Unlocking Azure Function App Insights: How to Retrieve Usage Metrics

As an Azure Function app developer or administrator, you want to ensure your serverless function is running efficiently and effectively. One crucial aspect of achieving this is monitoring usage metrics to understand how your app is performing. But, have you ever wondered, “How can I retrieve how much an Azure Function app is being used?”

In this article, we’ll delve into the world of Azure Monitor and Azure Functions to provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to retrieve usage metrics for your Azure Function app. Buckle up, and let’s dive in!

Why Monitor Azure Function App Usage?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s discuss why monitoring Azure Function app usage is essential:

• Optimize Performance**: By tracking usage metrics, you can identify bottlenecks and optimize your function’s performance, reducing latency and improving overall efficiency.
• Cost Control**: Monitoring usage helps you predict and manage costs, ensuring you’re not overspending on resources.
• Scalability**: Understanding usage patterns helps you scale your function to meet demand, ensuring your app remains responsive and reliable.
• Security and Compliance**: Monitoring usage can help detect potential security threats and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Azure Monitor: The Gateway to Function App Insights

Azure Monitor is a comprehensive monitoring and analytics platform that provides insights into your Azure resources, including Azure Function apps. To access Azure Monitor, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com)
2. Navigate to the Azure Monitor dashboard (https://portal.azure.com/#blade/HubsExtension/BrowseResourceBlade/resourceType/Microsoft.Azure%2FAzureMonitor%2FMonitorMenu)
3. Select the subscription and resource group associated with your Azure Function app

Retrieving Azure Function App Usage Metrics

Now that you’re in Azure Monitor, let’s explore the various ways to retrieve usage metrics for your Azure Function app:

1. Function App Overview

The Function App Overview page provides a high-level view of your app’s performance and usage. To access this page:

1. In the Azure Monitor dashboard, click on the “Function apps” tab
2. Select the desired Azure Function app from the list
3. Click on the “Overview” tab

The Overview page displays essential metrics, including:

• Executions count
• Execution duration (average)
• Memory usage (average)
• Timeouts count
• Errors count

2. Metrics Explorer

The Metrics Explorer is a powerful tool for drilling down into specific metrics and creating custom dashboards. To access the Metrics Explorer:

1. In the Azure Monitor dashboard, click on the “Metrics” tab
2. Select the desired Azure Function app from the list
3. Click on the “Metrics Explorer” tab

In the Metrics Explorer, you can:

• Select from a range of pre-defined metrics, such as “Executions”, “MemoryUsage”, or “Duration”
• Create custom metrics using the “New metric” button
• Apply filters to narrow down the scope of your metrics (e.g., by function, region, or time range)
• Visualize your metrics using various chart types (e.g., line chart, bar chart, or table)

3. Log Analytics

Log Analytics is a powerful log analysis and query tool that provides detailed insights into your Azure Function app’s logs. To access Log Analytics:

1. In the Azure Monitor dashboard, click on the “Logs” tab
2. Select the desired Azure Function app from the list
3. Click on the “Log Analytics” tab

In Log Analytics, you can:

• Write custom queries using Kusto Query Language (KQL) to extract specific log data
• Use pre-built queries and templates to get started
• Visualize your log data using various chart types and tables

Querying Azure Function App Usage Metrics Using Azure CLI

Alternatively, you can use the Azure CLI to query Azure Function app usage metrics from the command line. Here’s an example command:

az monitor metrics list --resource /subscriptions//resourceGroups//providers/Microsoft.Web/sites/ --metric-name Executions --aggregation Total --start-time 2023-03-01 --end-time 2023-03-31

Replace the placeholders with your actual Azure subscription ID, resource group, and function app name. This command retrieves the total execution count for the specified function app between March 1st, 2023, and March 31st, 2023.

Retrieving Azure Function App Usage Metrics Programmatically

If you need to integrate Azure Function app usage metrics into your application or automate reporting, you can use the Azure Monitor REST API or Azure SDKs. Here’s an example using the Azure SDK for Python:

from azure.monitor import MonitorClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
client = MonitorClient(credential)

subscription_id = ""
resource_group = ""
function_app_name = ""

metrics = client.metrics.list(
    resource_id=f"/subscriptions/{subscription_id}/resourceGroups/{resource_group}/providers/Microsoft.Web/sites/{function_app_name}",
    metricnames="Executions",
    timespan="PT1H"
)

for metric in metrics.value:
    print(metric.name.value, metric.timeseries[0].data[0].value)

Replace the placeholders with your actual Azure subscription ID, resource group, and function app name. This code snippet retrieves the execution count for the specified function app over a 1-hour timespan.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explored the various ways to retrieve usage metrics for your Azure Function app, including Azure Monitor, Metrics Explorer, Log Analytics, Azure CLI, and programmatic access using Azure SDKs.

By monitoring and analyzing these metrics, you’ll gain valuable insights into your Azure Function app’s performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. This knowledge will enable you to optimize your function app for better performance, reduce costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

So, the next time you ask yourself, “How can I retrieve how much an Azure Function app is being used?”, you’ll know exactly where to look!

Metric	Description
Executions	The number of times the function app has been executed
Execution Duration (average)	The average time it takes for the function app to execute
Memory Usage (average)	The average amount of memory used by the function app
Timeouts Count	The number of times the function app has timed out
Errors Count	The number of errors encountered by the function app

Frequently Asked Question

Get ready to uncover the secrets of Azure Function app usage!