Serverless Computing Demystified: Pros, Cons, And Beyond

Ever heard about developing and running applications in the cloud without worrying over the servers or infrastructure supporting them? Well, that’s serverless computing!

Serverless computing is one of the biggest trends in operations and infrastructure and the hot topic buzzing around every tech corner.

And guess what? The tech titans are in a full-fledged race to grab their piece of this golden pie for app development!

According to the latest statistics, the serverless app market is expected to grow to $80,005.3 million by 2032, witnessing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.4% from 2022.

But hold on!! How exactly does this serverless magic work for modern app development? What is its impact on users and developers? How would you know you should embrace serverless architecture for your app development? Why should you choose a professional app development partner to build, optimize, and scale serverless applications?

We’ve answered all these questions boggling your mind and more right here in this article!

So, without any further delay, let’s dive into the serverless world and unravel the wonders of this game-changing tech!

What Is Serverless Computing?

Often referred to as “cloud functions,” serverless computing is a revolutionary cloud computing model that offers a dynamic and efficient way to build and run applications without the need to manage traditional servers.

In simpler terms, it allows developers to focus on the business logic and the user experience while the cloud provider handles the provisioning, scaling, and management of the resources needed to execute the code.

Serverless computing is not a new concept, but it has become more popular and accessible in recent years, thanks to the offerings of various cloud platforms.

Some of the leading service providers are AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions, and IBM Cloud Code Engine. These platforms let you write code or containers that run in response to events or requests and that scale automatically to meet the demand.

Some examples of serverless applications are web applications, mobile backends, chatbots, IoT applications, data processing pipelines, etc.

Is It Really Serverless?

Though the name is “serverless”; it’s not really serverless. There are servers involved in serverless computing but in a different way.

The term “serverless” refers to developers’ experience with those servers that they can’t see, manage, or interact with. These servers are abstracted away from the developers and managed by the cloud provider.

What Does Serverless Computing Mean For Developers?

Serverless computing is like having a magic wand for developers.

It allows you to focus solely on writing code and leaving the infrastructure concerns to the cloud provider. And this means less worry for the developers.

In serverless computing, developers only pay for the resources they use when their code is running and not for any idle capacity, making it a cost-effective option. Yes, in this model, you’re charged only for the actual compute time used, not for provisioning or maintaining servers.

How Does Serverless Computing Work?

To fully understand how serverless computing works, let’s consider a real-life example.

Suppose a web application uses AWS Lambda, a serverless computing service that lets you run code or containers in the cloud without provisioning or managing servers, to handle user requests and perform various tasks.

You can write your code in any language supported by AWS Lambda, such as Python, Java, Node.js, etc., and upload it to the service. You can then configure AWS Lambda to trigger your code in response to events such as HTTP requests, database changes, messages from a queue, etc. AWS Lambda will automatically scale your code to handle the number of requests you receive, while you will only pay for the compute time you consume.

So basically, by using serverless computing, you can build scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient web applications that can handle unpredictable or variable demand without worrying about the servers or the infrastructure that supports it.

It simplifies application development and management by abstracting away the complexities of server infrastructure, offering automatic scaling, cost-efficiency, and ease of use. It helps you develop and run applications in the cloud with minimal hassle and maximum efficiency.

Perks & Cons Of Serverless Computing?

Before we go further into how we can be your ideal partner for building apps using serverless computing, let us take a quick look at the key advantages and disadvantages of serverless computing.

The Advantages:

Cost Efficiency

Serverless computing can reduce your operational cost as you’re billed only for the actual compute time used, eliminating the cost of idle server resources. Plus, there’s no upfront cost, i.e., you don’t need to invest in provisioning or maintaining servers, reducing upfront capital expenses.

Auto-scaling

Serverless architectures are inherently scalable, which enables serverless functions to automatically scale up or down based on the workload, ensuring optimal performance during traffic spikes without manual intervention.

Faster Time To Market

Instead of managing infrastructure, developers can focus on writing code and building features. It can speed up the development and deployment process and reduce the investment necessary in DevOps.

More flexibility

Serverless computing enables developers to use different services that respond to specific events or requests and integrate with various cloud platforms and tools. Serverless computing also supports multiple programming languages, like Python, Java, Node.js, etc.

High Availability

Cloud providers handle server redundancy and failover, ensuring applications remain available even in case of hardware failures.

Event-Driven

Ideal for event-driven applications, serverless computing excels at handling tasks triggered by events such as HTTP requests, database changes, or IoT sensor data.

Reduced Operational Overhead

Maintenance tasks like server patching, security updates, and scaling are offloaded to the cloud provider, reducing operational burden.

Scalable Microservices

Serverless functions can be used to build microservices, enabling a modular and scalable architecture.

The Disadvantages:

Performance Issues/ Cold Starts

Serverless functions may experience a slight delay (cold start) when triggered for the first time, affecting the response time for some applications.

Vendor Lock-In

Serverless computing relies on third-party providers to execute your code and manage your resources. It means you have less control over your application’s environment, configuration, and performance. Even switching to another provider can be difficult and costly, as you may have to rewrite your code or migrate your data.

Limited Execution Time

Functions typically have execution time limits imposed by cloud providers (e.g., AWS Lambda has a 15-minute limit), which may not be suitable for long-running processes.

Complexity in Large Applications

Additionally, serverless computing may not be suitable for long-running or complex tasks, as the provider may impose limitations on the execution time, memory usage, and concurrency of your functions.

Monitoring and Debugging

Serverless computing can make debugging and monitoring more difficult, as you have less visibility and access to the underlying infrastructure and logs.

Cost Uncertainty

While serverless can be cost-effective, unexpected spikes in usage can result in higher-than-anticipated bills, requiring careful cost monitoring and management.

Limited Language Support

Some serverless platforms support only a limited set of programming languages, which may restrict development choices.

Security concerns

Serverless computing can expose your application to new security risks, as you need to trust the provider to protect your code and data. You may have less control over your application’s authentication, authorization, encryption, and compliance.

Who Should Use Serverless Architecture?

Serverless architecture can benefit a wide range of businesses. However, it is particularly advantageous for some scenarios and types of organizations.

Here is a quick breakdown of which businesses should consider opting for serverless architecture for their app development:

• Businesses that have unpredictable or variable demand for their applications, such as e-commerce, social media, or gaming platforms
• Businesses that need to respond quickly to events or changes in data, such as IoT, analytics, or data processing applications
• Businesses with short-lived or stateless processes, such as web applications, mobile backends, chatbots, or image-processing applications
• Businesses that require minimal maintenance or administration for their applications, such as startups, small businesses, or non-technical teams

How Klizo Solutions Help Build Apps On Serverless Architecture

Don’t have an in-house development team to turn your serverless aspirations into reality??

Worry not cause we have got your back!

At Klizo Solutions, we have engineers, experts in serverless computing and cloud-native application development, who can help you design, develop, deploy, and monitor your serverless applications using the best practices and tools available in the market.

Even if migrating your existing applications to serverless architecture and optimizing them for performance and efficiency is what you want, we can help.

We have a boast-worthy experience in building serverless applications for various cloud platforms such as AWS Lambda, Microsoft Azure Functions, IBM Cloud Code Engine, and Google Cloud Functions. So, according to your application requirements, we can help you select the best serverless architecture and build the most outstanding serverless app.

Over To You

Are you interested in building your apps using serverless computing and want to learn more about how we can help you with your projects? Then, get in touch with our executives today!

We would love to hear from you and discuss your requirements and goals. We can help you create scalable, secure, cost-effective serverless applications that suit your business needs.

We are confident that we can deliver high-quality solutions meeting your expectations and budget and become your ultimate go-to serverless computing partner.