Serverless Computing
Definition
Serverless computing is a cloud execution model where the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation of machine resources. It does not mean there are no servers; it means the developers do not have to manage them. Code is executed in response to events.
Why It Matters
Serverless abstracts away all infrastructure management, allowing developers to focus purely on writing code. It offers extreme elasticity and a pay-per-use model where you are billed only for the execution time of your code, often in milliseconds.
Contextual Example
A developer writes a function to resize an image and deploys it to AWS Lambda. The function is only invoked when a user uploads a new image to an S3 bucket. The developer pays nothing when the function is idle and a tiny amount for each execution.
Common Misunderstandings
- This model is also known as Function as a Service (FaaS).
- It is best suited for event-driven, stateless, and short-lived tasks, not for long-running applications.