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To create a PDF in an Azure Functions app on Linux, run Playwright’s Chromium browser in the function, load the page you want to render, and return the bytes from page.pdf() or save them to durable storage. The deployment challenge is making sure the Linux environment that actually runs the function has both the matching browser binary and its system libraries; a successful run on your development machine does not prove those are present in Azure.
This guide uses Node.js as one concrete example. Azure Functions supports several languages, but the package, worker model, runtime settings, and deployment instructions vary. Check Microsoft’s current supported-language and deployment guidance for your language, plan, and runtime before choosing a deployment route.
Choose a runtime and a Linux deployment route
Keep the Functions runtime, Playwright package, Chromium build, and deployed Linux environment aligned. Microsoft supports multiple Azure Functions languages on Linux, and its supported versions and lifecycle guidance can change. Use Microsoft’s Supported Languages in Azure Functions and the deployment documentation for the language and hosting plan you intend to use.
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A managed build and runtime can be suitable when the deployed environment provides the browser’s required operating-system libraries and the browser executable is included in the app’s deployment output. Verify both in the deployed app. Installing dependencies locally, or during a build step that does not affect the final runtime image, is not enough.
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Custom Linux container
Use a custom container when the managed environment or deployment process cannot supply the OS packages or local browser binaries your app needs. Microsoft specifically calls out OS-level packages and local binaries as cases requiring custom-container deployment in its Python Functions deployment guidance. That Python-specific advice is not a universal instruction for every language or plan: check the deployment requirements for your own combination.
For containerized Function Apps on Premium or Dedicated plans, Microsoft’s deployment guidance documents configuring the container image and setting WEBSITES_ENABLE_APP_SERVICE_STORAGE=false. Follow the relevant Functions container documentation for the plan and language; do not assume those settings apply unchanged to other hosting options.
Install Playwright and Chromium for the Linux target
Use a Linux build environment compatible with the deployed runtime. Add Playwright to the application’s normal dependency manifest and pin compatible versions there, so upgrades to the package and browser can be reviewed and deployed together. In a Linux build environment with package-manager access, Playwright documents these Chromium installation commands:
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These commands are useful only if the resulting dependencies and browser files are available in the deployed runtime. Rebuild the browser layer when upgrading Playwright, and confirm that the final image or app package contains what the browser needs. See Playwright’s browser installation documentation.
Example: Node.js HTTP-triggered function
The following example uses the Node.js Functions programming model and the playwright package. It accepts a URL, limits navigation to hostnames configured in PDF_ALLOWED_HOSTS, renders a PDF using print CSS, and returns it with a PDF content type. Configure an allow-list appropriate to your application; accepting arbitrary URLs from callers can expose internal services and let a request consume excessive resources.
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package.json
{
"name": "playwright-pdf-function",
"version": "1.0.0",
"private": true,
"main": "src/functions/*.js",
"scripts": {
"start": "func start"
},
"dependencies": {
"@azure/functions": "^4.0.0",
"playwright": "^1.0.0"
}
}Replace the broad Playwright version range with a version you have checked against your chosen Functions runtime and Linux deployment image. Install dependencies and commit the resulting lockfile so deployments resolve a reproducible package tree.
src/functions/pdf.js
const { app } = require('@azure/functions');
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
app.http('pdf', {
methods: ['GET'],
authLevel: 'function',
handler: async (request, context) => {
const rawUrl = request.query.get('url');
if (!rawUrl) {
return { status: 400, jsonBody: { error: 'Provide a url query parameter.' } };
}
let target;
try {
target = new URL(rawUrl);
} catch {
return { status: 400, jsonBody: { error: 'The url parameter is not a valid URL.' } };
}
if (!['http:', 'https:'].includes(target.protocol)) {
return { status: 400, jsonBody: { error: 'Only http and https URLs are allowed.' } };
}
const allowedHosts = (process.env.PDF_ALLOWED_HOSTS || '')
.split(',').map(host => host.trim().toLowerCase()).filter(Boolean);
if (!allowedHosts.includes(target.hostname.toLowerCase())) {
return { status: 403, jsonBody: { error: 'This hostname is not allowed.' } };
}
let browser;
try {
browser = await chromium.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
page.setDefaultNavigationTimeout(30000);
await page.goto(target.href, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
const pdf = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4', printBackground: true });
return {
status: 200,
headers: {
'content-type': 'application/pdf',
'content-disposition': 'attachment; filename="page.pdf"'
},
body: pdf
};
} catch (error) {
context.error('PDF rendering failed', error);
return { status: 502, jsonBody: { error: 'The page could not be rendered as a PDF.' } };
} finally {
if (browser) await browser.close().catch(error => context.error('Browser close failed', error));
}
}
});This is a compact function example, not a deployment recipe for every hosting plan. Supply PDF_ALLOWED_HOSTS as a comma-separated list of permitted hostnames in the Function App configuration. The function uses a function-level authorization setting; configure and distribute its key securely. Apply request-size, execution-time, and output-size controls appropriate to your workload as well.
Package Chromium in a container when needed
When the managed image or build route cannot provide the necessary browser and libraries, build a custom container based on the Azure Functions image for your selected Node.js runtime. In that Linux build environment, install the app’s pinned dependencies and Chromium with Playwright’s documented command, for example:
npm ci
npx playwright install --with-deps chromiumThose commands show the Playwright installation step, not a complete Dockerfile: select the Azure Functions base image and container settings for your runtime and plan using Microsoft’s deployment documentation. Avoid copying browser files from a different OS or architecture and assuming they will launch. For a .NET isolated Linux app, Microsoft documents FUNCTIONS_WORKER_RUNTIME=dotnet-isolated and a Linux linuxFxVersion identifier such as DOTNET-ISOLATED|8.0; those are .NET settings, not settings for the Node.js sample.
Load the page and choose the PDF’s layout
Playwright’s page.pdf() returns PDF bytes and uses print CSS media by default. The Playwright Page API reference states that it generates a PDF of the page with print CSS media. If you want the page’s screen styles instead, call await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' }) before page.pdf().
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Choose a readiness condition deliberately
The sample waits for domcontentloaded, which means the document has been parsed, not that every image, API-driven component, or delayed element is ready. If the content you need appears later, wait for an appropriate selector or a known application readiness signal before generating the PDF. networkidle can be unsuitable for pages that maintain ongoing requests; do not use it automatically as a universal definition of “ready.”
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Set paper, backgrounds, and print CSS
The sample uses A4 paper and printBackground: true. page.pdf() supports page format, dimensions and margins using physical units, as well as page ranges and landscape output. Set those options to match the document you need. Use CSS print rules for page breaks and print-specific margins when the page design calls for them.
Playwright modifies colors for printing by default. If exact color rendering matters, the API documentation describes using the CSS property -webkit-print-color-adjust. Test the resulting document against the target page rather than assuming its screen appearance will carry over unchanged.
Return the PDF or store it durably
For a modest document that should be downloaded immediately, return the PDF bytes with Content-Type: application/pdf and a suitable Content-Disposition filename, as in the sample. The bytes returned by page.pdf() are held in memory while the function constructs the response.
If output must outlive the HTTP request, or the document is too large for your response design, store the PDF in durable object storage and return a status or download reference instead. Protect stored files and references according to your application’s access-control needs, and clean up temporary files or expired outputs. Azure Functions infrastructure guidance identifies a Storage account as required for a Function App and Application Insights as recommended; neither replaces the application’s own storage and retention design.
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Deploy and verify on Azure
- Confirm the runtime and worker model. Set the worker/runtime configuration for the language you selected. For .NET isolated on Linux, Microsoft documents
FUNCTIONS_WORKER_RUNTIME=dotnet-isolatedand a Linux runtime identifier throughlinuxFxVersion. Do not apply these .NET values to Node.js or Python. - Deploy the browser dependencies with the app. Ensure the browser executable and shared libraries are in the actual runtime environment, whether supplied through an appropriate managed build or a custom container.
- Check the Linux app configuration. Microsoft’s Linux configuration guidance includes
kindcontainingfunctionapp,linux,reservedset totrue, andlinuxFxVersionset to the applicable runtime identifier. Use the values required for the chosen language and current Azure setup. - Invoke a known, small page. Confirm that the response has a PDF content type and that the body opens as a valid PDF. Test print and screen media separately if both matter.
- Review logs and resource behavior. Look for missing shared libraries, browser launch failures, navigation timeouts, and memory pressure. Playwright documents that pages can crash from high memory allocation, but there is no universal concurrency or memory limit established for this workload; measure and constrain it in your own deployment.
A local success is not proof of a working Azure deployment: the deployed runtime may differ in libraries, browser files, architecture, or filesystem behavior. Recheck Microsoft’s current lifecycle and supported-runtime guidance when selecting or upgrading a Functions runtime.
Or skip the browser setup
If your requirement is a clean website capture rather than a custom Playwright-controlled document workflow, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request can return a screenshot or PDF; the request below saves a WebP screenshot:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options, including PDF output. Cookie and consent banners are accepted as a visitor and removed along with 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. For a custom browser automation flow, page-specific readiness logic, or precise print-CSS handling, keep the Playwright approach above.
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Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFrequently Asked Questions
Does Playwright create the PDF in Azure, or does Azure Playwright render it for the function?
The function runs Playwright’s browser process and calls page.pdf() to create the document. Microsoft describes Azure Playwright as a managed service for running Playwright tests at scale with reporting, not as a PDF-rendering endpoint.
Can the same approach use Python or .NET?
Yes, but each language needs its own Functions programming model, Playwright package setup, worker/runtime configuration, and deployment instructions. Verify current Linux support and lifecycle guidance for the specific runtime before adapting the example.
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