What is AWS Lambda?

AWS Lambda is one of the most popular services available for serverless computing. Powered by Amazon Web Services, AWS Lambda makes it easy for users to create self-contained, scalable, and fault-tolerant code (written in multiple languages ​​and supported runtimes) that can run in the AWS cloud without needing to provision or manage servers.

There are many similar services out there, but none of them remove as many barriers to entry as AWS Lambda. With this service, you don't need to know how many servers, CPUs or how much memory your code will need to run. With AWS Lambda, your code runs in response to events, and the resources in that code are automatically managed and tuned.

What is AWS Lambda

The initial launch of AWS Lambda took place in November 2016. The platform was designed as a serverless compute service to run code without provisioning or managing servers, creating the logic needed for workload-aware clusters, maintaining event integrations or managing execution times.

AWS Lambda makes it possible to run code on virtually any type of application or backend service and is ideal for use cases such as:

• Image/Object Uploads to Amazon S3
• Updates to DynamoDB tables
• Responding to website clicks
• Reacting to sensor readings from IoT devices
• Provision backend services triggered by custom HTTP requests

The AWS Lambda process is very simple. You write your code, configure it to trigger from other services, endpoints, or activities in your AWS application, upload the code as a zip file or container image, and the service takes care of the rest. AWS Lambda will automatically allocate the required compute resources and execute your code based on the incoming code or event. You can also configure your code to be automatically triggered by any of the 200 AWS services and SaaS applications, or you can call it directly from a web or mobile application.

And, like so many other services, you only pay for the computing time used.

What is serverless computing?

At this point, you might be wondering what exactly is serverless computing? It's not exactly what it seems. Yes, there is a server involved, but it's not one that you (the user or admin) need to manage. Instead, serverless computing allows you to create and run applications and/or services without worrying about supporting hardware. All server management is done by the third-party host (in this case, AWS Lambda).

For many companies, serverless computing isn't just a way to save considerable money; may be the only option. If you're a startup or a company without a data center, you need the means to deploy and deliver your applications and services at scale. That's where serverless computing comes in.

Difference between AWS Lambda and Amazon EC2

You may already be familiar with Amazon EC2 (Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud service), so you understand the idea behind “renting” virtual computers to host your applications. But there is a very important difference between AWS Lambda and Amazon EC2.

The difference between Lambda and EC2 is that with EC2 you are responsible for provisioning capacity, monitoring health and performance, and designing for fault tolerance and scalability.

With Lambda, this is all done for you. Lambda performs all operational and administrative activities for you.

Benefits of using AWS Lambda

The biggest benefit of using Lambda is not having to worry about provisioning your application or service. Your company will also be able to enjoy:

• Continuous and automatic scaling.
• Cost optimization and measurement in milliseconds.
• Consistent performance regardless of scale.
• An increase in innovation.
• Application modernization.
• Vast repository of serverless applications.
• Ability to build your own backend services.
• Fully automated administration.
• Built-in fault tolerance.
• Functions can be packaged and deployed as container images.
• Refined performance control.
• Shared file systems.
• Pay for what you use.

What languages ​​does AWS Lambda support?

Although Lambda does not support all programming languages, it includes some of the most popular languages ​​used for cloud-native, web, and mobile application development, such as

• Java
• Go
• PowerShell
• Node.js
• W#
• Phyton
• Ruby

Lambda also provides a Runtime API that makes it possible to use any additional languages.

Use cases for AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda can work for multiple use cases. Here are some ideas for you to consider:

• Preprocess data before feeding it into a machine learning model.
• Real-time data streaming processing.
• Real-time file processing.
• Operating serverless websites
• Fast document conversion
• Predictive page rendering
• Working with external services
• Real-time log analysis
• Automated backups and daily tasks
• Processing uploaded S3 objects
• Backend cleanup
• Real-time bulk data processing

Companies using AWS Lambda

The list of companies using AWS Lambda is as impressive as the company serving it. Companies include Thomson Reuters, iRobot, Autodesk, Financial Engines, MLBAM, Square Enix, The Guardian, Benchling, T Mobile, Bustle, Alt/S, The Seattle Times, AOL and Netflix.

Conclusion

AWS Lambda is a powerful and flexible service that allows businesses of all sizes to run code without having to provision and manage expensive servers. With this platform at your disposal, you can write Lambda functions in your favorite language and deploy them with familiar tools like AWS SAM or Docker.

AWS Lambda should be the first consideration for any company looking to scale services without needing to increase their hardware budget.