Serverless computing is a cloud-based approach that enables developers to create and deploy applications without the need to manage the underlying servers and infrastructure. Although physical servers are still utilized, the cloud provider takes care of all aspects of infrastructure management, including scaling and maintenance. This allows development teams to concentrate on coding and only incur costs for the computing resources they actually use, rather than for unused capacity.
The serverless model provides substantial benefits by removing the need for infrastructure management. This transition enables development teams to innovate more rapidly and operate more effectively, resulting in several important advantages for organizations.
Serverless architecture is extremely flexible, making it suitable for a variety of applications, particularly those with fluctuating traffic or event-driven processes. Its capacity to scale on demand accommodates everything from basic web functions to intricate data processing workflows. Notable applications include:
Although often used synonymously, serverless computing and Function as a Service (FaaS) encompass different aspects of cloud services.
However, serverless computing also brings specific challenges. Debugging and monitoring can become complicated due to the abstracted nature of the infrastructure. Additionally, functions may encounter 'cold starts,' resulting in latency for applications that are not frequently activated.