Serverless in 2019: The Evolution of Cloud Computing

Core Concepts

1. Serverless Architecture

Serverless architecture is a cloud computing model where the cloud provider manages the infrastructure and dynamically allocates computing resources as needed. This approach allows developers to focus on writing code without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Functions

• Triggers: Serverless functions can be triggered by various events such as HTTP requests, database changes, or message queue updates. These triggers initiate the execution of the function.
• Runtime: The runtime environment for serverless functions includes the programming language, libraries, and dependencies required to execute the function. This is managed by the cloud provider, ensuring that the function runs in a consistent and reliable environment.
• Scaling: Serverless functions automatically scale to handle changes in workload, ensuring that the application can handle sudden spikes or drops in traffic without manual intervention.
• Cold Start: Serverless functions may experience a “cold start” when they are first invoked, which can lead to increased latency. This is because the cloud provider needs to initialize the function’s environment and load the necessary dependencies. However, subsequent invocations are typically faster due to the warm start.
• Function Chaining: Serverless functions can be chained together to perform complex tasks. This allows developers to break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable functions that can be executed in a specific order.

Services

• Storage: Serverless applications often rely on cloud-based storage services such as object stores (e.g., AWS S3) or file systems (e.g., AWS EFS) to store and retrieve data.
• Database: Serverless databases, like AWS Aurora Serverless, provide on-demand database capacity without the need to provision or manage database instances.
• Messaging: Messaging services, such as AWS SQS or Azure Service Bus, enable serverless applications to communicate with each other or with external systems through message queues.
• Security: Serverless applications can leverage cloud provider security services, such as AWS IAM or Azure Active Directory, to manage access control, authentication, and encryption.

Integration

• APIs: Serverless functions can be integrated with APIs to handle incoming requests, process data, and return responses. This integration enables serverless applications to interact with external systems or provide services to clients.
• Events: Serverless functions can be triggered by events from various sources, such as changes to a database, updates to a message queue, or modifications to a file system.
• Monitoring: Monitoring tools and services, like AWS CloudWatch or Azure Monitor, provide insights into serverless function performance, allowing developers to identify issues, optimize code, and ensure application reliability.

Deployment

• Continuous Deployment: Serverless applications can be deployed continuously, allowing developers to release new features or updates more frequently. This is because the cloud provider manages the deployment process, ensuring that the application is always up-to-date and running the latest code.
• Rollback: If a new deployment introduces issues or bugs, serverless applications can be rolled back to a previous version. This is because the cloud provider maintains a history of deployments, allowing developers to easily revert to a known good state.
• A/B Testing: Serverless applications can be deployed in multiple versions, allowing developers to test new features or changes with a subset of users. This is because the cloud provider can route traffic to different versions of the application, enabling developers to compare performance and user feedback before rolling out changes to all users.