Assess your understanding of serverless computing with this Azure Functions quiz, covering triggers, scalability, binding types, and deployment strategies. This resource helps you review essential concepts and best practices for building and managing serverless solutions in cloud environments.
Which trigger type would you use to execute a function when a new message is posted to a queue?
Explanation: A queue trigger initiates a function as soon as a new message appears in a storage queue, making it suitable for processing queued events. HTTP trigger is intended for responding to web requests rather than queued messages. Timer trigger runs on scheduled intervals but does not react to queue events. Blob trigger runs when files are added or changed in a storage container, not a queue. Only the queue trigger directly responds to queued messages.
In a serverless model, how does an Azure Function handle a sudden increase in workload, such as receiving thousands of requests in a few seconds?
Explanation: Serverless architectures are designed to automatically scale out by adding more function instances in response to increased demand. This ensures high availability and responsiveness. Queuing excess requests for manual processing is inefficient and not typical for serverless. Rejecting requests above a threshold would harm reliability, while running requests sequentially on a single instance would cause significant bottlenecks. Automatic scaling is the key principle for handling load spikes.
When designing a function to read from a database and write the result to a storage queue, which Azure Functions feature simplifies binding these resources?
Explanation: Input and output bindings allow functions to interact with various data sources like databases and queues without writing custom integration code. API connectors are not part of the Azure Functions feature set and typically refer to other service integrations. Resource groups are organizational tools for resources and not involved in direct binding. Managed identities handle authentication, not resource binding. Only input and output bindings directly address this scenario.
Which deployment method is recommended for packaging and deploying multiple Azure Functions as part of a coordinated application release?
Explanation: Function app deployment allows you to group multiple related functions together and manage them as a unit, making coordinated deployment straightforward and efficient. Single file upload is not suitable for multiple functions, and may not capture dependencies. Container image deployment is an option, but is typically used for advanced scenarios requiring custom runtimes or dependencies. Inline scripting is for quick prototyping and not recommended for production-scale application releases.
For implementing a workflow where several steps must occur in order and maintain state between them, which Azure Functions feature is specifically designed for this purpose?
Explanation: Durable functions are designed to manage workflows that require state persistence and sequential execution of multiple steps, making them ideal for orchestrating complex processes. Concurrent functions is not a feature; concurrency control is managed by the runtime. Fast triggers is not a recognized term and does not relate to workflow management. Temporary queues pertain to message handling, not orchestrating multi-step workflows. Durable functions are the specialized feature for stateful orchestration.