Tutorial: Microservices communication using Dapr Service Invocation

In this tutorial, you'll:

• Create and run locally two microservices that communicate securely using auto-mTLS and reliably using built-in retries via Dapr's Service Invocation API.
• Deploy the application to Azure Container Apps via the Azure Developer CLI with the provided Bicep.

The sample service invocation project includes:

1. A checkout service that uses Dapr's HTTP proxying capability on a loop to invoke a request on the order-processor service.
2. A order-processor service that receives the request from the checkout service.

Prerequisites

• Install Azure Developer CLI
• Install and init Dapr
• Docker Desktop
• Install Git

Run the Node.js applications locally

Before deploying the application to Azure Container Apps, start by running the order-processor and checkout services locally with Dapr.

Prepare the project

1. Clone the sample Dapr application to your local machine.

   git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/svc-invoke-dapr-nodejs.git
   

2. Navigate into the sample's root directory.

   cd svc-invoke-dapr-nodejs
   

Run the Dapr applications using the Dapr CLI

Start by running the order-processor service.

1. From the sample's root directory, change directories to order-processor.

   cd order-processor
   

2. Install the dependencies.

   npm install
   

3. Run the order-processor service with Dapr.

   dapr run --app-port 5001 --app-id order-processor --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3501 -- npm start
   

4. In a new terminal window, from the sample's root directory, navigate to the checkout caller service.

   cd checkout
   

5. Install the dependencies.

   npm install
   

6. Run the checkout service with Dapr.

   dapr run  --app-id checkout --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3500 -- npm start
   

   Expected output

   In both terminals, the checkout service is calling orders to the order-processor service in a loop.

   checkout output:

   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":1}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":2}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":3}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":4}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":5}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":6}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":7}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":8}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":9}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":10}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":11}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":12}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":13}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":14}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":15}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":16}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":17}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":18}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":19}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":20}
   

   order-processor output:

   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 1 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 2 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 3 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 4 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 5 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 6 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 7 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 8 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 9 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 10 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 11 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 12 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 13 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 14 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 15 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 16 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 17 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 18 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 19 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 20 }
   

7. Press Cmd/Ctrl + C in both terminals to exit out of the service-to-service invocation.

Deploy the Dapr application template using Azure Developer CLI

Deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps using azd.

Prepare the project

In a new terminal window, navigate into the sample's root directory.

cd svc-invoke-dapr-nodejs

Provision and deploy using Azure Developer CLI

1. Run azd init to initialize the project.

   azd init
   

2. When prompted in the terminal, provide the following parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Environment Name	Prefix for the resource group created to hold all Azure resources.
   Azure Location	The Azure location for your resources.
   Azure Subscription	The Azure subscription for your resources.

3. Run azd up to provision the infrastructure and deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps in a single command.

   azd up
   

   This process may take some time to complete. As the azd up command completes, the CLI output displays two Azure portal links to monitor the deployment progress. The output also demonstrates how azd up:

   • Creates and configures all necessary Azure resources via the provided Bicep files in the ./infra directory using azd provision. Once provisioned by Azure Developer CLI, you can access these resources via the Azure portal. The files that provision the Azure resources include:
     • main.parameters.json
     • main.bicep
     • An app resources directory organized by functionality
     • A core reference library that contains the Bicep modules used by the azd template
   • Deploys the code using azd deploy

   Expected output

   Initializing a new project (azd init)
   
   Provisioning Azure resources (azd provision)
   Provisioning Azure resources can take some time
   
     You can view detailed progress in the Azure Portal:
     https://portal.azure.com
   
     (✓) Done: Resource group: resource-group-name
     (✓) Done: Log Analytics workspace: log-analytics-name
     (✓) Done: Application Insights: app-insights-name
     (✓) Done: Portal dashboard: dashboard-name
     (✓) Done: Container Apps Environment: container-apps-env-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-checkout-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-order-processor-name
   
   
   Deploying services (azd deploy)
   
     (✓) Done: Deploying service api
     - Endpoint: https://ca-order-processor-name.eastus.azurecontainerapps.io/
     (✓) Done: Deploying service worker
   
   SUCCESS: Your Azure app has been deployed!
   You can view the resources created under the resource group resource-group-name in Azure Portal:
   https://portal.azure.com/#@/resource/subscriptions/<your-azure-subscription>/resourceGroups/resource-group-name/overview
   

Confirm successful deployment

In the Azure portal, verify the checkout service is passing orders to the order-processor service.

1. Copy the checkout container app's name from the terminal output.

2. Sign in to the Azure portal and search for the container app resource by name.

3. In the Container Apps dashboard, select Monitoring > Log stream.

   

4. Confirm the checkout container is logging the same output as in the terminal earlier.

   

5. Do the same for the order-processor service.

   

What happened?

Upon successful completion of the azd up command:

• Azure Developer CLI provisioned the Azure resources referenced in the sample project's ./infra directory to the Azure subscription you specified. You can now view those Azure resources via the Azure portal.
• The app deployed to Azure Container Apps. From the portal, you can browse the fully functional app.

Run the Python applications locally

Before deploying the application to Azure Container Apps, start by running the order-processor and checkout services locally with Dapr.

Prepare the project

1. Clone the sample Dapr application to your local machine.

   git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/svc-invoke-dapr-python.git
   

2. Navigate into the sample's root directory.

   cd svc-invoke-dapr-python
   

Run the Dapr applications using the Dapr CLI

Start by running the order-processor service.

1. From the sample's root directory, change directories to order-processor.

   cd order-processor
   

2. Install the dependencies.

   pip3 install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Run the order-processor service with Dapr.

   dapr run --app-port 8001 --app-id order-processor --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3501 -- python3 app.py
   

4. In a new terminal window, from the sample's root directory, navigate to the checkout caller service.

   cd checkout
   

5. Install the dependencies.

   pip3 install -r requirements.txt
   

6. Run the checkout service with Dapr.

   dapr run  --app-id checkout --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3500 -- python3 app.py
   

   Expected output

   In both terminals, the checkout service is calling orders to the order-processor service in a loop.

   checkout output:

   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":1}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":2}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":3}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":4}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":5}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":6}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":7}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":8}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":9}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":10}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":11}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":12}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":13}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":14}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":15}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":16}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":17}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":18}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":19}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":20}
   

   order-processor output:

   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 1 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 2 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 3 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 4 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 5 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 6 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 7 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 8 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 9 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 10 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 11 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 12 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 13 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 14 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 15 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 16 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 17 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 18 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 19 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 20 }
   

7. Press Cmd/Ctrl + C in both terminals to exit out of the service-to-service invocation

Deploy the Dapr application template using Azure Developer CLI

Deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps using azd.

Prepare the project

1. In a new terminal window, navigate into the sample's root directory.

   cd svc-invoke-dapr-python
   

Provision and deploy using Azure Developer CLI

1. Run azd init to initialize the project.

   azd init
   

2. When prompted in the terminal, provide the following parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Environment Name	Prefix for the resource group created to hold all Azure resources.
   Azure Location	The Azure location for your resources.
   Azure Subscription	The Azure subscription for your resources.

3. Run azd up to provision the infrastructure and deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps in a single command.

   azd up
   

   This process may take some time to complete. As the azd up command completes, the CLI output displays two Azure portal links to monitor the deployment progress. The output also demonstrates how azd up:

   • Creates and configures all necessary Azure resources via the provided Bicep files in the ./infra directory using azd provision. Once provisioned by Azure Developer CLI, you can access these resources via the Azure portal. The files that provision the Azure resources include:
     • main.parameters.json
     • main.bicep
     • An app resources directory organized by functionality
     • A core reference library that contains the Bicep modules used by the azd template
   • Deploys the code using azd deploy

   Expected output

   Initializing a new project (azd init)
   
   Provisioning Azure resources (azd provision)
   Provisioning Azure resources can take some time
   
     You can view detailed progress in the Azure Portal:
     https://portal.azure.com
   
     (✓) Done: Resource group: resource-group-name
     (✓) Done: Log Analytics workspace: log-analytics-name
     (✓) Done: Application Insights: app-insights-name
     (✓) Done: Portal dashboard: dashboard-name
     (✓) Done: Container Apps Environment: container-apps-env-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-checkout-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-order-processor-name
   
   
   Deploying services (azd deploy)
   
     (✓) Done: Deploying service api
     - Endpoint: https://ca-order-processor-name.eastus.azurecontainerapps.io/
     (✓) Done: Deploying service worker
   
   SUCCESS: Your Azure app has been deployed!
   You can view the resources created under the resource group resource-group-name in Azure Portal:
   https://portal.azure.com/#@/resource/subscriptions/<your-azure-subscription>/resourceGroups/resource-group-name/overview
   

Confirm successful deployment

In the Azure portal, verify the checkout service is passing orders to the order-processor service.

1. Copy the checkout container app's name from the terminal output.

2. Sign in to the Azure portal and search for the container app resource by name.

3. In the Container Apps dashboard, select Monitoring > Log stream.

   

4. Confirm the checkout container is logging the same output as in the terminal earlier.

   

5. Do the same for the order-processor service.

   

What happened?

Upon successful completion of the azd up command:

• Azure Developer CLI provisioned the Azure resources referenced in the sample project's ./infra directory to the Azure subscription you specified. You can now view those Azure resources via the Azure portal.
• The app deployed to Azure Container Apps. From the portal, you can browse the fully functional app.

Run the .NET applications locally

Before deploying the application to Azure Container Apps, start by running the order-processor and checkout services locally with Dapr.

Prepare the project

1. Clone the sample Dapr application to your local machine.

   git clone https://github.com/Azure-Samples/svc-invoke-dapr-csharp.git
   

2. Navigate into the sample's root directory.

   cd svc-invoke-dapr-csharp
   

Run the Dapr applications using the Dapr CLI

Start by running the order-processor callee service with Dapr.

1. From the sample's root directory, change directories to order-processor.

   cd order-processor
   

2. Install the dependencies.

   dotnet build
   

3. Run the order-processor service with Dapr.

   dapr run --app-port 7001 --app-id order-processor --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3501 -- dotnet run
   

4. In a new terminal window, from the sample's root directory, navigate to the checkout caller service.

   cd checkout
   

5. Install the dependencies.

   dotnet build
   

6. Run the checkout service with Dapr.

   dapr run  --app-id checkout --app-protocol http --dapr-http-port 3500 -- dotnet run
   

   Expected output

   In both terminals, the checkout service is calling orders to the order-processor service in a loop.

   checkout output:

   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":1}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":2}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":3}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":4}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":5}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":6}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":7}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":8}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":9}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":10}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":11}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":12}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":13}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":14}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":15}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":16}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":17}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":18}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":19}
   == APP == Order passed: {"orderId":20}
   

   order-processor output:

   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 1 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 2 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 3 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 4 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 5 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 6 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 7 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 8 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 9 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 10 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 11 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 12 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 13 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 14 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 15 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 16 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 17 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 18 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 19 }
   == APP == Order received: { orderId: 20 }
   

7. Press Cmd/Ctrl + C in both terminals to exit out of the service-to-service invocation.

Deploy the Dapr application template using Azure Developer CLI

Deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps using azd.

Prepare the project

In a new terminal window, navigate into the sample's root directory.

cd svc-invoke-dapr-csharp

Provision and deploy using Azure Developer CLI

1. Run azd init to initialize the project.

   azd init
   

2. When prompted in the terminal, provide the following parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Environment Name	Prefix for the resource group created to hold all Azure resources.
   Azure Location	The Azure location for your resources.
   Azure Subscription	The Azure subscription for your resources.

3. Run azd up to provision the infrastructure and deploy the Dapr application to Azure Container Apps in a single command.

   azd up
   

   This process may take some time to complete. As the azd up command completes, the CLI output displays two Azure portal links to monitor the deployment progress. The output also demonstrates how azd up:

   • Creates and configures all necessary Azure resources via the provided Bicep files in the ./infra directory using azd provision. Once provisioned by Azure Developer CLI, you can access these resources via the Azure portal. The files that provision the Azure resources include:
     • main.parameters.json
     • main.bicep
     • An app resources directory organized by functionality
     • A core reference library that contains the Bicep modules used by the azd template
   • Deploys the code using azd deploy

   Expected output

   Initializing a new project (azd init)
   
   Provisioning Azure resources (azd provision)
   Provisioning Azure resources can take some time
   
     You can view detailed progress in the Azure Portal:
     https://portal.azure.com
   
     (✓) Done: Resource group: resource-group-name
     (✓) Done: Log Analytics workspace: log-analytics-name
     (✓) Done: Application Insights: app-insights-name
     (✓) Done: Portal dashboard: dashboard-name
     (✓) Done: Container Apps Environment: container-apps-env-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-checkout-name
     (✓) Done: Container App: ca-order-processor-name
   
   
   Deploying services (azd deploy)
   
     (✓) Done: Deploying service api
     - Endpoint: https://ca-order-processor-name.eastus.azurecontainerapps.io/
     (✓) Done: Deploying service worker
   
   SUCCESS: Your Azure app has been deployed!
   You can view the resources created under the resource group resource-group-name in Azure Portal:
   https://portal.azure.com/#@/resource/subscriptions/<your-azure-subscription>/resourceGroups/resource-group-name/overview
   

Confirm successful deployment

In the Azure portal, verify the checkout service is passing orders to the order-processor service.

1. Copy the checkout container app's name from the terminal output.

2. Sign in to the Azure portal and search for the container app resource by name.

3. In the Container Apps dashboard, select Monitoring > Log stream.

   

4. Confirm the checkout container is logging the same output as in the terminal earlier.

   

5. Do the same for the order-processor service.

   

What happened?

Upon successful completion of the azd up command:

• Azure Developer CLI provisioned the Azure resources referenced in the sample project's ./infra directory to the Azure subscription you specified. You can now view those Azure resources via the Azure portal.
• The app deployed to Azure Container Apps. From the portal, you can browse the fully functional app.

Clean up resources

If you're not going to continue to use this application, delete the Azure resources you've provisioned with the following command:

azd down

Next steps

• Learn more about deploying Dapr applications to Azure Container Apps.
• Enable token authentication for Dapr requests.
• Learn more about Azure Developer CLI and making your applications compatible with azd.