Understanding Serverless Architecture With Bismuth

Serverless architecture, a common implementation approach in cloud computing, allows developers to build and deploy applications without managing the underlying server infrastructure. By offloading server management to cloud providers, this architecture enables developers to focus solely on code. Let's explore serverless infrastructure and see how Bismuth leverages this technology to help development teams build more quickly.

What Does The Term Serverless Mean In Cloud Computing?

Serverless is a cloud-native development model where cloud providers manage the servers. Developers write code that executes in response to individual events, while the cloud provider handles provisioning, scaling, and maintenance of the infrastructure that runs the functions.

Despite its name, serverless hosting does involve servers. However, the server management is abstracted away from developers. Cloud providers like us here at Bismuth manage all server-side operations, allowing developers to concentrate on application functionality instead of infrastructure management​.

Serverless computing means that developers write discrete pieces of code, known as functions, which are executed in response to specific events. These events could be HTTP requests, database updates, or file uploads. This model, known as Functions as a Service (FaaS), allows applications to scale automatically based on demand​.

What is a Serverless Application?

A serverless application consists of multiple serverless functions that handle specific tasks. These functions are event-driven and can automatically scale to meet demand. Common use cases include real-time data processing, web applications, event triggers like sending a slack message and mobile backends​.

Key Components of Serverless Architecture

1. Serverless Functions

Serverless functions, or FaaS (Functions as a Service), are the core of serverless computing. Each function performs a specific task and is fully isolated from other function executions. This provides fault tolerance, optimized resource usage and high horizontal scalability. Cloud providers dynamically allocate resources to run these functions as needed​.

2. Event Sources

Functions are triggered by various events, including HTTP requests, file uploads, and database modifications. This event-driven model ensures functions are executed only when needed, optimizing resource utilization​.

3. Cloud Service Providers

Major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud offer serverless platforms. AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions are popular services that facilitate the deployment and execution of these applications​.

4. API Gateways

API Gateways manage HTTP requests and route them to the appropriate functions. They provide features like rate limiting, authentication, and sometimes logging, which are essential for building secure and efficient APIs​.

Advantages of Serverless Architecture

1. No Server Management

Serverless architecture eliminates the need for server management. Cloud providers handle all infrastructure-related tasks, allowing developers to focus on writing code. This leads to faster deployment cycles and reduced operational overhead​ (IBM - United States)​​ (Amazon Web Services, Inc.)​.

2. Automatic Scaling

Functions automatically scale based on demand. This ensures applications can handle varying traffic loads without manual intervention. For instance, AWS Lambda can scale from zero to thousands of requests per second without any configuration​.

3. Cost Efficiency

With serverless computing, charges are based solely on usage. There are no costs associated with idle resources, making it a cost-effective solution for many applications. You pay only for the compute time consumed by your functions, which can significantly reduce costs compared to traditional hosting models​.

4. Faster Development

This architecture accelerates development by abstracting infrastructure concerns. Developers can deploy code quickly and iterate more rapidly. This is particularly beneficial for startups and small teams that need to bring products to market quickly​ (Redhat)​​ (Twilio)​.

5. Improved Resource Utilization

Since billing is based on actual usage, it ensures optimal resource utilization, reducing waste and enhancing efficiency. This model encourages developers to write efficient code, as inefficient code directly translates to higher costs​​.

Development Challenges

1. Cold Starts

When a serverless function is invoked after being idle, it can experience a delay known as a cold start. This can impact the performance of latency-sensitive applications. Cold starts occur because the cloud provider needs to allocate resources and initialize the function, which can take several seconds​​. Bismuth has eliminated cold starts in our runtime which is purpose built for immediate launch and continuous warming of your applications.

2. Short Lived

Functions typically have a maximum execution time. Long-running processes may not be suitable for a typical serverless model. For example, AWS Lambda functions have a maximum execution time of 15 minutes, which may not be sufficient for some complex tasks​. Platforms, including Bismuth, can be flexible on the maximum runtime and offer support for long lived applications which make them closer to a general container solution similar to AWS Fargate.

3. Vendor Lock-In

Using a specific cloud provider’s serverless platform can lead to vendor lock-in, complicating future migration to another provider. Each provider has its own APIs, tools, and operational procedures, making it challenging to switch platforms without significant refactoring​.

Bismuth helps avoid vendor lock-in by operating on the OCI container spec and requiring minimal integration with our SDK to run against our platform. We hope you stay with us, but also understand businesses want optionality when building against a platform

4. Complex Debugging

Debugging FaaS applications can be challenging due to their distributed nature and the lack of direct access to the underlying infrastructure. Traditional debugging tools may not work as expected, requiring developers to use specialized tools and techniques to troubleshoot issues.

Distributed function tracing can offer deeper insight into your application and provide visibility into runtime execution on the platform you are deployed on. This would allow you to do things like trace an execution through multiple serverless functions and see exactly where errors arise.

Use Cases

1. Real-Time Data Processing

Serverless functions are ideal for processing data in real-time, such as processing IoT sensor data or streaming analytics. For example, a serverless function can process and analyze data from a fleet of IoT devices, providing real-time insights and alerts​.

2. Web and Mobile Backends

Serverless architecture can power the backends of web and mobile applications, handling tasks like authentication, data storage, and API management. For instance, in a serverless web app the backend can handle user authentication, store user data in a database, and provide APIs for accessing and updating that data​.

3. File Processing

Serverless functions can automatically process files uploaded to cloud storage, such as resizing images or transcoding videos. For example, a serverless function can be triggered when a new image is uploaded to a cloud storage bucket, resizing the image and generating thumbnails​.

4. Chatbots and Voice Assistants

Serverless platforms are perfect for building chatbots and voice assistant skills, handling user requests and integrating with other services. For instance, a serverless function can process user input from a chatbot, perform natural language processing, and respond with relevant information​.

Bismuth Cloud: A Case Study in Serverless Architecture

At Bismuth, we have developed a unique serverless platform that goes beyond traditional FaaS. Our system provides complete control over deployment, making it possible to deploy applications in seconds with no cold starts. Our custom container orchestrator handles all aspects of deployment and scaling seamlessly. For an in-depth look at our technology, read our blog post on the technical architecture of Bismuth Cloud.

Best Serverless Platforms

Several cloud providers offer robust platforms, including:

• AWS Lambda: One of the most popular platforms, offering seamless integration with other AWS services.
• Azure Functions: A versatile platform with strong integration with Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem.
• Google Cloud Functions: A scalable and reliable platform from Google.
• Bismuth Cloud: Our own platform, designed to provide unparalleled speed, flexibility and control in deploying and managing applications.

Conclusion

Serverless architecture represents a significant shift from the typical way of building and deploying applications. By abstracting away infrastructure management, serverless computing allows developers to focus on delivering value through code. While there are challenges to consider, the benefits of serverless technology make it a compelling choice for many use cases.

Whether you are developing a serverless web application, exploring serverless cloud computing, or simply curious about what serverless means, serverless architecture may increase your ability to develop and ship applications.

I hope this overview has been informative. For more insights on serverless architecture and other technological trends, check out some of our other articles like our comparison between microservices and serverless.