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By Shivangi Dwivedi
Software Developer
In the fast-evolving landscape of IT, paradigm shifts define the trajectory of technological progress. While Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) currently command attention, the evolution from containers to serverless computing stands as a pivotal transformation shaping the future of enterprise applications.
Containerization, once hailed as a breakthrough, addressed critical challenges but perpetuated the divide between administrators and programmers. Despite its benefits in streamlining team collaboration and enhancing CI/CD processes, less hassles when publishing changes and less time to market the product, it posed complexities in infrastructure management and deployment.
What is the role of containers? Put simply, containers encapsulate your existing software into a standardized package, making it more manageable for administrators. This is particularly crucial when it comes to handling dependencies and environment settings. However, these enhancements come with trade-offs. They often entail a more intricate application building process and the complex administration of specialized systems for container orchestration.
Moreover, implementing containers typically requires a highly skilled team.
In 2014, AWS unveiled a new cloud service that revolutionized how we think about software delivery. AWS Lambda – in the Function as a Service (FaaS) model and many other cloud-native services- launched what we now call serverless. Today many other cloud service providers such as Microsoft Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions, IBM Cloud Functions provides a serverless compute service which allows developers to build event-driven applications.
What is all this serverless?
Technopedia defines serverless computing as a category of solutions in which the client does not need to have servers – to run his code but gains access to them when he needs them. The cloud provider starts and stops the service in the PaaS model in response to specific requests and charges fees depending on their number.
AWS Lambda and serverless may be best known for their ‘Pay As You Go’ billing model. In a serverless architecture, you do not incur the cost of unused resources. You only pay for what is actively used (e.g. handling user inquiries). You also pay for the storage service you use to store your files (Amazon S3, DynamodDB, and the Aurora database).
The specificity of this model allows you to reduce expenses significantly. When applied to a specific problem, let’s explain it with the example of a business application that is only used during office hours. Traditional architectures (using servers or containers) cost money, even if it is currently unused. If we average that offices work 8 hours a day (from 8 am to 4 pm), this gives us 14 hours during which the application remains idle. There are also weekends. Simple maths show that this solution only uses 30% over a week. It’s different in Serverless. You only pay for what you use. Thus, in this model, working time efficiency is always 100%.
Moreover, serverless almost literally means “worry less about servers”. Regardless of the chosen solution, the cloud provider must use servers and containers working in the background for our application to work. However, unlike their other solutions, with serverless, we – customers – do not have to worry about it.
Linguistically serverless is like wireless. Like your home WiFi, it must be connected to your ISP’s network, either by cable or optical fiber, to work. However, you do not worry about it and enjoy the wireless Internet on your laptop or phone.
The absence of servers and traditional network architecture is paramount in delivering software faster and cheaper. It saves a tremendous amount of work time for programmers and designers, reducing the time needed to implement the product on the market (which is always appreciated by business stakeholders).
Moreover, unlike traditional architecture, serverless is natively highly available and scalable. This means that solutions that require the above-mentioned properties can be delivered faster and cheaper, as the cloud provider automates all complex processes. There is no longer any need to create clusters or autoscale groups on your own.
After implementing the software, serverless also saves the time needed for its maintenance. The cloud provider carries out tedious tasks for you, such as server bundling or security updates. Interestingly, in many cases, the role of the administrator in such a project is entirely unnecessary because serverless does not require as many network resources as traditional cloud virtual machines.
Serverless solutions can be much safer than monolithic applications. To work, an application written in a monolithic architecture needs all the necessary permissions and learns about our potential secrets (e.g. database password, etc.).
Serverless applications are built from many individual components (Lambda functions) that have only the permissions that are required for their proper operation.
Visualize a serverless system akin to a submarine with numerous compartments, each partitioned from the other. In the event of a feature hack, the attacker gains access to only a limited set of permissions. Similar to a well-constructed submarine, even if one compartment is breached, the entire system remains afloat, designed to withstand compartmentalized breaches. In contrast, traditional applications are akin to a single vulnerable point of access, where a single exploit can compromise the entire system, leading to far more severe consequences.
Serverless represents a novel paradigm – a breakthrough that dismantles the longstanding dichotomy between programmers and administrators. It fosters a closer alignment with the essence of DevOps, bringing developers into closer proximity to the production environment. Consequently, developers wield greater influence over its configuration, shaping the utilization of individual services.
Within the serverless realm, these roles intertwine seamlessly. This prompts reflection: should the role of IT administrator be redefined? If affirmed, such a shift would mark one of the most profound and unforeseen transformations in the IT industry in recent memory.
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