Microsoft's new tools allow developers to integrate Azure Functions into development flows

Azure Functions is Microsoft’s serverless computing offering and developers can use it for processing data, integrating systems, working with the internet-of-things (IoT), and building simple APIs and microservices. What makes it unique when compared to Amazon’s Lambda is that it comes with rich tooling support with Visual Studio, seamless workflow and systems integrations, and built-in DevOps with Visual Studio Team Services, GitHub, and Bitbucket.

At Microsoft Build today, Microsoft announced the new Azure Functions Visual Studio tooling preview. It is a Visual Studio 2017 extension that creates an integrated developer experience. Developers can use this extension integrate Azure Functions development seamlessly into development flows: leveraging 3rd party extensions, testing frameworks, and continuous integration systems.

• Azure Application Insights support for Azure Functions preview provides better intelligence about Azure Functions code, allowing teams to measure performance, detect issues, and diagnose the source of the problem with serverless apps.
• Azure Functions Runtime preview extends the innovations in Azure Functions to on-premises or anywhere outside of the Azure cloud. Developers can leverage the serverless programming model and bindings on-premises while future-proofing their code assets.

Learn more about Azure Functions here.