Factors To Consider Choosing Between WebJobs And Azure Functions

The following are list of important factors that need to be considered before choosing between WebJobs and Azure Functions.

Consider Workload Type

1. WebJobs

• Suitable for longer running and resource intensive processes that require a dedicated environment.
• These provide full control over the execution environment, allowing for greater flexibility.

2. Azure Functions

• Useful for lighter and short lived tasks, making full use of serverless scenarios.
• Perfect for event-driven architectures, minimal initial setup required.

Trigger Mechanisms

1. WebJobs

• Trigger types supported include continuous, on-demand, and scheduled.
• Changes in storage, queues, or specific HTTP requests can be used as triggers.

2. Azure Functions

• Offers a wider range of event triggers, including HTTP, timers, queues.
• Events from other Azure services can also be used as triggers.

Development and Deployment

1. WebJobs

• Deployed as part of an Azure App Service.
• It runs in a predefined environment.
• Provides support for wider languages.

2. Azure Functions

• Designed for serverless deployment.
• Supports popular languages, allowing for rapid development and simplified deployment.

Cost Considerations

1. WebJobs

• Costs depend on hosting plan of the associated App Service, hence may vary.
• As this is used for resource intensive and longer running tasks, may lead to higher costs.

2. Azure Functions

• Follows a pay per use or consumption-based pricing model.
• As only actual execution time is used for calculating price, it is generally cheaper.

Example Projects

Let’s consider an example scenario where we need to process images that have been uploaded to Azure Storage.

WebJobs: A WebJob can continuously monitor the storage for new images and process them as they arrive.

Azure Functions: An Azure Function triggered by a new image upload event can process the image immediately and scale automatically based on demand.

As cloud computing is getting popular, demand for serverless computing is on a steep rise. Microsoft Azure provides WebJobs and Azure Functions, which enable running a program without needing to set up a cloud server first. This helps handle background tasks and scheduled automations. In this article, we will start with a basic introduction of each service, followed by a case. Finally, helping you choose between WebJobs and Azure Functions based on your project requirements.

Before diving into comparison, let’s first understand what WebJobs and Azure Functions are.