Deleting a Function App Function Key succeeds, but yet it remains.

Question

In Azure Function Apps, I have created a test Function Key that I want to delete. When I delete it using the Azure portal, the response is that the key has been deleted, but it remains in the list after refreshing. How can I delete this key?

Answer 1

Hello Michael,

When you delete an access key (whether function-scoped or host-level) within the Azure Portal and receive a success notification, yet the key continues to be visible in the list, the issue may be typically driven by local browser caching or transient synchronization latency between the Azure Portal UI client and the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) backend provider.

As stated in the official Microsoft documentation regarding Work with access keys in Azure Functions:

"Keys are stored as part of your function app in Azure and are encrypted at rest. By default, keys are stored in a Blob storage container in the account provided by the AzureWebJobsStorage setting."

Because the portal client sometimes caches secret listings aggressively to reduce API call overhead, you can enforce deletion and verify backend states using the alternative methods below:

Method 1: Client-Side Cache Eviction

Before running alternative tools, rule out a pure browser UI glitch:

1. Perform a hard refresh in your browser using Ctrl + F5 (or Cmd + Shift + R on macOS).
2. Alternatively, open a new Incognito / Private Browsing window, log into the Azure Portal, and check the blade again.

Method 2: Delete Directly via the Azure CLI

Bypass the portal interface completely by executing a direct management plane instruction.

• For a Function-Scoped Key (Specific to one function):

    az functionapp function keys delete \
      --resource-group <YourResourceGroupName> \
      --name <YourFunctionAppName> \
      --function-name <YourFunctionName> \
      --key-name <YourKeyName>
  

• For a Host-Level Key (App Key applied app-wide):

    az functionapp keys delete \
      --resource-group <YourResourceGroupName> \
      --name <YourFunctionAppName> \
      --key-type functionKeys \
      --key-name <YourKeyName>
  

Method 3: Verify the Secret in Underlying Blob Storage

If the key continues to persist or authorize incoming traffic, verify the actual state in your storage account:

1. Navigate to the Azure Storage Account defined under your Function App's AzureWebJobsStorage application setting.
2. Under Data storage, select Containers and open the azure-webjobs-secrets container.
3. Locate the JSON configuration file representing your function app or target function to check if the entry has been fully purged from the underlying storage array.

If above steps does not help, please do let me know in Private messages.

References:

• Microsoft Learn: az functionapp function keys delete
• Microsoft Learn: az functionapp keys delete

Note: This response is drafted with the help of AI systems.