A serverless architecture provides a reliable and efficient solution to create as well as run services and applications in a way which eliminates the need for managing infrastructure. It is an event-based, design pattern for software, which does away with the requirement for provisioning, handling and scaling databases and servers. It enables businesses to run their applications through third-party services and eliminates the requirement with regard to investing money in buying and maintaining physical or virtual servers. There are numerous cloud providers that manage the complexities of coding, computing and server management along with allocating resources dynamically. In serverless architecture one’s applications run on such servers the management of which is carried out by third-parties. Hence, one doesn’t have to scale, provision or maintain servers for running one’s applications, storage systems and databases.
A Serverless architecture has two main models and these are BaaS (Backend as a Service) and FaaS (Function as a Service). Backend as a Service (BaaS) lets developers focus on tasks that are related to managing the frontend of applications and does away with the requirement of handling tasks that have to do with backend development, such as hosting, database management and cloud storage. It results in developers not having to write codes for tasks that are related to server-side, such as user authentication, encryption, database management etc.
Function as a Service (FaaS) refers to an event-driven model by which small code’s modules are executed. FaaS triggers certain functions in response to the execution of certain events in application modules. Cost-efficiency, simplification of processes and dynamic scaling of resources is the result.
Serverless aims at reducing time as well as complexity and the cost that is involved in running a scalable and reliable server.
When should Serverless Architecture be used?
A serverless architecture caters to futuristic business goals in fast-paced work environment through automated resource allocation, improved scalability and response time. Moreover, it is a cost-effective solution as it reduces the operational overhead of a business that is using it. Serverless makes application development and workflow extremely efficient. It should be used when there is a requirement for automatic scaling with demand. It serves to reduce significantly server cost and does away with the need to take care of server maintenance. It should be used to ensure that the resources of developers are free for projects that are related to enhancing business value.
Additionally, serverless architecture can be used in one’s business in the following scenarios:
For building real-time applications that have high-latency.
For catering to unpredictable workloads that have to do with developmental requirements which change rapidly and for complex scalability requirements.
For getting precise status of a device and for processing smart device applications with the aid of IoT (Internet of Things).
For creating secure customer delivery dispatch systems and for aiding dynamic resizing capabilities.
For dynamically resizing images/transcode video.
For simplifying multimedia’s processing for different devices.
For integrations that have to do with support service in order to meet the demands of modern software.
Advantages of Serverless Architecture
There are numerous benefits of serverless architecture, which result in its popularity and which render developing as well as deploying software trouble free. Its main advantages are mentioned below.
Reduced time to market due to releases that are based on modules.
Cost-effective pricing models.
High-quality of software development.
Enables developers to focus on writing codes along with optimizing application designs.
Enables a business to gain a competitive edge as well as entrepreneurial innovation.
Eliminates the need for managing infrastructure by a user.
Does away with a business’ requirement to invest in internal infrastructure.
This event-based architecture, wherein application modules are independent of each other, ensures that failures do not affect an entire application.
Ensures faster deployment of apps and enhanced flexibility in releases.
Deployment of code is facilitated within minutes through the command-line interface.
Enables on-demand scaling of applications.
Function as a Service architecture lets developers develop purposeful and independent functions.
Eliminates worries with regard to infrastructure security, as the cloud provider is responsible for ensuring it.
Limitations of Serverless Architecture
There are certain limitations of serverless architecture. These are as follows:
Workloads that are long-running can be costlier on serverless than on dedicated servers.
There can be delays while processing a cold start request during the execution of functions.
One will be dependent on one’s providers when it comes to debugging and monitoring tools.
One will have very limited control over the architecture and availability of the platform.
Developers can experience an increased level of complexity due to a large number of functions.
There can be implementation problems, such as deployment, versioning etc. due to the presence of small-sized modules.
There can be challenges in carrying out integration testing for a collection of deployed functions.
A system’s customization and flexibility might be impacted due to the control exercised by cloud providers over the interaction among the various components.
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Conclusion
To recapitulate, serverless architectures involve application designs that rely on third-party Backend as a Service (BaaS) and/or have custom codes which are managed and run in ephemeral containers on a FaaS (Function as a Service) platform.
A serverless architecture reduces significantly the need for an always-on server component. It helps to achieve reduced operational cost and reduced time to market, along with many other benefits. Its major downside is an increase in reliance on vendor dependencies.
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