The Big Server Farm in the Sky
Tags: serverless, netlify, javascript, webdev
Published: 2022-04-06 23:58:00

This blog was originally written [here](https://zacharyp.blog/the-big-server-farm-in-the-sky) 👈🏼

_in a previous [episode](https://dev.to/zacharyp/how-fast-could-it-really-get-4m7h) I mentioned..._


> In reality by using a combination of 11ty serverless and Netlify functions we offload almost everything to the mythical server farm in the sky...

...and the comment I received the most _...once_ was what is this farm, what makes it so mythical, _where are the baby goats_?!?

Like Ms. Frizzle and the gang we are going on a field trip to answer all of those questions.



![magic school bus gif](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/47s05zlshx5wp11mp6le.gif)

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## Conjunction 
_...no_ 
## junction 
_...you better not_ 
## what even is a serverless function? 
_...straight to jail_


![Boo this man gif](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/xj7isp5wycr363qz2gj6.gif)

To all those still here _...big respect_ a serverless function _...in the most basic terms_ takes work off of the end users browser and ships that data cattle to a server farm that handles all of the heavy lifting and returns the result.

> _but you said server<u>LESS</u> yet it goes to a server? I need answers!_

Serverless is the _...marketing approved_ way to say 

> "Server that you don't maintain, have to setup, update, scale, cry over, but get to use like you did."
 
If this is not a sufficient answer take it up with 
`${majorServerlessVendorMarketingDepartment.email}`
_...Let me get through my spiel and I will give out a reward._

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💡 A **SALT MINES** amount of 🧂: I am _...attempting_ to cram a novel into a pamphlet. This is all from my narrow perspective, use it as a reference to do your own exploring through the topic. _...It's all fun and games until someone takes me seriously._

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## Who has the goods?

_Short answer..._ a ton of companies that provide any combination of options you could ever want.

_My answer..._ Netlify, I gravitated towards how easy it was to wire everything up and get running. _...for more flattery please unlock the season pass._

The real question is...

### What is it good for?

_After much boiling..._ we are left with a few main points that make serverless functions so spicy.

 

- 
**Scalability**, _...did your spicy marketing tweet go viral and now your website is in the direct gaze of the twitter hivemind??_ being able to scale in real time all of the provisioning _and zZzZzzZZzzZ..._ is handled for you by the vendor. You as the user get to focus on what is really important. _...idk selling rare Squishmellows._

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- 
**0 server config/maintenance**, _...uh-oh your bespoke server is throwing an 856 THPS code can you fix it?!_ no because I made that up and wonderful people _...with titles on their LinkedIn pages_ have solved the real problems associated with running a server so we don't have to.

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- 
**The $$$**, being able to ramp up and down with precision lowers the cost for the user. I don't have a funny story here _...all my work on Netlify is free.99_ so as a consolation prize this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6lYcXjd4pg&ab_channel=Fireship) by the Fireship Youtube channel sums up what serverless functions help us avoid.

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- 
**Speed**,_...unlike Jack Traven who only wanted to keep it above 50,_ serverless functions live much closer to the end user which makes delivery times consistently faster and more reliable at scale when compared to their bespoke breatheran. _...if only my pizza delivery could figure this one out._ Shipping less and less JS to the end user helps bring really clean well functioning experiences to more people who before were limited by their hardware or data connection. _...rare Squishmellows for ALL!!_

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💡 A few things to think about: There are some drawbacks when it comes to serverless functions _...instead of spoiling all the fun_ I just wanted to mention them for further study by the class later.

🔒 Serverless functions introduce a new set of security questions.

❄️ "cold-start" or when a server needs to boot up when it is used potentially causing lag _...like your car in the winter_

🐞 Debugging becomes _...interesting_

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_...if you made it THIS far 🎉 Congratulations 🎉 as promised baby goats.._


![baby goats gif](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uw3hqsqzpzvkefc4rd3d.gif)

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Thanks for reading 👋🏼 do your own research and check me out on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/TweetZachBack)! 

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### TLDR
Serverless functions provide a ton of useful features for both the developers and the end users by shipping the giant JS data cattle to a server farm near you..

My data cattle on the server farm:

![Data cattle on the server farm](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/88t29o5aocczju6meba4.gif)