Continuous delivery by using GitHub Actions

Article
04/17/2024

You can use a GitHub Actions workflow to define a workflow to automatically build and deploy code to your function app in Azure Functions.

A YAML file (.yml) that defines the workflow configuration is maintained in the /.github/workflows/ path in your repository. This definition contains the actions and parameters that make up the workflow, which is specific to the development language of your functions. A GitHub Actions workflow for Functions performs the following tasks, regardless of language:

Set up the environment.
Build the code project.
Deploy the package to a function app in Azure.

The Azure Functions action handles the deployment to an existing function app in Azure.

You can create a workflow configuration file for your deployment manually. You can also generate the file from a set of language-specific templates in one of these ways:

In the Azure portal
Using the Azure CLI
From your GitHub repository

If you don't want to create your YAML file by hand, select a different method at the top of the article.

Prerequisites

An Azure account with an active subscription. Create an account.
A GitHub account. If you don't have one, sign up for free.
A working function app hosted on Azure with source code in a GitHub repository.

Azure CLI, when developing locally.

Generate deployment credentials

Since GitHub Actions uses your publish profile to access your function app during deployment, you first need to get your publish profile and store it securely as a GitHub secret.

Important

The publish profile is a valuable credential that allows access to Azure resources. Make sure you always transport and store it securely. In GitHub, the publish profile must only be stored in GitHub secrets.

Download your publish profile

To download the publishing profile of your function app:

Select the function app's Overview page, and then select Get publish profile.
Save and copy the contents of the file.

Add the GitHub secret

In GitHub, go to your repository.
Go to Settings.
Select Secrets and variables > Actions.
Select New repository secret.
Add a new secret with the name AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE and the value set to the contents of the publishing profile file.
Select Add secret.

GitHub can now authenticate to your function app in Azure.

Create the workflow from a template

The best way to manually create a workflow configuration is to start from the officially supported template.

Create the workflow configuration in the portal

When you use the portal to enable GitHub Actions, Functions creates a workflow file based on your application stack and commits it to your GitHub repository in the correct directory.

The portal automatically gets your publish profile and adds it to the GitHub secrets for your repository.

During function app create

You can get started quickly with GitHub Actions through the Deployment tab when you create a function in Azure portal. To add a GitHub Actions workflow when you create a new function app:

In the Azure portal, select Deployment in the Create Function App flow.
Enable Continuous Deployment if you want each code update to trigger a code push to Azure portal.
Enter your GitHub organization, repository, and branch.
Complete configuring your function app. Your GitHub repository now includes a new workflow file in /.github/workflows/.

For an existing function app

You can also add GitHub Actions to an existing function app. To add a GitHub Actions workflow to an existing function app:

Navigate to your function app in the Azure portal.
Select Deployment Center.
Under Continuous Deployment (CI / CD), select GitHub. You see a default message, Building with GitHub Actions.
Enter your GitHub organization, repository, and branch.
Select Preview file to see the workflow file that will be added to your GitHub repository in github/workflows/.
Select Save to add the workflow file to your repository.

Add workflow configuration to your repository

You can use the az functionapp deployment github-actions add command to generate a workflow configuration file from the correct template for your function app. The new YAML file is then stored in the correct location (/.github/workflows/) in the GitHub repository you provide, while the publish profile file for your app is added to GitHub secrets in the same repository.

Run this az functionapp command, replacing the values githubUser/githubRepo, MyResourceGroup, and MyFunctionapp:
```
az functionapp deployment github-actions add --repo "githubUser/githubRepo" -g MyResourceGroup -n MyFunctionapp --login-with-github
```
This command uses an interactive method to retrieve a personal access token for your GitHub account.

In your terminal window, you should see something like the following message:

Please navigate to https://github.com/login/device and enter the user code XXXX-XXXX to activate and retrieve your GitHub personal access token.

Copy the unique XXXX-XXXX code, browse to https://github.com/login/device, and enter the code you copied. After entering your code, you should see something like the following message:

Verified GitHub repo and branch
Getting workflow template using runtime: java
Filling workflow template with name: func-app-123, branch: main, version: 8, slot: production, build_path: .
Adding publish profile to GitHub
Fetching publish profile with secrets for the app 'func-app-123'
Creating new workflow file: .github/workflows/master_func-app-123.yml

Go to your GitHub repository and select Actions. Verify that your workflow ran.

Create the workflow configuration file

You can create the GitHub Actions workflow configuration file from the Azure Functions templates directly from your GitHub repository.

In GitHub, go to your repository.
Select Actions and New workflow.
Search for functions.
In the displayed functions app workflows authored by Azure, find the one that matches your code language and select Configure.
In the newly created YAML file, update the env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME parameter with the name of your function app resource in Azure. You may optionally need to update the parameter that sets the language version used by your app, such as DOTNET_VERSION for C#.
Verify that the new workflow file is being saved in /.github/workflows/ and select Commit changes....

Update a workflow configuration

If for some reason, you need to update or change an existing workflow configuration, just navigate to the /.github/workflows/ location in your repository, open the specific YAML file, make any needed changes, and then commit the updates to the repository.

Example: workflow configuration file

The following template example uses version 1 of the functions-action and a publish profile for authentication. The template depends on your chosen language and the operating system on which your function app is deployed:

Windows
Linux

If your function app runs on Linux, select Linux.

name: Deploy DotNet project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root
  DOTNET_VERSION: '6.0.x'                   # set this to the dotnet version to use (e.g. '2.1.x', '3.1.x', '5.0.x')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup DotNet ${{ env.DOTNET_VERSION }} Environment
      uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v3
      with:
        dotnet-version: ${{ env.DOTNET_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Resolve Project Dependencies Using Dotnet'
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
        dotnet build --configuration Release --output ./output
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: '${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}/output'
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

name: Deploy DotNet project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root
  DOTNET_VERSION: '6.0.x'                   # set this to the dotnet version to use (e.g. '2.1.x', '3.1.x', '5.0.x')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup DotNet ${{ env.DOTNET_VERSION }} Environment
      uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v3
      with:
        dotnet-version: ${{ env.DOTNET_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Resolve Project Dependencies Using Dotnet'
      shell: bash
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
        dotnet build --configuration Release --output ./output
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: '${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}/output'
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

name: Deploy Java project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  POM_XML_DIRECTORY: '.'                    # set this to the directory which contains pom.xml file
  JAVA_VERSION: '8'                         # set this to the java version to use (e.g. '8', '11', '17')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Java Sdk ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
      uses: actions/setup-java@v1
      with:
        java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Restore Project Dependencies Using Mvn'
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}'
        mvn clean package
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: '${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}' # if there are multiple function apps in same project, then this path will be like './${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}/target/azure-functions/${{ env.POM_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }'
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}
        respect-pom-xml: true

name: Deploy Java project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  POM_XML_DIRECTORY: '.'                    # set this to the directory which contains pom.xml file
  JAVA_VERSION: '8'                         # set this to the java version to use (e.g. '8', '11', '17')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Java Sdk ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
      uses: actions/setup-java@v1
      with:
        java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Restore Project Dependencies Using Mvn'
      shell: bash
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}'
        mvn clean package
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: '${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}' # if there are multiple function apps in same project, then this path will be like './${{ env.POM_XML_DIRECTORY }}/target/azure-functions/${{ env.POM_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }'
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}
        respect-pom-xml: true

name: Deploy Node.js project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root
  NODE_VERSION: '16.x'                      # set this to the node version to use (e.g. '8.x', '10.x', '12.x')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Node ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }} Environment
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Resolve Project Dependencies Using Npm'
      shell: pwsh
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
        npm install
        npm run build --if-present
        npm run test --if-present
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

name: Deploy Node.js project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root
  NODE_VERSION: '16.x'                      # set this to the node version to use (e.g. '8.x', '10.x', '12.x')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Node ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }} Environment
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Resolve Project Dependencies Using Npm'
      shell: bash
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
        npm install
        npm run build --if-present
        npm run test --if-present
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

name: Deploy Python project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root
  PYTHON_VERSION: '3.9'                     # set this to the python version to use (e.g. '3.6', '3.7', '3.8')

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} Environment
      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
      with:
        python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}

    - name: 'Resolve Project Dependencies Using Pip'
      shell: bash
      run: |
        pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
        pip install -r requirements.txt --target=".python_packages/lib/site-packages"
        popd

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}
        scm-do-build-during-deployment: true
        enable-oryx-build: true

name: Deploy PowerShell project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

name: Deploy PowerShell project to Azure Function App

on:
  [push]

env:
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME: 'your-app-name'   # set this to your function app name on Azure
  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: '.'       # set this to the path to your function app project, defaults to the repository root

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: dev
    steps:
    - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: 'Run Azure Functions Action'
      uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
      id: fa
      with:
        app-name: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_NAME }}
        package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}
        publish-profile: ${{ secrets.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PUBLISH_PROFILE }}

Azure Functions action

The Azure Functions action (Azure/azure-functions) defines how your code is published to an existing function app in Azure, or to a specific slot in your app.

Parameters

The following parameters are most commonly used with this action:

Parameter	Explanation
app-name	(Mandatory) The name of your function app.
slot-name	(Optional) The name of a specific deployment slot you want to deploy to. The slot must already exist in your function app. When not specified, the code is deployed to the active slot.
publish-profile	(Optional) The name of the GitHub secret that contains your publish profile.

The following parameters are also supported, but are used only in specific cases:

Parameter	Explanation
package	(Optional) Sets a subpath in your repository from which to publish. By default, this value is set to `.`, which means all files and folders in the GitHub repository are deployed.
respect-pom-xml	(Optional) Used only for Java functions. Whether it's required for your app's deployment artifact to be derived from the pom.xml file. When deploying Java function apps, you should set this parameter to `true` and set `package` to `.`. By default, this parameter is set to `false`, which means that the `package` parameter must point to your app's artifact location, such as `./target/azure-functions/`
respect-funcignore	(Optional) Whether GitHub Actions honors your .funcignore file to exclude files and folders defined in it. Set this value to `true` when your repository has a .funcignore file and you want to use it exclude paths and files, such as text editor configurations, .vscode/, or a Python virtual environment (.venv/). The default setting is `false`.
scm-do-build-during-deployment	(Optional) Whether the App Service deployment site (Kudu) performs predeployment operations. The deployment site for your function app can be found at `https://<APP_NAME>.scm.chinacloudsites.cn/`. Change this setting to `true` when you need to control the deployments in Kudu rather than resolving the dependencies in the GitHub Actions workflow. The default value is `false`. For more information, see the SCM_DO_BUILD_DURING_DEPLOYMENT setting.
enable-oryx-build	(Optional) Whether the Kudu deployment site resolves your project dependencies by using Oryx. Set to `true` when you want to use Oryx to resolve your project dependencies by using a remote build instead of the GitHub Actions workflow. When `true`, you should also set `scm-do-build-during-deployment` to `true`. The default value is `false`.

Considerations

Keep the following considerations in mind when using the Azure Functions action:

When using GitHub Actions, the code is deployed to your function app using Zip deployment for Azure Functions.
The credentials required by GitHub to connection to Azure for deployment are stored as Secrets in your GitHub repository and accessed in the deployment as secrets.<SECRET_NAME>.
The easiest way for GitHub Actions to authenticate with Azure Functions for deployment is by using a publish profile. You can also authenticate using a service principal. To learn more, see this GitHub Actions repository.
The actions for setting up the environment and running a build are generated from the templates, and are language specific.
The templates use env elements to define settings unique to your build and deployment.

Next steps

Learn more about Azure and GitHub integration