JNI with Java Azure Function

Question

I have a bunch of C/C++ code which i want to expose as an azure function, i can see that its possible to create a custom handler and implement an http server which could receive the request, however this is a whole bunch of work i dont really need right now.

It occurred to me could I write a function "stub" in java and then call into to my native code using JNI from Java (i.e. native methods), i cant find anything on this and wondered if it was possible or supported.

cheers

Answer 1

@JES

Yes, it is possible to call native code from Java using JNI (Java Native Interface). You can write a Java function that acts as a stub and then call into your native code using JNI. However, you need to make sure that the native code is compatible with the Azure Functions runtime environment.

 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/functions-reference-java?tabs=bash%2Cconsumption

Here is an example of how you can write a Java function that acts as a stub and calls into your native code using JNI:

public class NativeFunction {
  public static native int nativeMethod(int x, int y);

  static {
    System.loadLibrary("NativeFunction");
  }

  public static int callNativeMethod(int x, int y) {
    return nativeMethod(x, y);
  }
}

You can then compile the Java code and generate a shared library from your native code. The shared library can be loaded by the Java code using the System.loadLibrary method.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.