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01 - Run Locally (Premium)

Run the Function App locally with Azure Functions Core Tools using Premium-plan assumptions so local behavior stays close to Elastic Premium production.

Prerequisites

Tool Minimum version Purpose
Python 3.11 Runtime for local execution
Azure Functions Core Tools 4.x Local Azure Functions host
Azure CLI 2.60+ Subscription and resource commands
Azurite Latest Local Storage emulator for AzureWebJobsStorage

Premium track variables used in every tutorial:

export RG="rg-func-premium-demo"
export APP_NAME="func-premium-demo"
export PLAN_NAME="plan-premium-demo"
export STORAGE_NAME="stpremdemo123"
export LOCATION="koreacentral"

What You'll Build

  • A local Python Functions runtime started from apps/python/.
  • A local configuration file at apps/python/local.settings.json using Azurite host storage.
  • A quick validation flow for /api/health and /api/info before Premium deployment.

Infrastructure Context

Plan: Premium (EP1) — Network: VNet integration + Private Endpoints

This tutorial runs locally — no Azure resources are created.

flowchart LR
    DEV[Local Machine] --> HOST[Functions Host :7071]
    HOST --> AZURITE[Azurite Local Storage]
flowchart LR
    A[Python venv + dependencies] --> B[Local settings]
    B --> C[Azurite host storage]
    C --> D[func host start]
    D --> E[health and info endpoint checks]

Steps

  1. Create and activate a virtual environment, then install dependencies.

    python3 --version
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
python3 -m pip install --requirement apps/python/requirements.txt

  2. Copy local settings and set required values.

    cp apps/python/local.settings.json.example apps/python/local.settings.json

    Use this baseline in apps/python/local.settings.json:

    {
  "IsEncrypted": false,
  "Values": {
    "FUNCTIONS_WORKER_RUNTIME": "python",
    "AzureWebJobsStorage": "UseDevelopmentStorage=true",
    "AZURE_FUNCTIONS_ENVIRONMENT": "Development"
  }
}

  3. Start Azurite for local host storage.

    azurite --silent --location "/tmp/azurite" --debug "/tmp/azurite/debug.log"

  4. Start the Functions host from the app directory.

    cd apps/python
func host start

  5. Call sample endpoints from a second terminal.

    curl --request GET "http://localhost:7071/api/health"
curl --request GET "http://localhost:7071/api/info"

  6. Validate Premium-specific operating assumptions before deployment.

    • Python Functions on Premium run on Linux in this tutorial track.
    • Plan SKUs are EP1, EP2, and EP3 in tier ElasticPremium.
    • Pre-warmed instances reduce cold start, and Premium does not scale to zero (minimum 1 instance always running).
    • Scaling is plan-level, not per-function; max scale is 100 instances.
    • Default execution timeout is 30 minutes; max timeout is unlimited.
    • Memory per instance: EP1 = 3.5 GB, EP2 = 7 GB, EP3 = 14 GB.

Verification

Python 3.11.x
Successfully installed ...
Azurite Blob service is starting at http://127.0.0.1:10000
Azure Functions Core Tools
Core Tools Version:       4.x.x
Function Runtime Version: 4.x.x.x

Functions:
        health: [GET] http://localhost:7071/api/health
        info: [GET] http://localhost:7071/api/info

{"status":"healthy","timestamp":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","version":"1.0.0"}

Next Steps

Next: 02 - First Deploy

See Also

Sources