What is Serverless and Why Should You Care?

Serverless is a term that refers to a specific way of running programs without the need to manage your own server. Instead, you create a function and store it on a cloud server, which gives you a URL to call whenever you want to execute that function. The beauty of serverless computing is that someone else takes care of server management, scaling, and security, eliminating the need for you to worry about tasks like kernel updates or transitioning to the latest long-term support (LTS) release of your Linux distribution.

Another advantage of serverless is its convenient pricing model. In contrast to traditional virtual private server (VPS) rentals, where you pay a monthly fee regardless of your actual usage, serverless allows you to pay per request. This means that if your service experiences a sudden surge in users, such as when your website goes viral, the functions can automatically scale to handle the increased traffic. Conversely, if no one is using your service, you pay nothing. Essentially, you only pay for the resources you actually utilize, rather than paying for resources that you might use in the future.

From a developer’s perspective, serverless can be mentally liberating, especially for those working on projects independently. Since you are not responsible for managing the server powering your application, you are not obligated to be on call 24/7 to address any server-related issues. This removes the need for you to possess in-depth system administration or DevOps skills to run your app effectively.

However, it’s important to note that while serverless computing offers many advantages, it is still in the early stages of development. Different players in the market have their own implementations of serverless, and the quality of the surrounding tools may vary. Additionally, serverless may not be the most cost-effective option for predictable traffic, as purchasing dedicated servers or reserving instances on platforms like AWS may be more affordable. Furthermore, because you do not have control over the server, you must rely on the available infrastructure for logging, monitoring, and debugging, which can make reproducing your setup locally challenging.

Some major players in the serverless market include AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. AWS Lambda is especially popular and widely used, as it supports the creation of serverless functions in various programming languages such as Java, Go, PowerShell, Node.js, C#, Python, and Ruby. Moreover, there are products like Netlify Lambda Functions and Apex Up that simplify the serverless offering for developers, leveraging AWS Lambda as the underlying service.

If you want to learn more about AWS Lambda, I recommend checking out their informative FAQ section at https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/faqs/.