Can PowerApps call Azure Functions V2? If so, how to configure?

[steveendow]

I have created a simple Azure Function V2 that returns a single string and I'm trying to have a PowerApp call the Azure Function directly.  I haven't been able to figure out how to successfully call the Azure Function from PowerApps, similar to what is shown here:

May 2016 (Obsolete): https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/using-azure-functions-in-powerapps/

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/hr-hr/blog/register-and-use-custom-apis-in-powerapps/

With Azure Functions V1, it appears the PowerApps -> Functions connection was setup by exporting an OpenAPI / Swagger file, but that feature is not available with Azure Functions V2, as this GitHub thread explains:

https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs/issues/16394

This Nov 2018 post by MS Software Engineer Santosh Kumar seems indicate that it is possible, but requires several steps to configure the Azure Function (presumably V2??) as an authenticated app in Azure Active Directory. Unfortunately, the post does not include the specific Azure AD menu navigation and does not provide specific enough information to complete the process, so I can't tell where to find the pages, and the included screen shots look completely different than my Azure AD portal pages.

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/create-business-apps-using-powerapps-and-azure-functions/

I have attempted to configure my Azure Function V2 as a Custom Connector in PowerApps, but only with No Authentication.  With a hard coded Function API key, I am able to successfully make a test call to the Azure Function in the Custom Connector setup, but a Connection with the Custom Connector still does not work in PowerApps.  

Can anyone help with the steps to get PowerApps to call an Azure Functions V2?

Thanks,

Steve Endow

https://twitter.com/steveendow

[aprildunnam]

I haven't actually tried calling an Azure Function V2 directly in PowerApps.  I typically use Flow as the intermediary to call the Azure Function and return the results to PowerApps because I find that method to be easier.  But I can answer your question about how to secure a function in Azure AD.  I've did this and found that this blog offers a good walk through on how to do that:  https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/secure-azure-function-with-azure-ad/

[steveendow]

Thank you @aprildunnam !

I will give this a try! 

I was thinking that the direct call to the Azure Function would be faster / more responsive, but I will also try a Flow to compare the performance. 

[aprildunnam]

I would definitely at least give the Flow route a try.  I've used Flow to call several different Azure Functions from PowerApps and have found it to be pretty performant.  To your point, i'm sure a direct call from PowerApps would still be faster though.

[steveendow]

Hi April,

I followed the instructions from the blog post to setup the Azure Function in AAD, but I think I'm still missing a few last steps to get PowerApps to call the Azure Function and how it should authenticate.  It's a pretty crazy setup process.

Given the complexity of the AAD process, I'm in agreement that Flow looks much more appealing.  I'm going to try Flow and if the performance is good enough, I'll give up on the direct API call.

Thanks for all of the help!

[aprildunnam]

You're welcome.  Let me know how Flow ends up working out for you.