Final answer:
An Azure function is a serverless computing service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows developers to run code without managing the underlying infrastructure. It is commonly used in cloud applications and microservices architectures, providing a scalable and efficient way to execute small pieces of code.
Step-by-step explanation:
An Azure function is a serverless computing service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows developers to run code without managing the underlying infrastructure. It is commonly used in cloud applications and microservices architectures, providing a scalable and efficient way to execute small pieces of code. Azure functions can be triggered by various events, such as HTTP requests, timers, and messages from Azure Service Bus or Azure Storage, and can be written in various programming languages like C#, JavaScript, and Python.
As an example, let's say you have a web application that needs to process uploaded images. Instead of setting up and managing a dedicated server to handle this task, you can use an Azure function. You can configure the Azure function to trigger whenever an image is uploaded to a designated storage container. The function can then process the image, perform any necessary transformations or analysis, and store the results back in Azure Storage or take further actions.