serverlessly

Serverlessly refers to a cloud computing execution model where the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation and provisioning of servers. Developers write and deploy code without needing to manage the underlying infrastructure. This means they do not have to provision, scale, or maintain servers. Instead, a cloud provider automatically handles these tasks in response to incoming events or requests.

The core idea behind serverless is to abstract away server management from the developer. When code is deployed in a serverless environment, it runs in stateless compute containers that are event-triggered, ephemeral, and fully managed by the cloud provider. Developers are typically billed only for the compute time they consume, not for idle server time. This can lead to significant cost savings, especially for applications with variable or infrequent traffic.

Common examples of serverless technologies include Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) platforms, such as AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. These platforms allow developers to run small, single-purpose functions in response to various triggers, like HTTP requests, database changes, or file uploads. Other serverless offerings include managed databases, message queues, and API gateways, which also abstract away infrastructure management.

While the term "serverless" implies no servers are involved, this is a misnomer. Servers are still present, but their management is entirely handled by the cloud provider, invisible to the developer. This model allows for rapid development and deployment, automatic scaling, and a pay-per-use cost structure.