FutureMe Backend

The backend for FutureMe, a small full-stack Azure project that lets users schedule emails to their future selves.

This backend is built with Azure Functions and handles:

• receiving scheduled email requests through an HTTP API
• storing scheduled emails in Azure Table Storage
• processing pending emails on a timer
• sending emails through Azure Communication Services Email

Overview

FutureMe is split into two parts:

• Frontend: React app for entering and scheduling emails
• Backend: Azure Functions app for storing, processing, and sending those emails

This repository contains the backend only.

Features

• HTTP-triggered Azure Function for scheduling new emails
• Timer-triggered Azure Function for processing pending emails
• Azure Table Storage persistence
• Azure Communication Services Email integration
• Status tracking for scheduled emails
• Error handling for failed sends

Tech stack

• C#
• Azure Functions (.NET isolated)
• Azure Table Storage
• Azure Communication Services Email

Architecture

Frontend (React)
    ↓
HTTP-triggered Azure Function (ScheduleEmail)
    ↓
Azure Table Storage (ScheduledEmails)
    ↓
Timer-triggered Azure Function (SendScheduledEmails)
    ↓
Azure Communication Services Email

How it works

1. Schedule email

The frontend sends a POST request to the ScheduleEmail endpoint with:

• recipient email
• subject
• body
• scheduled send date/time in UTC

2. Store in Table Storage

The backend validates the request and stores it as a new ScheduledEmailEntity in Azure Table Storage with status Pending.

3. Process pending emails

A timer-triggered function checks for emails that:

• are still marked Pending
• are due to be sent

4. Send email

When an email is due, the backend sends it through Azure Communication Services Email.

5. Update status

After processing:

• Sent if successful
• Failed if an error occurs

Partitioning strategy

The PartitionKey is based on the scheduled send date in UTC:

yyyyMMdd

Example:

20260408

This makes the storage layout better aligned with the timer-based processing workflow, since emails are grouped by the day they should be sent.

API Management

This backend can optionally sit behind Azure API Management.

In that setup, API Management can provide:

• rate limiting
• CORS handling
• public API abstraction
• backend protection by forwarding the Function key internally

CORS

If the frontend runs locally or on a different domain, the public API layer must allow the frontend origin.

Depending on the setup, that may be:

• Function App CORS when the frontend calls the Function directly
• API Management CORS when the frontend calls APIM instead

Deployment

This backend can be deployed to an Azure Function App.

Runtime configuration should be provided through Azure app settings, for example:

• AzureWebJobsStorage
• AcsEmailConnectionString
• AcsEmailSender

Related repository

This repository contains the backend only. The frontend is implemented separately in React.

Purpose

This project was built as a portfolio piece to demonstrate:

• Azure cloud development
• serverless backend design
• asynchronous processing with timer functions
• Azure service integration
• full-stack coordination with a separate frontend

Author

Built by Nick.