Serverless technology is a new concept that is expanding strongly due to the advantages it offers. If you are still getting used to working in the cloud (and many companies have not yet decided to make the leap from the physical server to the cloud server) comes this new possibility that although it is translated as “serverless” is not entirely true.
What is Serverless?
Although the meaning is “without servers” this is not the case, what happens is that you stop using a physical server or one in the cloud clearly identified by temporary and stateless containers where the application codes are executed.
This technology is associated with FaaS, which stands for Function as a Service, which was created in 2014 by hook.io and which has later been developed through such important projects as Microsoft Azure Functions, IBM / Apache OpenWhisk, Google Cloud Functions, or AWS Lambda.
What is the most popular Serverless service?
Among the possible named options you can choose from, you have:
AWS Lambda
It is the best known and the most used on the market. Among the languages you can use are Python, Go, Java, C #, or Node.js. In addition, it is perfectly integrated with all Amazon services such as DynamoDB, SNS, RDS … you can virtualize it with CloudWatch and it is used by well-known companies such as Netflix.
Azure Functions
It has been developed by Microsoft for two years and you can use it with languages such as Bash, Powershell, Java, Python, C #, F #, PHP, or Batch with it. Many of the Microsoft services on your Azure system can be used, such as Cortana.
Google Cloud Functions
You can find it on the Google platform and it can only be used with Javascript code to run in a Node.js environment. It integrates with the rest of the company’s services such as Firebase, Pub / Sub, Storage, or Spanner. You can monitor it with Stackdriver.
Benefits of virtualization with Serverless
Like all systems, it has its benefits and drawbacks, but we can highlight:
- You no longer have to maintain the servers where you have all the programs and applications installed. The code runs in a temporary container, you will no longer need to install software, manage access ports, or keep an eye on updates.
- You can scale the system horizontally as much as you need it. You can add all the clusters, load balancing … as you need it.
- You will only pay for the time you are using the process.
- The functions you use can be integrated with the rest of the services offered by the platform, such as logging, virtualization, or creating endpoints.
Serverless technology allows you to access a new dimension in the way you work since you work with a temporary server with the services adapted to what you need during the process. Have you heard of this technology? Do you see it useful for your business?
