Serverless architecture is a way of building and running applications and services without having to manage the underlying infrastructure typically associated with computing. In serverless architectures, the cloud provider automatically manages the allocation and provisioning of servers. Developers can focus purely on writing the code for their service or application without worrying about the server part of the equation.
In traditional server-based setups, developers or IT teams need to manage the server infrastructure themselves. This includes tasks like setting up servers, configuring them, managing server loads, ensuring security, and handling scaling as per the application demand. However, in a serverless environment, all these aspects are abstracted away. The cloud provider takes care of the server maintenance and operational tasks.
In a serverless setup, you typically pay only for the computing resources you use, measured by the actual number of resources consumed by an application rather than pre-purchased units of capacity. This can be more cost-efficient than traditional cloud or server-based models, where you might pay for a certain amount of server capacity regardless of usage.
Serverless architecture is often used for building microservices and APIs, handling tasks that trigger a response, like uploading files, sending notifications, or updating a database. It's ideal for applications with variable workloads, as it can automatically scale up or down based on demand.
However, "serverless" doesn't mean servers are absent; they are still there but abstracted away from the app development process. This approach allows developers to focus on writing the application code and defining the events or triggers that will execute the code, while the cloud provider takes care of the rest.
