In the unlikely event that you might not already hear this, AWS Lambda is Amazon’s answer to serverless computing.
The theory behind serverless computer services is, as it sounds, to create a network for a variety of purposes while bypassing the need to have and maintain expensive servers.
With AWS Lambda, you are at top of the class in serverless computing. The setup and management is a breeze. You only need to code the functions you desire, configure them how you wish, and then deploy them. Keep reading this article to learn more about Lamdas.
What you might not know
AWS Lambda is the current front runner to the potent serverless computing crowd. Below are the top 7 reasons AWS Lambda is a powerhouse your business should consider. This list is in no particular order.
1. Supports for the most popular of Programming Languages
AWS Lambda has a large roster of programming languages that work with the system. This list includes Node.js, Python, Java, Go, and C# which are the most used programming languages.
This means your programmers can hop into AWS Lambda and be comfortable getting started but there are some differences that may throw off some of the stateful focused programmers, but if you are more functional programming focused, you will feel at home.
2. Pay For Only What You Use
Amazon has created a service with efficiency in mind and this is why that Amazon will only charge you for the services you require and not an over-complicated bundle filled with garbage you don’t want.
The exact billing calculated off invocations and duration which is of 100 ms intervals. This means the more efficient your code is, the more money you could save.
This rewards savvy business owners who can persuade their developers to the more potent programming forms they can take.
3. No Infrastructure Management Needed
A large portion of time and effort (read: money) area goes towards managing the servers that handle the technology. This often leaves business owners and other developers do not have the time for new development.
With serverless computing and AWS Lambda, in particular, those issues are now gone.
Since there’s nothing to maintain, upgrade or fix you get to spend your valuable time creating new features and expanding your business.
4. Editing Online
The traditional method of development and deployment for these services has worked the same way for a while. With AWS Lambda, they are not changed, but they do have company.
If you use JavaScript or Python to do your programming, you can access the editing platform from any web browser. This allows you to access and edit your infrastructure from any computer or even a mobile phone.
You can also save and secure these changes back into the source control for more thorough management.
5. Environment Variables
AWS Lambda gives you a powerful tool when dealing with various configurations. That tool is environment variables.
With environment variables, you can tag and categorize a massive amount of different configuration information. This can pass through to a variety of builds, areas, and other environments.
As long as you are diligent in setting the correct variables and keep track of which variable you need for the configuration at hand, the system will keep things organized and sorted.
6. API Gateway and Other Connection Points
AWS Lambda acts as a focal point for all of your entire structure and services. Using the API Gateway, your cloud services become an interconnected web of easy-to-access functions.
As you create more and more custom processes they will integrate with the rest of your application through the API Gateway. As your data flows through the variety of configurations and setups you have created, API Gateway interlinks them all.
You can use this wide-spread network to hone in, customize, and change your systems as needed. Use this to alter your other AI and cloud-based systems for their most efficient use.
7. AWS Lambda Runs Locally
A relatively recent addition to the AWS Lambda repertoire is the ability to take your serverless structure and run it on a local machine.
With SAM, the Serverless Architecture Model, you can create CloudFormation templates to define whatever application you will attempt to run at the local level.
This allows you to access and configure all of your Lambda creations and setups from any localized machine.
To gain access to Lamda, all you have to do is use the SAM command line, “generate-event” or by passing a JSON file with static data. You can also access Lambda on a local level through the Serverless framework.
Both of these setups do come with some restrictions. The heaviest restrictions lie in the limit of languages you can use with the local setup.
Serverless – Computing of the Future
We hope these few tips helped you realize the power of serverless and invite you to try it out for yourself and while you do that give Dashbird a go, it’s free!
