Table of Contents
An opening statement
The advantages of traditional architecture
Traditional architecture has its advantages and disadvantages
This is the beginning.
Long before the advent of cloud computing, traditional computing was the backbone for many infrastructures. New ways of doing the same thing more quickly and efficiently become more common as technology advances. Serverless computing is the answer. Serverless computing uses events to facilitate the design of applications and their deployment. The following paragraphs will explain the workings of these systems, their benefits and disadvantages.
How does serverless computing work? What is the difference between it and traditional computing? The term “Serverless” is not synonymous with the absence of server. Name implies that there’s a layer of abstraction between consumer and server. The serverless framework creates resources as a response to an event (trigger). The framework then sends the function that is linked to the trigger. The framework terminates the program once it is finished. The provider may have different rules. These servers are not limited by their functionality, so they can take on more work for longer than a serverless solution.
The cost of serverless architecture is lower than traditional architecture, because it does not require the user to maintain as many servers. This reduces the amount of administration required for server maintenance, security and other tasks. Serverless functions are simpler and smaller. Users will only be charged for serverless services when they are running. Contrary to a traditional machine, the setup of a server is time-consuming and expensive. A traditional server will require the physical machine itself, which can be expensive and take a long time to setup. This means that employees are required to maintain the server.
Serverless architecture reduces the cost of employees maintaining servers by allowing them to do it all themselves. It also increases efficiency because there is less effort required to maintain the servers. Traditional servers also have the disadvantage of needing to be constantly on. Even if the server is not being used, it will still cost money to run. Serverless computing is based on functions. The user can only use functions when they are needed. After he has finished, the function will be destroyed and he won’t have to pay for it anymore. Microbilling is another name for this.
Setup Time
Serverless computing setup is much faster than traditional computing. Serverless computing reduces setup time by eliminating the need for system administrators to configure the system. A team of professionals is required to purchase, configure and update a conventional server. The server may take some time to be operational. It will take a long time to get the server operational.
The ability to grow and handle increased demand.
When needed, serverless computing allows for flexible scaling. Cloud servers scale according to traffic. Scaling physical servers requires expensive and time-consuming upgrades or new racks of servers. Serverless infrastructures can expand virtually to handle the traffic during peak hours. The server will scale down optimally to match the traffic level when things calm down.
The ability to bounce back from difficulty or adversity.
All servers receive the information and applications that are stored in the cloud. Information and applications will not be lost in the event of a failure. Traditional systems have a much smaller range of applications. If you don’t back up your information in the event of an outage, then the information can be lost.
Safeguarding
The provider provides serverless security. Traditional infrastructure is a user-controlled environment, which requires a lot of manpower and resources to keep up with the latest security updates.
Simplicity
Serverless infrastructures are generally simpler. Traditional server infrastructures require continuous monitoring. Examples include: security patches, hardware updates, software upgrades, network and maintenance. This is not required for serverless computing. The provider will set up the OS and interface, and a tutorial is available to help newcomers navigate the interface.
Disadvantages compared to traditional architectureVendor-Locked
Serverless infrastructure has a number of disadvantages, including the fact that it is controlled by its provider. Both advantages and disadvantages are present. It is up to the provider whether they install their resources for the user. Sometimes, the tools are not right for certain projects. A server-side problem or security breach can also leave the user with little to no control. A porting problem occurs when an application is moved from one server and placed on another. A java-based application that was written for AWS Lambda could be port to Microsoft Azure Function. Currently Node.js & Python is the only language that supports porting applications between services without any difficulty.
Unsuitable for long-term tasks
FaaS, as explained above, uses functions with a short lifespan. These functions have no state. The user cannot save variables into their system to transfer them to other functions. Instead, they must save the variable into a database to chain it together. It can become a problem in the end. A developer must call another function to complete longer tasks. Uploading videos and large files becomes pointless. Traditional servers, on the other hand, are more suited to long-term tasks because they don’t rely on features. This is especially useful for businesses that upload larger files on a regular basis.
