In the advent of websites, individuals or businesses who intend to build web applications should own physical hardware which will help run the server. This was an expensive and cumbersome undertaking for business owners. Companies and developers tend to an over-purchase fixed unit of server space to ensure that they can accommodate the unexpected flow of traffic or activity in the application.

Today, cloud vendors introduced auto-scaling models to address the issue on over-purchasing of fixed server units. Most cloud providers offer a fixed amount of server space that companies may rent remotely. However, when there is an unwanted spike in traffic or activity, companies and developers end up with an expensive bill.

In this regard, developers came up with yet another advanced solution to optimize the use of servers. Developers can now purchase backend services with flexible terms of "pay-as-you-go." This means that developers will only pay for the services used or performed. This is what "serverless computing" can offer.

What is serverless computing?

Serverless computing is a cloud-computing system that allows for simplified code deployment. It runs snippets of the back-end code for a single function. The cloud provider runs the server while it dynamically manages and allocates machine resources. Only the precise needed resources of a function or task are used or performed to complete the action.

Serverless computing is an accurate term. Although there really exists an actual dedicated server, it is run by a cloud system and not by an individual. In serverless computing, the users do not manage the servers that run their codes.

Serverless computing is available through AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud Functions. These are cloud providers that ensure the efficiency and reliability of the serverless computing execution model.

According to AWS, the features of serverless technologies include automatic scaling and built-in high availability, which boost agility. Autoscaling of serverless computing means that you can scale up your application to thousands of computing instances within seconds, which can be a problem with databases having connection limits. Moreover, serverless technologies eliminate infrastructure management tasks such as patching and capacity provisioning, allowing developers to write code that serves their customers.  

Serverless computing poses many advantages that include cost-efficiency. It's known for its pay-for-use billing model, optimizing costs. The underlying concept for serverless computing is that you only pay for what you have consumed. Thus, if there is no function that was executed, there is nothing for the user to pay. The cost of the function is billed to the nearest 100 milliseconds.

Another advantage of using serverless computing is the reduction of operational cost. Since there are no virtual infrastructures to manage, businesses and organizations tend to have reduced operational costs. It also helps increase the efficiency of workers.

Serverless computing offers backend services without the hassle of worrying about its underlying infrastructure. Developers can build and run apps without managing servers. While servers are still present in serverless, they're withdrawn from the app development process.  

With function as a service (FaaS) and backend as a service (BaaS), companies and developers can shift backend functions such as data and authentication to the cloud. A service provider allows developers to choose and integrate the functions into applications. 

Most companies use either JavaScript or Python as the programming language for serverless computing architecture. Python is easy to use and has a large support library. Therefore, building a serverless Python app leverages the features of serverless computing and the benefits of this programming language. On the other hand, JavaScript enables more developers to leverage edge serverless computing, building more variety of applications.

Experience the emerging technology of creating a NoOps IT environment with serverless computing!