In 2022, the serverless computing market had passed the indicator of over $9 million, and is forecast to gain an extra 25% in the next decade. This technology radically changes the approach to development and deployment of various services and apps, making it possible to focus on what matters most — creation of innovative solutions rather than IT infrastructure management.

What is serverless computing?

Serverless computing is a computational model that allows developers to write and deploy code without worrying about managing servers. Despite the name, servers are still used, but the cloud provider fully manages them.

Serverless computing and cloud computing are interconnected, but have different approaches to the use of resources in modern IT systems.

Cloud computing encompasses all services delivered through the cloud, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). In cloud computing, you can manage infrastructure, configure virtual machines, networks, databases, etc. The level of infrastructure control depends on the type of cloud model, ranging from full resource management (IaaS) to complete detachment from infrastructure (SaaS).

Serverless computing is a specialized model of cloud computing where you don’t manage or even see the infrastructure at all. The focus is on writing and executing functions (scripts), where server management, scaling, and other infrastructure tasks are fully automated and handled by the cloud provider. You only pay for the computing resources actually used during the execution of functions, allowing you to avoid costs for excess resources, making this model economically efficient.

The main goal of serverless computing is to steer developers away from server management.

How serverless computing emerged

At the start of the programming era, the app creation required a developer to buy a server, maintain and update it. It was an expensive and complex process, which was soon remedied with cloud technologies. Now, a user can rent the necessary amount of computing resources for the project.

However, the developers renting cloud resources have usually ordered them in excess to take into account possible traffic and activity peaks, which can affect the efficiency of apps and programs. It has often led to paid resources not being 100% in use.

Serverless architecture allows for the developers to buy only the back-end services they require and whenever they require.

Key features of serverless computing

  • Function. A part of code designed to perform a specific task, such as file uploading, processing HTTP requests, or something else. Each function is independent of the others and is meant to act in response to a specific event.
  • Invocation. The act of calling a function to execute a certain action, which can also be seen as running the function’s code in response to an event.
  • Duration. The time it takes for the function to execute, from the moment it is invoked, until a response is returned.
  • Cold start. The time it takes for a serverless platform to allocate resources during the function’s invocation before it begins executing.
  • Concurrency limit. The max number of instances a function can run simultaneously in response to events and requests.
  • Timeout. The longest duration allowed for a function before it is terminated by the serverless platform.

How serverless architecture works

Developers can create serverless applications using one of two models: Backend as a Service (BaaS) or Function as a Service (FaaS).

Backend as a Service (BaaS). This model is commonly used for building backends for web and mobile applications. Developers do not need to code internal functions like databases, user authentication, data storage, and more. This speeds up development as developers can focus on the frontend of the application. Common BaaS services include Firebase, SupaBase, and AWS Amplify.

Function as a Service (FaaS). Developers write code to be executed by the platform without concerns on how to manage computing resources and scale them. This allows functions to execute in response to specified events. FaaS providers include Amazon Web Services with AWS Lambda, Microsoft Azure with Azure Functions, and Google Cloud.

Benefits of serverless computing

  • Reduced cost. Serverless architecture eliminates the need for expensive cloud infrastructure and hardware to run it on. Clients only pay for resources when they require them, ensuring they aren’t burdened with expensive licensing fees for services they don’t use.
  • Simplified scalability. Developers don’t need to worry about policies dictating how to scale their code. The serverless architecture of the cloud provider handles all aspects of on-demand scaling.
  • Simplified internal code. Users leverage simplified internal code that performs a single function, such as calling APIs.
  • Reduced time to market. Traditional app development involved complex processes, requiring time to fix bugs and ensure the security of new features. The serverless development model reduces the number of steps needed to create, deploy, and test code, allowing developers to quickly make real-time changes to their code. As a result, the time required for an application to go from concept to launch can shrink from months to days.
  • Enhanced security. Serverless computing limits developers to using code that operates in such a context. This means they are more likely to create code that adheres to their organization’s best practices, as well as security and governance protocols.

Where serverless computing is used

Websites and APIs

What’s interesting is that apps are created using serverless infrastructure, which automatically scales according to user demands, improving their experience.

Chatbots
Developers can deploy chatbots to respond to customer requests with a serverless architecture, paying only for the resources the chatbot uses. For example, Slack uses it to handle various bot requests, avoiding inefficiency in using bandwidth due to daily fluctuations in customer needs.

IoT

Coca-Cola uses serverless architectures in its Freestyle vending machines to allow customers to order, pay, and receive notifications about payments for their drinks. Coca-Cola claims they spent around $13K annually to operate their vending machines. After implementing serverless computing, costs dropped to $4,500 annually.

Data processing

Major League Baseball Advanced Media developed a Statcast product to provide users with accurate sports statistics in real-time. It uses serverless computing to process data and deliver information about baseball games to users.

Conclusion

The future of serverless computing promises to be dynamic. It is projected that this technology will become even more versatile, secure, and integrated into various aspects of cloud computing and software development. Serverless computing could become the standard for many types of applications, especially in scenarios with unpredictable workloads, which require flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

Earlier, we discussed what neuromorphic computing is and whether it could change the way to process information.