Fix Azure Function Node.js GitHub Actions Windows workflow

When deploying Node.js-based Azure Functions using GitHub Actions, you might face an issue with the Windows workflow. In the latest template, there is an issue in the build step where the actions/upload-artifact action fails to upload the artifact due to too many files. The problem is caused by the node_modules folder, which contains many files (even for a starter Azure Function project).

Another issue I spotted is that if the build step is successful, the deployment job will deploy all the dependencies (including the development dependencies) to the Azure Function App. Deploying the development dependencies is not recommended as it increases the deployment size and should not be required to run your functions.

Fix the build artifact issue

To fix the issue, you must exclude the node_modules folder from the artifact upload and install an npm during the deployment. You can do this using the ignore pattern in the actions/upload-artifact action.

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- name: Upload artifact for deployment job
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  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
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  with:
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    name: node-app
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    path: |
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      .
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      !./src # Exclude the source code (optional)
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      !./node_modules # Exclude the node_modules folder

Fix the deployment dependencies issue

To fix the deployment dependencies issue, you must install only the production dependencies during the deployment. You can use the --omit=dev flag in the npm install command. Add the following step to the deployment job after the actions/download-artifact action to install the production dependencies.

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- name: "Install production dependencies"
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  shell: pwsh
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  run: |
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    pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
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    npm i --omit=dev
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    popd

The complete updated workflow

Here is the complete updated workflow with the above fixes.

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name: Build and deploy Node.js project to Azure Function App
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on:
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  push:
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    branches:
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      - main
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  workflow_dispatch:
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env:
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  AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH: "."
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  NODE_VERSION: "20.x"
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jobs:
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  build:
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    runs-on: windows-latest
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    steps:
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      - name: "Checkout GitHub Action"
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        uses: actions/checkout@v4
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      - name: Setup Node ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }} Environment
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        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
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        with:
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          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
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      - name: "Resolve Project Dependencies Using Npm"
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        shell: pwsh
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        run: |
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          pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
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          npm install
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          npm run build --if-present
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          npm run test --if-present
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          popd
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      - name: Upload artifact for deployment job
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        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
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        with:
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          name: node-app
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          path: |
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            .
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            !./src # Exclude the source code (optional)
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            !./node_modules # Exclude the node_modules folder
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  deploy:
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    runs-on: windows-latest
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    needs: build
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    environment:
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      name: "Production"
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      url: ${{ steps.deploy-to-webapp.outputs.webapp-url }}
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    permissions:
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      id-token: write #This is required for requesting the JWT
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    steps:
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      - name: Download artifact from build job
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        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
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        with:
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          name: node-app
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      - name: "Resolve Project Dependencies Using Npm"
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        shell: pwsh
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        run: |
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          pushd './${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}'
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          npm i --omit=dev
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          popd
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      - name: Login to Azure
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        uses: azure/login@v2
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        with:
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          client-id: ${{ secrets.<client-id> }}
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          tenant-id: ${{ secrets.<tenant-id> }}
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          subscription-id: ${{ secrets.<subscription-id> }}
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      - name: "Run Azure Functions Action"
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        uses: Azure/functions-action@v1
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        id: fa
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        with:
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          app-name: "to-delete-function"
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          slot-name: "Production"
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          package: ${{ env.AZURE_FUNCTIONAPP_PACKAGE_PATH }}

Fix Azure Function Node.js GitHub Actions Windows workflow

Fix the build artifact issue

Fix the deployment dependencies issue

The complete updated workflow

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Elio Struyf