Should you use serverless computing?

In the early days of the Internet, if you wanted to build a website or web application, you needed to have the physical infrastructure to set up your own server. Needless to say, this meant spending a lot of money and time in the process. Fortunately, years passed and cloud computing appeared, saving you from having to go through all this hassle.

With cloud computing, you just needed to rent the servers instead of owning them. This has translated into lower costs and greater convenience, which is why so many companies have started moving to cloud computing. However, this does not mean that cloud computing is free from disadvantages: you have to pay for a fixed amount of server space, so to avoid problems with activity spikes you will often have to overbuy.

This seems like a minor problem, but in reality, it can quickly increase your costs while reducing your efficiency. That's why cloud providers now offer an alternative that could become the new standard for many companies. We are talking about serverless computing.

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What is serverless computing?

Serverless computing is a service through which cloud providers provide back-end infrastructure that flexibly adapts to your usage. Instead of paying for a fixed amount of servers or bandwidth, you will pay depending on the computing power used. This means that you pay for the volume of activity and not for a fixed unit that measures the service.

Serverless computing allows you to purchase back-end services on a “pay-as-you-go” model, meaning you only pay for the things you use (as opposed to the cloud computing model that forces you to pay for an entire server or by a server). predefined amount of space, even when you don't use them completely).

It is also important to highlight that, even when it is called “serverless”, there are servers involved (those who provide the services). However, its performance and maintenance depend on the supplier, so you can forget about them. Truth be told, the term “serverless” conveys the nature of the service, as you don’t have to worry about its setup and maintenance and you’re also not required to rent entire servers.

What are the benefits of serverless computing?

When compared to cloud computing, serverless computing offers a number of advantages, the most important of which are:

• Easier Scalability: With cloud computing, you need to hire extra space or servers when your web application traffic or activity increases. With serverless computing, you can increase or decrease your computing usage at any time without worrying about additional settings or policies.
• Faster turnaround: Instead of having to go through a complicated deployment process every time you need to release updates, patches, or upgrades, serverless computing allows you to partially modify the code in the parts that need to be changed. This significantly reduces the time it takes for the product to reach the market.
• Reduced costs. Since you pay for what you use, you don't have to worry about purchasing excessive resources. In other words, you won't have to pay for unused server space or idle CPU times, which will decrease the amount of money you'll have to spend on storing your web solutions.

Differences between cloud-based backend models

The way serverless computing works can cause some confusion, especially if you're not familiar with other popular cloud-based backend models. BaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are among those that share characteristics with serverless computing and that might lead you to believe they are the same thing. Here's why they aren't.

• Backend as a Service (BaaS): Unlike serverless computing, BaaS services and applications do not necessarily run at the edge of the network or are event-driven.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS (check out our 101 article for examples of PaaS services) also don't necessarily run at the edge and are more difficult to scale than serverless applications.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS is a broader term that cloud providers use to refer to a wide range of services. Serverless features may be among them, but they are not the same thing.

Should you use serverless computing?

Before committing to serverless computing, you should take into account that the model still has its drawbacks. One of the biggest has to do with its limitations when working with high-performance computing, as serverless computing is not suited to high-volume workloads.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that there is also the problem of being tied to a specific supplier, who will be responsible for providing the applications and software for the serverless environment. This means you could run into problems if you decide to migrate to a different provider later.

Finally, there may be some performance issues with functions that are rarely called. When you don't use a function, the serverless compute provider turns it off to prevent over-provisioning. So the next time you call this function, the host will need to increase it, adding latency that can break your entire experience.

If any of these issues are a deal breaker for you, don't worry. Serverless computing is a developing technology that is constantly evolving. With the emergence of edge computing, this execution model will certainly gain more popularity and grow along with this paradigm. In fact, it is quite possible that serverless computing will become a common choice for enterprises in the near future, especially for midsize companies and startups that do not need sophisticated backend infrastructures to run their services.