Serverless Framework: cloud functions without infrastructure worries

Serverless computing changes the paradigm — instead of servers you deploy functions. Serverless Framework simplifies working with AWS Lambda, Azure Functions and Google Cloud Functions.

No server is easier to manage than no server¶

Serverless (Function-as-a-Service) is the logical next step after containers. Instead of managing servers, clusters or containers you deploy individual functions. The cloud provider takes care of scaling, availability and patching.

AWS Lambda, launched in 2014, is the most mature FaaS platform. Azure Functions and Google Cloud Functions follow. Serverless Framework is an open-source tool that abstracts the differences between providers.

Serverless Framework in practice¶

Function definition in serverless.yml:

service: user-api

provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs4.3
  region: eu-west-1

functions:
  getUser:
    handler: handlers/user.get
    events:
      - http:
          path: users/{id}
          method: get

  createUser:
    handler: handlers/user.create
    events:
      - http:
          path: users
          method: post

serverless deploy creates Lambda functions, API Gateway endpoints, IAM roles — all automatically.

When serverless makes sense¶

Ideal use cases for serverless:

• API backends — REST/GraphQL APIs with variable traffic
• Event processing — processing S3 uploads, SQS messages, DynamoDB streams
• Scheduled tasks — cron jobs without a server
• Webhooks — receiving and processing webhooks

Less suitable for:

• Long-running processes (Lambda limit 5 minutes)
• Stateful applications requiring persistent connections
• Workloads with constant high load (serverless is more expensive)

Cold starts and vendor lock-in¶

Two main serverless problems:

Cold starts — the first call after inactivity takes longer (100ms–3s depending on runtime). For latency-sensitive applications this is a problem. Workarounds: keep-warm scheduling, provisioned concurrency.

Vendor lock-in — Lambda-specific features (DynamoDB triggers, Step Functions) bind you to AWS. Serverless Framework mitigates lock-in at the deployment level, but application code still depends on provider-specific SDKs.

Conclusion: the future is event-driven¶

Serverless is not a replacement for all workloads, but for event-driven and API scenarios it is economically and operationally advantageous. Serverless Framework is the best way to get started. You pay only for actual usage — no idle servers.