Serverless Architecture
What is Serverless?
A serverless development model enables developers to build, deploy and run applications without the responsibility of managing servers. A serverless application automatically scales up or down at the deployment stage and responds to traffic.
Serverless operates by using the existing available managed services through the public cloud. With that, it gets to host applications and also becomes a crucial part of the application. The serverless model can replace manually configured infrastructure or entire libraries of code with managed services.
What is Serverless Architecture?
Serverless architecture refers to a software design pattern that allows developers to build and run services without managing the software and hardware infrastructure. Serverless Architecture is also known as serverless computing or function as a service, FaaS). With the model, Developers get to write and deploy code while third-party service providers run their applications, databases, and storage systems.
Why Serverless Architecture?
Hosting software applications on the internet requires managing certain server infrastructure. It covers a virtual or physical server that needs management and the operating system/web server hosting processes necessary for running applications. The use of a virtual server from a cloud provider means the elimination of physical hardware concerns. It also means managing the operating system and web server software processes. In addition, it makes focusing on the individual functions in the application code a possibility.
How Does Serverless Architecture Work?
The core function of a server is to allow communication between users and the applications and access to the business logic. However, managing servers is both cumbersome and costly. The process involves:
Maintaining the server hardware.
Creating a backup in case of failure.
Caring for software and security updates.
The adoption of the serverless architecture enables developers to relegate these responsibilities to a third-party provider. That way, they focus mainly on writing application code.
The written application code acts as a set of discrete functions. Each function performs a specific task when triggered by an event, such as an HTTP request. Next, the developer deploys the functions and triggers to a cloud provider after the testing stage. The invocation of a function enables the cloud provider to execute the function on a running server or spins up a new server. At this level, the developer is not privy to the execution process.
Benefits of Serverless Architecture
Going by the explanations, one cannot help but see how beneficial serverless architecture can be to all parties. Here's a sneak peek at some of the benefits:
Productivity - There's an increase in the development velocity. It results from putting solutions together and deploying them into production.
Cost - It brings about Low costs due to the reduced need for DevOps staff to set up and maintain infrastructure over time. The pay-per-usage billing system means low traffic periods at $0 per hour.
Scalability - Increase up time as the service management and unexpected load go to the cloud.
Challenges of Serverless Architecture
Serverless architecture also comes with some changes.
Testing - The only test Developers can run the unit tests on function code. It isn't easy to perform integration tests evaluating how frontend and backend components interact.
Loss of Control - There's a lack of control over the software stack required for a code to run. Any issue, such as a data center outage or hardware default that springs up, involves dependence on the cloud provider.
Performance Impact - Cold starts are common in serverless environments, adding several seconds of latency to code execution when functions get invoked after a period of inactivity
Security - Some cloud providers simultaneously run codes for several customers on the same server. The implication is an exposure of network application data if it needs to get configured properly.
Concepts in Serverless Architecture
Some fundamental concepts or terminologies go with serverless architecture. However, remember that every cloud provider uses different terminologies, but the list defines the basic concepts.
Invocation - It refers to a single function execution.
Cold Start - It refers to the latency that occurs during the first triggering of a function or after a period of inactivity.
Concurrency Limit - The number of function instances runs simultaneously in one region. It gets determined by the cloud provider. There's the throttling of a function if it exceeds the limit.
Duration - refers to the time required for a serverless function to execute.
Timeout - refers to the amount of time a cloud provider allows for a function to run before termination. Most providers set a maximum timeout and a default timeout.
Who Needs Serverless Architecture?
The first reason to use a Serverless architecture includes having a small number of functions that need hosting. It also works for complex applications. The migration of small pieces of applications into a Serverless function is a smart move.
Use Cases of Serverless Architecture
As intriguing as the serverless model sounds, it has very few use cases when building applications for the web. It all depends on the availability and maturity of managed cloud services. Here are some:
To build RESTful APIs
Trigger-based tasks require the use of a Serverless provider
Security checks, especially during the spinning
Continuous integration and delivery (CI and CD).
It works effectively for Asynchronous processing.
Serverless Architecture vs. Microservices and Container Architecture
Microservices refer to how the application gets structured at a macro level, whereas Serverless relates to the interior construction of the application. A Serverless application sometimes uses Microservices principles as a recommended approach. Interestingly, building some microservices in a Microservices architecture requires serverless architecture.
Container architecture, just like serverless, allows developers to deploy application code by subcontracting the host environment. The key difference between them is that developers who use container architecture have to update and maintain each container deployed. It includes the system settings and dependencies. On the other hand, server maintenance in serverless architectures goes to the cloud provider. Additionally, scaling container architectures requires an orchestration platform, while serverless apps scale automatically.
It's vital to use great products to implement solutions. They help. With the selection of pre-defined templates and deployable common communications use cases.