When it comes to modern software development in the cloud, serverless applications hold undeniable advantages over traditional applications. The serverless approach allows developers to focus more on the unique features of their applications and less on common maintenance tasks such as OS updates and infrastructure scaling.
The Serverless Landscape
The serverless landscape is largely dominated by Function as a Service (FaaS) providers, with the three largest ones being Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. These providers take care of all the infrastructure-related work, thus eliminating infrastructure as a potential point of failure and efficiency bottleneck.
When to Consider a Serverless Approach?
Serverless architecture is not always the ideal choice for every software development project. However, it may be worth considering if your circumstances fall under these categories:
- The development of small to mid-sized applications
- Loads are unpredictable
- The application is amenable to quick (fail-fast) experimenting
- The team has the requisite skills to leverage serverless advantages
When Serverless Might Not Be the Right Fit?
Conversely, serverless architecture may not be optimal for your project if:
- Workloads will be constant
- You anticipate long-running functions
- You plan to use programming languages not supported by serverless platforms
Common Serverless Use Cases
Serverless architecture often finds use in:
- Big data applications
- Web applications
- Backend services
- Data processing
- Chatbots and virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- IT automation
Monitoring Tools for Serverless Architecture
While serverless makes infrastructure management a breeze, there’s still the need to be able to monitor your system effectively. Thankfully, there are numerous tools developed specifically for serverless monitoring tasks, which assist in keeping track of your serverless systems.
The Verdict on Serverless Architecture
Migrating legacy apps to a serverless architecture or adopting serverless computing for new projects should only be undertaken after careful deliberation, taking into account the specifics of the project and its alignment with the benefits serverless architecture offers.
Stay tuned, as we dig deeper into AWS Lambda serverless architecture in the upcoming article.
Tags: #Serverless #CloudDevelopment #FaaS #AWS #Azure #GoogleCloud