If you get a naming conflict, append a random suffix (e.g., func-ndded-04091234).

  2. Authenticate and set subscription context.

    az login
az account set --subscription "<subscription-id>"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az login Authenticates your CLI session with Azure.
    az account set --subscription Targets the specific Azure subscription for resource creation.

  3. Create resource group.

    az group create \
  --name "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az group create Provisions a new Azure resource group container.
    --name "$RG" Specifies the resource group name.
    --location "$LOCATION" Sets the geographical region for the group.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "rg-func-node-ded-demo",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "properties": {
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
  }
}

  4. Create storage account.

    az storage account create \
  --name "$STORAGE_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION" \
  --sku "Standard_LRS" \
  --kind "StorageV2" \
  --allow-blob-public-access false
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az storage account create Provisions a new Azure Storage account.
    --sku "Standard_LRS" Selects locally-redundant storage for cost-efficiency.
    --kind "StorageV2" Uses the general-purpose v2 storage account type.
    --allow-blob-public-access false Disables public access to blobs for better security.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "stnddedi0410",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "kind": "StorageV2",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
}

  5. Create the App Service Plan (B1, Linux).

    Dedicated uses az appservice plan create

    Unlike Premium which uses az functionapp plan create, Dedicated plans use az appservice plan create. This is because Dedicated plans are standard App Service Plans, not elastic function-specific plans.

    az appservice plan create \
  --name "$PLAN_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION" \
  --sku "B1" \
  --is-linux
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az appservice plan create Provisions a standard Azure App Service Plan.
    --sku "B1" Selects the Basic B1 pricing tier.
    --is-linux Configures the plan for Linux-based workers.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "plan-ndded-04100022",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "sku": {
    "name": "B1",
    "tier": "Basic"
  },
  "kind": "linux",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
}

  6. Create the Function App on the Dedicated plan.

    az functionapp create \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --plan "$PLAN_NAME" \
  --storage-account "$STORAGE_NAME" \
  --runtime "node" \
  --runtime-version "20" \
  --functions-version "4" \
  --os-type "Linux"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp create Provisions the core Function App resource.
    --plan "$PLAN_NAME" Links the app to the Dedicated App Service Plan.
    --runtime "node" Selects the Node.js execution environment.
    --runtime-version "20" Pins the Node.js version to v20.
    --functions-version "4" Uses version 4 of the Azure Functions runtime host.
    --os-type "Linux" Deploys the app on a Linux infrastructure.

    Node.js 20 EOL approaching

    Azure CLI warns: Use node version 24 as 20 will reach end-of-life on 2026-04-30. Consider using --runtime-version 22 or later for new projects.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "func-ndded-04100022",
  "state": "Running",
  "kind": "functionapp,linux",
  "defaultHostName": "func-ndded-04100022.azurewebsites.net"
}

    Application Insights auto-created

    az functionapp create automatically creates an Application Insights resource with the same name as the function app (e.g., func-ndded-04100022), not $APP_NAME-ai. The APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING app setting is auto-configured.

    No content file share needed

    Unlike Premium and Consumption plans, Dedicated does not require WEBSITE_CONTENTAZUREFILECONNECTIONSTRING or WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE. Deployments use WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE=1 (set automatically) which stores the package in blob storage.

  7. Set required app settings for triggers.

    az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --settings \
    "EventHubConnection__fullyQualifiedNamespace=placeholder.servicebus.windows.net" \
    "QueueStorage=$(az storage account show-connection-string --name $STORAGE_NAME --resource-group $RG --query connectionString --output tsv)"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp config appsettings set Updates the application settings for the Function App.
    az storage account show-connection-string Retrieves the connection string for the storage account.
    --settings Defines the key-value pairs required by the function triggers.

    EventHub placeholder required

    If your app includes an Event Hub trigger, the function host may fail to start without a valid EventHubConnection setting. Set a placeholder namespace to allow function indexing.

  8. Publish the app.

    cd apps/nodejs
func azure functionapp publish "$APP_NAME"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    cd apps/nodejs Moves the terminal into the source code directory.
    func azure functionapp publish Bundles, uploads, and deploys the app source code.

    Expected output (abridged):

    Getting site publishing info...
Uploading package...
Uploading 49.36 MB [##############################################################]
Upload completed successfully.
Deployment completed successfully.

  9. Validate deployment.

    az functionapp function list \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --output table
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp function list Queries ARM to retrieve the list of indexed functions.
    --output table Formats the function list as a readable text table.

    Function indexing delay

    After the first publish, it may take 30–60 seconds for all functions to appear in the ARM API. If the list is empty, wait and retry.

    Expected output (abridged — showing key functions):

    Name                                          Language
--------------------------------------------  ----------
func-ndded-04100022/helloHttp                 node
func-ndded-04100022/health                    node
func-ndded-04100022/info                      node
func-ndded-04100022/queueProcessor            node
func-ndded-04100022/blobProcessor             node
func-ndded-04100022/scheduledCleanup          node

    Language field

    The Language column shows node, not Javascript. This is the actual value returned by the ARM API for Node.js v4 apps.

  10. Test the deployed endpoints.

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/health"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the health endpoint.

    Expected output:

    {"status":"healthy","timestamp":"2026-04-09T16:05:04.222Z","version":"1.0.0"}

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/hello/Dedicated"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the hello endpoint.

    Expected output:

    {"message":"Hello, Dedicated"}

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/info"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the info endpoint.

    Globally unique names required

    Both $APP_NAME and $STORAGE_NAME must be globally unique across all Azure subscriptions. If you get a naming conflict, append a random suffix (e.g., func-ndded-04091234).

  11. Authenticate and set subscription context.

    az login
az account set --subscription "<subscription-id>"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az login Authenticates your CLI session with Azure.
    az account set --subscription Targets the specific Azure subscription for resource creation.

  12. Create resource group.

    az group create \
  --name "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az group create Provisions a new Azure resource group container.
    --name "$RG" Specifies the resource group name.
    --location "$LOCATION" Sets the geographical region for the group.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "rg-func-node-ded-demo",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "properties": {
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
  }
}

  13. Create storage account.

    az storage account create \
  --name "$STORAGE_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION" \
  --sku "Standard_LRS" \
  --kind "StorageV2" \
  --allow-blob-public-access false
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az storage account create Provisions a new Azure Storage account.
    --name "$STORAGE_NAME" Sets the unique name for the storage account.
    --resource-group "$RG" Assigns the storage account to the specified resource group.
    --location "$LOCATION" Places the storage account in the chosen region.
    --sku "Standard_LRS" Selects locally-redundant storage for cost-efficiency.
    --kind "StorageV2" Uses the general-purpose v2 storage account type.
    --allow-blob-public-access false Disables public access to blobs for better security.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "stnddedi0410",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "kind": "StorageV2",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
}

  14. Create the App Service Plan (B1, Linux).

    Dedicated uses az appservice plan create

    Unlike Premium which uses az functionapp plan create, Dedicated plans use az appservice plan create. This is because Dedicated plans are standard App Service Plans, not elastic function-specific plans.

    az appservice plan create \
  --name "$PLAN_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --location "$LOCATION" \
  --sku "B1" \
  --is-linux
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az appservice plan create Provisions a standard Azure App Service Plan.
    --name "$PLAN_NAME" Sets the name for the App Service (Dedicated) plan.
    --resource-group "$RG" Links the plan to the target resource group.
    --location "$LOCATION" Places the plan in the chosen region.
    --sku "B1" Selects the Basic B1 pricing tier.
    --is-linux Configures the plan for Linux-based workers.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "plan-ndded-04100022",
  "location": "koreacentral",
  "sku": {
    "name": "B1",
    "tier": "Basic"
  },
  "kind": "linux",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
}

  15. Create the Function App on the Dedicated plan.

    az functionapp create \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --plan "$PLAN_NAME" \
  --storage-account "$STORAGE_NAME" \
  --runtime "node" \
  --runtime-version "20" \
  --functions-version "4" \
  --os-type "Linux"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp create Provisions the core Function App resource.
    --name "$APP_NAME" Sets the globally unique name for the Function App.
    --resource-group "$RG" Places the app in the specified resource group.
    --plan "$PLAN_NAME" Links the app to the Dedicated App Service Plan.
    --storage-account "$STORAGE_NAME" Connects the app to the specified storage account.
    --runtime "node" Selects the Node.js execution environment.
    --runtime-version "20" Pins the Node.js version to v20.
    --functions-version "4" Uses version 4 of the Azure Functions runtime host.
    --os-type "Linux" Deploys the app on a Linux infrastructure.

    Node.js 20 EOL approaching

    Azure CLI warns: Use node version 24 as 20 will reach end-of-life on 2026-04-30. Consider using --runtime-version 22 or later for new projects.

    Expected output (abridged):

    {
  "name": "func-ndded-04100022",
  "state": "Running",
  "kind": "functionapp,linux",
  "defaultHostName": "func-ndded-04100022.azurewebsites.net"
}

    Application Insights auto-created

    az functionapp create automatically creates an Application Insights resource with the same name as the function app (e.g., func-ndded-04100022), not $APP_NAME-ai. The APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING app setting is auto-configured.

    No content file share needed

    Unlike Premium and Consumption plans, Dedicated does not require WEBSITE_CONTENTAZUREFILECONNECTIONSTRING or WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE. Deployments use WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE=1 (set automatically) which stores the package in blob storage.

  16. Set required app settings for triggers.

    az functionapp config appsettings set \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --settings \
  "EventHubConnection__fullyQualifiedNamespace=placeholder.servicebus.windows.net" \
  "QueueStorage=$(az storage account show-connection-string --name $STORAGE_NAME --resource-group $RG --query connectionString --output tsv)"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp config appsettings set Updates the application settings for the Function App.
    --name "$APP_NAME" Targets the specific Function App.
    --resource-group "$RG" Specifies the resource group containing the app.
    --settings Defines the key-value pairs required by the function triggers.
    az storage account show-connection-string Retrieves the connection string for the storage account.

    EventHub placeholder required

    If your app includes an Event Hub trigger, the function host may fail to start without a valid EventHubConnection setting. Set a placeholder namespace to allow function indexing.

  17. Publish the app.

    cd apps/nodejs
func azure functionapp publish "$APP_NAME"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    cd apps/nodejs Moves the terminal into the source code directory.
    func azure functionapp publish Bundles, uploads, and deploys the app source code.
    "$APP_NAME" Specifies the target Function App for publication.

    Expected output (abridged):

    Getting site publishing info...
Uploading package...
Uploading 49.36 MB [##############################################################]
Upload completed successfully.
Deployment completed successfully.

  18. Validate deployment.

    az functionapp function list \
  --name "$APP_NAME" \
  --resource-group "$RG" \
  --output table
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    az functionapp function list Queries ARM to retrieve the list of indexed functions.
    --name "$APP_NAME" Targets the specific Function App.
    --resource-group "$RG" Specifies the resource group containing the app.
    --output table Formats the function list as a readable text table.

    Function indexing delay

    After the first publish, it may take 30–60 seconds for all functions to appear in the ARM API. If the list is empty, wait and retry.

    Expected output (abridged — showing key functions):

    Name                                          Language
--------------------------------------------  ----------
func-ndded-04100022/helloHttp                 node
func-ndded-04100022/health                    node
func-ndded-04100022/info                      node
func-ndded-04100022/queueProcessor            node
func-ndded-04100022/blobProcessor             node
func-ndded-04100022/scheduledCleanup          node

    Language field

    The Language column shows node, not Javascript. This is the actual value returned by the ARM API for Node.js v4 apps.

  19. Test the deployed endpoints.

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/health"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the health endpoint.
    "https://..." Specifies the URL of the deployed function endpoint.

    Expected output:

    {"status":"healthy","timestamp":"2026-04-09T16:05:04.222Z","version":"1.0.0"}

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/hello/Dedicated"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the hello endpoint.
    "https://..." Targets the specific hello API endpoint with a parameter.

    Expected output:

    {"message":"Hello, Dedicated"}

    curl --request GET "https://$APP_NAME.azurewebsites.net/api/info"
    Command/Parameter Purpose
    curl --request GET Sends an HTTP GET request to verify the info endpoint.
    "https://..." Targets the info API endpoint for environment details.

    Expected output:

    {
  "name": "azure-functions-nodejs-guide",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "node": "v20.20.0",
  "environment": "production",
  "functionApp": "func-ndded-04100022"
}

Verification

The output confirms that Azure indexed your function definitions and the app serves requests. Verify:

  • az functionapp function list shows functions with language node
  • curl to the health endpoint returns 200 OK with {"status":"healthy",...}
  • curl to /api/hello/Dedicated returns {"message":"Hello, Dedicated"}

See Also

Sources