How to create a postgres function that returns a value

I am trying to move some of my web app logic into postgres functions. But I am hitting some errors while creating a very basic insert function.

This is the function that I am trying to create;

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_user(IN email EMAIL, password TEXT, thumb TEXT)
RETURNS text AS 
$BODY$
BEGIN
   insert into users (unqid, thumb, email, password) 
   values (gen_random_uuid(), thumb, email, password)
   returning unqid ;
END;
$BODY$
  LANGUAGE plpgsql
  VOLATILE

I am trying to get the function to return the uuid of the item if the insert is successful.
And I am calling it like this;

select * from create_user('newuser@mail.com', 'passpopcorn', 'thumbelinaurl');

Getting this error;

SQL Error [42601]: ERROR: query has no destination for result data
  Where: PL/pgSQL function create_user(email,text,text) line 3 at SQL statement

From my googling it sounds like this error comes up when you don't have a return statement in the query. But in my Insert query, I do have a returning statement.

Extra question; for simple insert statements (like this one here, or one with a couple of select followed by an insert), would functions be a better bet or procedures?

SQL Error [42601]: ERROR: query has no destination for result data

insert ... returning ... produces a result set that contains columns referenced in the returning clause. In a PL/pgSQL block that result set must be dealt with somehow. You have three options:

-
An intermediate variable

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_user(IN email EMAIL, password TEXT, thumb TEXT)
  RETURNS VARCHAR(40) AS 
  $BODY$
  DECLARE id VARCHAR(40);
  BEGIN
     insert into users (unqid, thumb, email, password) 
     values (gen_random_uuid(), thumb, email, password)
     returning unqid INTO id;
     RETURN id;
  END;
  $BODY$
    LANGUAGE plpgsql
    VOLATILE

-
return query, which avoids an extra variable

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_user(IN email EMAIL, password TEXT, thumb TEXT)
  RETURNS TABLE (id VARCHAR(40)) AS 
  $BODY$
  BEGIN
     RETURN QUERY 
     insert into users (unqid, thumb, email, password) 
     values (gen_random_uuid(), thumb, email, password)
     returning unqid;
  END;
  $BODY$
    LANGUAGE plpgsql
    VOLATILE

-
A simple SQL function, which I would prefer in your case as you don't need any PL/pgSQL functionality as it stands

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_user(IN email EMAIL, password TEXT, thumb TEXT)
  RETURNS TABLE (id VARCHAR(40)) AS 
  $BODY$
     insert into users (unqid, thumb, email, password) 
     values (gen_random_uuid(), thumb, email, password)
     returning unqid;
  $BODY$
    LANGUAGE SQL

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#295111, answer score: 6