What is serverless computing?
Serverless means you run code without managing any servers yourself. Servers still exist, but the cloud provider handles all of them, and you just upload a function that runs when triggered. You pay only for the time your code runs. AWS Lambda is the best known example. It is great for event driven and bursty workloads.
- Serverless lets you run code without managing servers.
- You are billed only for the time your code actually runs.
- Functions scale automatically but can have cold start delays.
How it works
You write a small function, for example resize an image, and the provider runs it whenever an event happens, like a file upload. When nothing is happening, you pay nothing, and when many events arrive, it scales automatically.
- No server management at all.
- Pay only for actual execution time.
- Scales automatically with the number of events.
Clear up the name. Saying serverless does not mean there are no servers, it means you do not manage them shows you understand it deeply, since the name confuses many people.
Frequently asked questions
Does serverless mean there are no servers?
No. Servers still run the code, but the provider manages them completely, so you focus only on your functions and never provision infrastructure.
What is a cold start?
It is the extra delay when a function runs after being idle, because the platform must start a new instance before handling the request.
Common follow up questions
Related interview questions
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