Serverless computing is the most efficient way to design new applications. It is a cloud computing model that enables developers to build and run the application code without managing the backend infrastructure required for the deployment and hosting of the website. Serverless does not mean ‘no servers’, it simply means that the backend is provided by the cloud service provider and the front end is developed by the developers. It allows the developers to focus more on the front end and the business logic for the application. The application code is written by developers is deployed to the containers provided by the cloud service provider. In serverless computing the organization does not pay for the idle time, the pay-as-you-use model gives businesses huge cost savings as the backend is provisioned on demand.
About Serverless As A Service
In the serverless computing model, the cloud service provider handles the provisioning of cloud infrastructure, which is required to run the application code, scaling infrastructure up or down based on demand. They are also responsible for the routine infrastructure management and maintenance of an operating system that includes upgrades and patches, capacity planning, system monitoring, and more.
The biggest advantage of the serverless model is the companies never have to pay for the idle capacity. The CSP spins up and provides the required computing resources on-demand when the code executes and scales it ‘back to zero’ when the execution stops.
Popular Serverless Offerings
- AWS Lambda
- AWS Far gate
- Azure Functions
- Google Cloud Functions
- Apache OpenWhisk
- IBM Cloud Code Engine
- IBM Cloud Satellite
- IBM Cloud ant
Prerequisites To Understand Serverless Deployment
- Basic understanding of cloud computing
- Basic understanding of cloud functions
- Machine Learning
Each of the cloud vendors provides an easy way to deploy functions:
- AWS has a CLI for deploying Lambda functions, as well as two tools (SAM and Chalice) which this article covers.
- Microsoft Azure recommends using Visual Studio for deploying functions, and it also enables doing so using the Azure CLI.
- Google Cloud provides different ways of deploying Cloud Functions. The gcloud command-line tool is the recommended way.
- IBM Cloud offers the IBM Cloud CLI.
AudvikLabs has experienced professionals in all the AWS, Azure, IBM, and Google Cloud. We at AudvikLabs believe that having the right person for the task makes all the difference, we have been working with various fortune 500 companies for the past 2 years as their partners in the journey to serverless and have delivered more than $3 million dollars worth of savings.
How We Help
IDENTIFY: We assess the IT landscape and identify the applications that can easily be moved to a serverless architecture to deliver savings. For new application developments, after understanding the business objectives clearly, we formulate a serverless development strategy.
PROPOSE: After the 1st step, we propose the serverless approach for the applications along with a project plan that discusses in detail the upcoming Devops cycle and deployment plan.
DESIGN & DEVELOP: After the architecture is reviewed and approved by the enterprise or program architect we go ahead and start developing the application.
DEPLOY: We have delivered MVP using the serverless approach in less than a week, the fastest way for building software, and it challenges the change management teams to keep up with the new developments bringing in the paradigm shift needed for the business to run smoothly.
Examples Of Serverless Application Development
The growing popularity of cloud computing and microservices combined with the demand for greater innovation and agility without increasing costs has contributed significantly to the prevalence of serverless applications. Notable use cases include:
Slack:
Serverless is ideal for independent task-based applications such as chatbots and can save on operational costs since billing is based on the actual number of requests. Slack, a popular, cloud-based business communication platform, uses a serverless application called marbot to send notifications from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to DevOps teams through Slack.
HomeAway:
Reducing development time and server costs while simplifying the build process are goals that universally appeal to business teams and IT teams. HomeAway relied on Google Cloud Functions to develop an app that allowed users to search and comment on the recommendations of travelers in real time, even in areas without an internet connection. The cloud services available through Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions made it possible to set up the infrastructure within minutes and deploy the app within six weeks with just one full-time developer.
GreenQ:
Garbage pick-up and disposal is an industry that may not seem to require innovative technology, but GreenQ took a sophisticated approach to streamline and improve waste management by using IBM OpenWhisk to create an Iot platform that uses hardware installed on garbage trucks to collect key metrics such as pickup time, location, and load weight. The auto-scaling available through serverless
was particularly valuable due to the fluctuation of infrastructure demands based on the number of customers and
trucks at any given time.
Coca-Cola:
Soft drink giant Coca-Cola has enthusiastically embraced serverless after its implementation in vending machines resulted in significant savings. Whenever a beverage is purchased, the payment gateway makes a call to the AWS API Gateway and triggers an AWS Lambda function to complete the transaction. Since vending machines must communicate with headquarters for inventory and marketing purposes, the ability to pay per request rather than operating at full capacity had a substantial impact on reducing costs.
Benefits Of Serverless Computing Model
The serverless computing model offers numerous technical and business benefits to the development teams in an organization or individual developers working on an independent project:
Versatility
Serverless is a polyglot environment, which means the developers can code in any language or framework – Python, Java, Node.JS, React.JS, or any other preferred language.
Pay for Execution Only
The counter starts when the request is made and it is turned off when the execution is complete. If we compare this to the traditional cloud models like IaaS (Information as a Service) in which the teams have to pay for the infrastructure, Virtual Machines & other resources needed to run the application, the cost savings are huge.
Optimized Developers’ Time
As the development teams focus on the front end without worrying about the infrastructure they can achieve major breakthroughs in designing business logic as they can focus more on the business problem rather than the technical challenges.
Cost-Effective
For dynamic workloads, parallel processing, stream processing, and data processing tasks, the serverless model can be both fast and cost-effective as compared to other models
Streamlined DevOps Cycles
Serverless helps to simplify the deployment of an application and simplify the DevOps as developers no longer spend time configuring and defining the infrastructure needed to integrate, test, develop and deploy the code.
Quick Turnaround
As serverless works as FaaS (Function as a Service) and more, it works like an API call which is much faster than the traditional ways. It significantly cuts down the time to market.
Why Choose AudvikLabs?
- Experience working with 20+ clients on 50+ clients.
- Optimization and cost cutting of your total cost of expenditure. Prior projects statistics displayed net savings of around three million USD.
- Availability of a variety of platforms from different CPS’ for transitioning to Serverless infrastructure, depending on your goals.
- Proficient and well trained professionals who are available round the clock to cater to your cloud-based needs.
- Remunerative and budget-friendly alternatives for your Serverless Computing projects.
Get Started Now
Our industry-recognized architects can help your organization implement best-in-class serverless cloud architecture-enabled IT infrastructure and help you realize the massive benefits of serverless computing immediately.
For more information please write to us at BD@Audviklabs.com or give us a call +91 80-43779824
Frequently Asked Questions
Although ‘Serverless’ explicitly means ‘no server’, its technical meaning is servers which are managed by Cloud Service Providers (CPS), thereby being invisible to the clients. Serverless is a cloud computing application development and execution model that enables developers to build and run application code without provisioning or managing servers or backend infrastructure. It enables businesses to prioritise front end development. The only remaining requisite for developers is to then write/update code, which is then exported to containers, manager by CPS.
Most of the businesses operating their services using on-premise architecture often use only a marginal( Usually 20-30%) portion of their total server capacity. This is often due to the recruitment of servers for Disaster Recovery Requirements and high availability of other servers. On top of that, owing to the inclusion of most of the networking, security, and DevOps management tasks in the CPS’s cost of service, serverless computing can lower the total cost of ownership.
The modularity of serverless applications can increase the attack surface. Furthermore, because data is constantly transferred between third-party components and serverless functions, it is vulnerable to interception. Different CPS clients provide different security models for their serverless clients. CPS clients manage many additional layers of infrastructure, such as operating systems and networking, with serverless. If you follow the principles of least privilege and best practises for securing a serverless application, you can secure each resource with granular permissions using familiar tools like AWS IAM, which can help you give your serverless applications a robust security posture.
Owing to our collaboration with 20+ clients on 50+ projects, where we managed to save around 3 Million USD. We have professionals who are available round the clock to serve any of your cloud based needs. Owing to our expertise in this field, we can be trusted to make the transition to Serverless for your services.
Since AWS Lamda’s initial success, the serverless market has been evolving, with new advanced platforms and frameworks emerging. However, AWS Lambda continues to command the largest market share, with up to 53% of organisations favouring it. Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions, IBM Functions, and Netlify are also among the top five platforms. AudvikLabs in particular has developers specialising in AWS, IBM, Azure, and Google cloud. Each platform has its own unique set of perks. For example, AWS Lambda allows you to use stateless lambda functions, automatic scaling, and a seamless integration with other AWS services in addition to other advantages. Google Cloud Services offer an on demand pricing structure and a fully automated app engine to host and develop applications. Depending on the client specific needs you can opt for a particular CPS client or even opt for a hybrid serverless model to cater to your needs.
Following are the six crucial components of any serverless infrastructure:
- Client Interface( which is compatible with the server demand)
- Cloud Based Web Server
- A security service to protect the integrity of the backend system.
- A backend database
- Function as a Service (FaaS) (to be chosen according to the clients needs)
- API gateway that provides connectivity between FaaS and Client Interface.