Serverless hosting is being increasingly adopted by apps and websites on the cloud. Considering the demand for serverless architecture, companies like Microsoft and Amazon are leveraging the opportunities. What is serverless hosting? What makes serverless architecture beneficial for businesses? In this article, we will delve deep into serverless architecture including the working, features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Serverless Hosting
Table of Contents
Simple Definition
In serverless architecture, the hosting provider maintains server and other hardware infrastructure. The functions of serverless architecture are Functions as a service(FaaS) and Back end as a service(BaaS).
Functions
- FaaS (Functions as a Service) – In FaaS cloud computing framework, developers can upload their code in the form of functions, the platform will run the appropriate function whenever a request takes place. E.g – Amazon Web Services Lambda and Microsoft’s Azure Functions. The technical requirements are handled by FaaS platforms like Amazon Web Services Lambda & Azure Functions.
- BaaS (Back-end as a service) – In BaaS, developers can access a whole back-end infrastructure, like databases, storage, and authentication, through the cloud computing architecture. E.g – Firebase and Amazon Web Services’ Amplify. These platforms enable developers to focus on application’s front end whereas the platforms take care of back-end infrastructure needed.
Benefits of Serverless Hosting
- Availability – As a serverless hosting provider has many data centers, in case a data center fails your website or application will continue to function normally.
- Scalability – Serverless hosting offers scalability. This implies that your site can handle a sudden rise in traffic with no extra effort or cost to you.
- Improved Customer Experience – As there is no need to maintain servers, developers can devote more time to developing client solutions.
- Pay-Per-Use – Serverless Hosting works on a pay-per-use pricing model. This means that you only incur costs for the resources you use.
Disadvantages of Serverless Hosting
- Debugging – Debugging can be tricky due to the difficulty in replicating the exact circumstances that led to the technical issue.
- Control – Having limited control can at times prove to be a shortcoming as well. Using a serverless architecture for websites/applications that require stricter control might be an issue.
- Slow start time – Sometimes a serverless platform may take a few seconds to prepare the necessary resources for processing a request when a new function is started. This may be problematic for time-critical applications due to a possible delay in reaction time.
- Vendor switching – As code was likely created in a language and with APIs unique to that particular chosen serverless platform, switching to a different platform can be difficult. It would incur additional costs and can be time-consuming as well.
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