FaaS Vs Serverless Architecture
Serverless architecture is a software execution model wherein
applications are deployed on a third-party cloud platform.
Often one cloud platform can be integrated with other cloud
services as per requirement. Execution of servers in such a
set-up is taken care of by the cloud providers, without the
need to manage physical or virtual servers.
Function as a Service (FaaS) is one such serverless cloud
computing model where there are no virtual or physical servers
involved and the server execution is handled through a cloud
provider. The concept was introduced by hook.io
in 2014 which later gathered momentum in the form of
Amazon’s AWS Lambda, Google functions, Microsoft Azure
Functions, and IBM cloud functions.
FaaS - A Subset of serverless architecture
Often, we will come across a discussion on FaaS vs Serverless
architecture. However, serverless architecture is aimed at
providing macro-level cloud services, such as computing,
storage, database, and so on, which primarily handles the
configuration, execution, management, and various such
activities, which are not visible to the user.
FaaS can thus be understood as a cloud computing service that
allows users to execute a piece of code, which when uploaded
will trigger an event to complete the desired action.
Therefore, a less complex architecture that involves little or
no infrastructural support to continue focusing on developing
efficient code for any application.
A serverless platform thus is an auditorium that can
accommodate a certain number of people who can perform their
activities with the help of the components available in that
auditorium
Role of a Serverless Architecture:
Serverless computing offers flexibility to the developers, as
they can focus on the core product without worrying too much
about managing and scaling servers, neither on cloud nor
on-premise. Hence, efforts and time can be spent on planning
and developing newer and reliable products.
Components of a serverless application:
Serverless cloud architecture can be segregated into the
following categories:
-
Serverless Functions - FaaS
It refers to a function that can be used to implement or
trigger certain events to perform some actions. This can
also be referred to as business logic.
-
Serverless backends - BaaS (Backend as a Service)
This component takes into account several backend regular
functions, such as data storage, authentication, and so on.
Such backend services can be integrated and set up for
execution on the cloud.
Deploying serverless applications is simpler. The
developers need not worry about purchasing, managing, and
provisioning backend servers, rather they simply need to
write a piece of code to execute a function to accomplish a
certain set of actions.
Why go Serverless?
The serverless computing model has a variety of benefits.
Some are listed as follows:
-
Easy Deployment: Usually, the deployment process for any application is a
time-consuming process. However, with a serverless model at
our disposal, the hassles for deploying an application are
simplified. Once a module or functionality is ready, it can
easily be uploaded to the cloud and updated.
-
Cost optimization:
A significant merit of a serverless architecture is its
‘pay as you go’ framework wherein there is no
need for purchasing database storage and incur a huge
operational cost.
-
Scalable: With frequent updates required in an application, there is
a need for upscaling storage mechanisms too. The need to
upscale physical storage requires a lot of investment, along
with the migration of data, which is a very tedious and
time-consuming process. Thus, the need for migration
activities is eliminated with the presence of a serverless
architecture as the cloud space comes with sufficient
storage space.
-
Improved Latency: The best part of a cloud model is its accessibility,
irrespective of any location. An app’s scalability is
dependent on three factors such as the number of users, the
user’s location, and network latency. Be it a
photo-sharing app or any other platform for accessing some
source of information, a serverless architecture offers a
seamless real-time experience to users globally.
-
Eco-friendly set up: Data centers usually require an all-time electricity source
to run their servers 24x7. This impacts the ecological
balance if we consider the number of such server management
entities (individual organizations). On the contrary, the
cloud-based model is far more ecologically sustainable if
more organizations go for such cloud-based
infrastructure.
-
Flexibility in development: With less time and effort required on the management of
servers, one can shift focus on developing the next feature
or the next microservice. A serverless architecture
eliminates dependencies and facilitates more productive
outcomes.
Brief Highlights on the various cloud platforms by Tech giants:
-
Amazon AWS Lambda
- With < ahref="">Lambda, one simply needs to upload the
code in the form of a ZIP file or container image, and
Lambda will take care of the execution process. Lambda can
be run for virtually any type of application.
-
Google functions - Simply write brief code snippets and connect to Google
cloud. The event-driven architecture will call the functions
and execute the necessary task
-
Microsoft Azure functions
- An event-driven serverless cloud platform. One can build
and debug locally without the need for any additional set
up.
-
IBM cloud function - A solution that offers seamless, cost-effective, automatic,
and easy integration
One may choose a certain cloud environment as per their
requirements but they must choose one as it has numerous
benefits to offer.
FaaS vs Serverless - Key facts
Although we have so far gathered an insight into what FaaS
and Serverless are all about, let us summarize the
understanding in few brief pointers, as follows:
-
FaaS focuses on code execution and implementing certain
functions to accomplish the target actions. Serverless, is a
complete infrastructural set up that performs the backend
functions to accomplish a task
-
FaaS is implemented in a serverless environment and
therefore it is a sub-component of a serverless
architecture. The Serverless model primarily takes care of
the server-side logic
-
FaaS enables automatic and independent scaling up of
functions as and when a module or task is uploaded on the
cloud. Serverless is the backbone of the cloud platform to
facilitate efficient execution of FaaS activities
Conclusion
Lesser complications add up to more productive outcomes,
leading to more revenue generation for organizations. Thus,
serverless architecture is more robust offering efficient
techniques to upscale business with more focus on meeting
customer expectations.
