The Serverless Mindset: Strategies for Building Scalable, Event-Driven Applications
Tags: aws, webdev, serverless, cloud
Published: 2023-03-13 14:28:15

Serverless computing has gained popularity in recent years as a way to build and deploy applications without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. In this article, we will explore the concept of serverless computing and discuss some strategies for thinking about and building serverless applications.

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## What is serverless computing?

Serverless computing is a model of cloud computing in which the cloud provider (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud etc) manages the infrastructure and automatically allocates resources as needed to run applications. This means that developers can focus on writing code, rather than managing servers or infrastructure.

Some common characteristics of serverless computing include:

**Pay-per-use pricing**: With serverless computing, you only pay for the resources that your application uses, rather than having to pay for a fixed amount of resources upfront.

**Automatic scaling**: Serverless platforms automatically scale up or down based on demand, so you don’t have to worry about over or under-provisioning resources.

**Event-driven execution**: Serverless applications are typically triggered by events, such as a user uploading a file or a message being sent to a queue. This makes them well-suited for building microservices or handling asynchronous tasks.

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## Thinking serverless

So, how do you go about thinking serverless when building an application? Here are a few things to consider:

**Break down**: Break your application into small, independent pieces: Serverless computing is well-suited for building microservices, which are small, independent units of code that perform a specific function. By breaking your application into small pieces, you can take advantage of the event-driven nature of serverless computing and scale each piece independently.

**Focus on the business logic**: With serverless computing, you don’t have to worry about the underlying infrastructure, so you can focus on writing code that addresses the core business needs of your application.

**Use managed services**: Cloud providers offer managed services for common tasks, such as database management, authentication, and messaging. These services can save you time and effort by taking care of the underlying infrastructure for you.

**Use appropriate patterns and practices**: There are many patterns and practices that can help you design and build effective serverless applications. Some examples include using queues to decouple services, using a state machine to manage complex workflows, and using a cache to improve performance.

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## Conclusion:

Serverless computing offers a number of benefits, including pay-per-use pricing, automatic scaling, and event-driven execution. By breaking your application into small, independent pieces, focusing on the business logic, using managed services, and using appropriate patterns and practices, you can effectively design and build serverless applications that meet the needs of your business.

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