Alert.CA.ImageAcquisition

A comprehensive camera management and image acquisition platform built on Azure cloud infrastructure, designed for real-time camera operations, image processing, and panoramic image generation.

Architecture Overview

Tech Stack

Category	Technology
Runtime	.NET 10, Azure Functions v4 (Isolated Worker)
Orchestration	Durable Functions with Netherite backend
Databases	Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL), Azure SQL Server
Storage	Azure Blob Storage (images), Azure Table Storage (metadata)
Messaging	Azure Queue Storage
Real-time	SignalR
Image Processing	Emgu.CV (OpenCV), System.Drawing
Camera Protocol	VAPIX (Axis cameras)
Auth	Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), JWT, Microsoft Identity Web
API Patterns	CQRS (MediatR), REST (ASP.NET Core)
Monitoring	Application Insights
Config	Azure App Configuration + Key Vault

Solution Structure

Applications

Project	Type	Purpose
Admin API	ASP.NET Core 10 Web API	Administrative interface for managing cameras, users, and orchestrations
Image Acquisition Engine	Azure Functions (Durable)	Core engine — captures images from cameras via continuous orchestration loops
Camera Operation	Azure Functions	Camera health monitoring, config sync, and third-party integrations
Metadata Cleanup	Azure Functions	Periodic purging of expired image metadata
Notification	Azure Functions	Email and SMS notification delivery
Mock Camera API	ASP.NET Core 10 Web API	Local development substitute for real cameras

Shared Libraries

Project	Purpose
VAPIXService	Axis camera VAPIX protocol client (image capture, PTZ, overlays)
UCSDService	UCSD Metadata API client (device configs, credentials)
ImageStorageService	Polymorphic image storage, thumbnails, SignalR broadcasting
Models	Shared DTOs and data models across the solution

Test Projects

Project	Tests For
Alert.CA.ImageAcquisition.Test	Image Acquisition Engine
Alert.CA.CameraOperation.Test	Camera Operation
Alert.CA.VAPIXService.Test	VAPIX Service
Alert.CA.Admin.API.Test	Admin API
Alert.CA.MetadataCleanup.Test	Metadata Cleanup

Data Flow

Recent Platform Updates

Functions and Runtime Upgrade (June 2026) — Branch-level summary of runtime upgrades, startup/config updates, telemetry changes, and deployment validation items.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

.NET 10 SDK
Azure Functions Core Tools v4
Docker Desktop (for Durable Task Scheduler)
Azure subscription with:
- Cosmos DB account
- Storage account
- App Configuration service
- Key Vault

Local Development Setup

1. Install Prerequisites

Install .NET 10 SDK

# Download from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0

Install Azure Functions Core Tools v4

npm install -g azure-functions-core-tools@4 --unsafe-perm true

Install Docker Desktop

# Download from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

2. Set Up Durable Task Scheduler (Required for Local Debugging)

The Azure Functions project uses the Durable Task Scheduler for orchestration state management. To run locally, you need to run the Durable Task Scheduler in Docker.

Pull the Durable Task Scheduler Docker Image

docker pull cgillum/durabletask-emulator:latest

Run the Durable Task Scheduler Container

docker run -d -p 8080:8080 --name durabletask-emulator cgillum/durabletask-emulator:latest

Verify the Container is Running

docker ps

You should see the durabletask-emulator container running on port 8080.

Stop the Container (when finished debugging)

docker stop durabletask-emulator
docker rm durabletask-emulator

3. Configure Local Settings

Alert.CA.ImageAcquisition - local.settings.json

{
  "IsEncrypted": false,
  "Values": {
    "AzureWebJobsStorage": "UseDevelopmentStorage=true",
    "FUNCTIONS_WORKER_RUNTIME": "dotnet-isolated",
    "ConnectionStrings:AppConfig": "https://{DEV APPCONFIG URL}.azconfig.io",
    "CosmosDbOptions:CosmosDbUrl": "AccountEndpoint={DEV COSMOSDB URL};AccountKey={DEV ACCOUNT KEY};",
    "StorageOptions:QueueUrl": "DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName={DEV STORAGE ACCOUNT NAME};AccountKey={DEV ACCOUNT KEY};EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net",
    "DTS_TASK_HUB": "debug",
    "DTS_ENDPOINT": "Endpoint=http://localhost:8080;Authentication=None",
    "AzureWebJobsSecretStorageType": "files"
  }
}

Key Configuration Notes:

DURABLETASK_SCHEDULER_CONNECTION: Points to local Docker container (localhost:8080)
TASKHUB_NAME: Local task hub name for development
Update connection strings to point to your development Azure resources

Alert.CA.Admin.API - appsettings.Development.json

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    }
  },
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "AppConfig": "https://{DEV APPCONFIG URL}.azconfig.io"
  }
}

4. Run the Applications

Start the Durable Task Scheduler (if not already running)

docker start durabletask-emulator

Run the Azure Functions Project

cd Alert.CA.ImageAcquisition
func start

Run the Admin API

cd Alert.CA.Admin.API
dotnet run

The Admin API will be available at https://localhost:7xxx (check console output for exact port). The Functions app will be available at http://localhost:7071.

5. Development Workflow

Image Storage: Images are stored in Azure Blob Storage (development account) Queue Processing: Message queues use Azure Queue Storage (development account) Metadata: Table storage operations use Azure Table Storage (development account) Durable Functions: State management uses Durable Task Scheduler (local Docker container) API Testing: Use Swagger UI at https://localhost:7xxx/swagger for Admin API testing

6. Troubleshooting

Functions Not Starting

Ensure Docker container is running: docker ps
Check container logs: docker logs durabletask-emulator
Verify port 8080 is not in use by another application

Authentication Issues

Ensure you're logged into Azure CLI: az login
Verify Managed Identity has access to App Configuration and Key Vault
For local development, use DefaultAzureCredential which chains Visual Studio, CLI, and other credential types

Orchestration State Issues

Restart the Durable Task Scheduler container to clear state:
```
docker restart durabletask-emulator
```

Deployment

The application is designed for Azure deployment with:

Azure Functions consumption or premium plans
Azure Durable Task Scheduler for production orchestration
Application Insights for monitoring
Managed Identity for secure Azure service access
Azure App Configuration for centralized configuration
Azure Key Vault for secrets management

This architecture enables reliable, scalable image acquisition from hundreds of cameras while providing real-time processing, storage, and distribution capabilities. The Admin API provides comprehensive management capabilities following modern architectural patterns (CQRS, MediatR, clean architecture) for maintainability and testability.

Architecture Overview​

Tech Stack​

Solution Structure​

Applications​

Shared Libraries​

Test Projects​

Data Flow​

Recent Platform Updates​

Getting Started​

Prerequisites​

Local Development Setup​

1. Install Prerequisites​

2. Set Up Durable Task Scheduler (Required for Local Debugging)​

3. Configure Local Settings​

4. Run the Applications​

5. Development Workflow​

6. Troubleshooting​

Deployment​