Azure Functions using Powershell - How to pre-load powershell modules to be used during execution.

Question

Hello Geeks,

Here's the scenario - I'm executing Azure functions (PowerShell code) using time trigger running on Consumption App service plan. I would like to execute this function every minute. The functions basically uses bunch of Azure powershell commands to carry out the work needed. I have described the dependent Azure modules in requirements.psd1 file and have also added Import-Module statements for each of the modules in profile.ps1 file.

Expectation - After/During the initial cold start, the modules are loaded so that the subsequent function executions every minute need not load the modules and instead use the already loaded modules.

Actual - I see in app insights that for every function execution, the modules are loaded all over again leading to higher execution times. The actual script would take < 10 sec to execute however with modules being loaded the overall execution time reaches to nearly a minute.

How to ensure that the modules are always pre-loaded so that the function executions take relatively less time to execute? Thanks!

Answer 1

Why not just start the script once? Put your code inside a "while" loop and, as the last statement, wait 60 seconds before continuing? You can do any cleanup of data at the top (or bottom) of the code within the loop.

Answer 2

Not that I know of. Modules have data that is persistent. Reusing the data would mean that it's possible to leak information that should remain private, and it also has a more general problem that the data are not thread-safe. E.g., you run PS session #1 that loads the module. Then PS session #2 and #3 start and run concurrently. The data left over from #1 is available to #2 and #3, and the data from #2 and #3 are subject to being overwritten by each other.