'Serverless': A New Concept - Thanks to Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has simply removed a significant chunk of work around managing and provisioning services. The momentous rise of this technology has simply implied a shift in the future strategy of software and apps which are primarily occupied by servers.

The current scenario suggests that things are starting to change as more and more apps are moving into a serverless world. This seismic shift definitely will bring large implications for the creation and distribution of software applications.

The ‘Pre-Cloud’ Era:

Back then, developers where keen enough to think a lot about servers. They planned budgets, powered and housed them, and some even leased servers. Developers also had to consider cabling and cooling systems within their data centers.

But as years passed, things caught up into a drastic makeover. Developers finally realized the hardships in dealing and maintaining servers. As the allocation facilities began taking out many parts of the resources, detailed planning and preservation seemed pretty waste.

Enter the cloud:

In the last two years, the tech world has subjected to a huge shift in terms of computing. Trends like cloud and BYOD have taken their own stand. Questions such as "Why cloud?" or even "How cloud?" are no longer to be heard. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) has delivered dramatic improvement on cost, agility, scalability and reliability.

With almost limitless amount of virtual machines available, developers are so pumped up that they can chose any operating system they wish to, load in their applications and even start profiting from them. Even launching hundreds of servers and coordinating is still far better when compared to what it was just six years ago.

Application in the “Cloud”:

The standalone applications built on Ruby, Rails, Python or any other Web app frameworks are giving way to a distributed system spread across a number of applications, processes and data stores. The concept on building a web app has changed. At present, it’s all about building apps that consist of loosely coupled components scattered across the cloud.

This trend has clearly outlined the fact that applications aren’t anymore server-based. At present, processing is increasingly taking place outside of an app framework. Assisting these processes are client apps and back-end data storages. In short, developers are on the verge of becoming serverless.

Thinking Serverless:

“Serverless” doesn’t mean servers are no longer involved. It means that developers no longer have to think much about them. A change in strategy is what we see, as service providers are increasingly taking the responsibility of managing servers, data stores and other infrastructural resources. This gives an increased advantage for developers as they no longer have to deal with additional physical commodities or limits.

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