Serverless vs. Containers
When it comes to Cloud Architecture, there are two major schools of thought: Serverless and Containers. While both options have their benefits and drawbacks, it can be challenging to determine which is the best option for a particular use case. In this blog post, we'll compare Serverless and Containers to help you make an informed decision.
What is Serverless?
Serverless is an event-driven, scalable way of deploying applications where the cloud provider manages the infrastructure and the developer only needs to worry about the code. The infrastructure is dynamically built when an event is triggered, providing a zero-server environment experience. For example, it is a typical way of hosting small microservices or functions.
What are Containers?
Containers are a lightweight way of deploying applications, where the application is packaged as a self-contained executable image that runs consistently across different infrastructure. With containers, developers can create microservices and deploy them independently of each other. This results in faster and more efficient application build and deployment cycles.
Comparison of Serverless vs. Containers:
Scaling
Serverless environments scale up or down automatically depending on the number of requests sent to an application. This makes Serverless architectures an excellent choice for volatile workloads where demand may vary considerably over time.
Containers, on the other hand, can also scale as needed, but they require manual configuration to enable horizontal scaling. This means that for volatile workloads, a Serverless environment would be the preferred choice over containers since they automatically scale up or down to meet demand.
Cost
In general, Serverless environments cost less than containers. This is because the cloud provider charges based on usage, which means that idle resources are not charged. In contrast, with containers, you are charged for running the infrastructure, even if the application is idle.
Performance
Serverless applications typically provide faster performance than containers since the computing environment is already running and ready to handle requests when needed. Containers, on the other hand, need time to start an environment and load all of the dependencies before they can handle requests. This time delay can impact application performance, especially during sudden spikes in demand.
Conclusion
Both Serverless and Containers have their benefits and drawbacks, and the best option will depend on your specific use case. If you have a volatile workload and need to scale up or down quickly, a Serverless environment is the best choice. But if you have a more complex application environment with multiple services, then containers would be a more suitable option.
Regardless of which option you choose, the important thing is to hire a qualified cloud architect to design the infrastructure and decide which technology suits your business's needs and goals.