Serverless Computing: Transforming DevOps Workflows

An application is said to be “serverless” when its underlying architecture is fully managed by a cloud provider. This means that developers can focus on writing code and deploying it to production without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Serverless computing is a paradigm shift in software development and deployment. It has the potential to transform DevOps workflows by reducing the amount of time spent on infrastructure management and increasing the speed at which new features are released.

This article will explore how serverless computing can be used to transform DevOps workflows. You will also comprehend some of the challenges that come with adopting this new technology and best practices for overcoming them.

Why Serverless Computing is Important for DevOps

Although the name “serverless” implies that there are no servers involved, this is not the case. Serverless computing still relies on servers to execute applications, but the distinctive feature is that developers are not tasked with managing, interacting, or maintaining these servers. Simply put, they’re invisible to the developer.

In addition to relieving developers from the burden of infrastructure management, serverless computing offers various other benefits:

• Scalability: DevOps teams being freed from concerns about the underlying infrastructure shifts the responsibility solely to the cloud provider. This means that the cloud provider can scale the infrastructure up or down as needed without any input from the developer.

• Reduced operational burden: Managing infrastructure is a time-consuming task that can take up a lot of time for DevOps teams. Since the underlying infrastructure is “invisible” to the development team, handling all the time-consuming tasks is the sole responsibility of the cloud provider.

• Cost efficiency: Operating within a serverless architecture entails a pay-as-you-go model, ensuring that you only incur costs for the resources you actively use. This eliminates the need to pay for idle resources, presenting substantial cost savings for DevOps teams.

Challenges in Adopting Serverless Computing

Although serverless computing has many benefits, there are still some challenges that come with adopting this new technology. Some of these challenges include:

• Cold start: In a serverless architecture, an application is not continuously running; instead, the cloud provider activates the required resources when the application is needed and deactivates them when it’s not in use.
  
  Consequently, if an application remains unused for an extended period, the time required to initiate the necessary resources for running the application increases, known as a “cold start.” This can pose challenges, particularly for infrequently used applications.

• Vendor lock-in: Building an application on a serverless architecture means that you are locked into the cloud provider’s ecosystem. This makes it difficult to migrate the application to another cloud provider if you decide to switch providers in the future.

• Limited control: DevOps teams might encounter difficulty working with serverless architectures due to the lack of complete control over the infrastructure. This reflects a tradeoff between abstraction and control.

Serverless Tools in DevOps Workflows

Every popular cloud provider has a serverless offering. Some of the most popular serverless tools include:

• AWS Lambda – A serverless compute service on AWS, that executes code in response to events while automatically handling the underlying compute resources. This fully managed service enables running code without the need for server provisioning or management.

• Azure Functions – A serverless service that facilitates on-demand code execution without the necessity of server provisioning or management. This service enables running application code in various languages without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

• Google Cloud Functions – A serverless environment that allows you to write functions that have a singular purpose. These functions are then attached to events from the Google Cloud Platform services.

Another popular way in which DevOps teams can utilize serverless computing is through its integration into CI/CD Pipelines.

• Continuous Integration (CI) – DevOps engineers can employ CI tools to consistently package serverless applications, ensuring that each code commit initiates an automated deployment to production. In a serverless environment, CI tools are also utilized by DevOps teams to manage code testing and maintain parallel workflows.

• Continuous Delivery (CD) – Using a CD pipeline, DevOps teams can automate the deployment of applications to diverse serverless platforms. This automation minimizes manual intervention, resulting in quicker and more dependable deployments.

Best Practices for Serverless in DevOps

1. Managing Dependencies: While writing serverless functions, you would often use external tools or pieces of code. Here’s how you can handle them:

• Bundle up dependencies: Keep things tidy by packaging dependencies with your functions. This helps create neat deployment packages, reducing the need for external dependencies during runtime. Utilize tools like Webpack or native bundling features to bundle up your dependencies.

• Version control for dependencies: Always use specific versions of your dependencies. This helps avoid compatibility issues and ensures your functions work consistently across different deployments.

2. Monitoring and Debugging: Serverless monitoring involves analyzing the performance of your serverless applications. Here are the best practices for monitoring and debugging in a serverless environment:

• Logging: Cloud providers offer built-in logging features that allow you to monitor your serverless applications. You can also use third-party tools like Datadog or New Relic to monitor your serverless applications.

• Alerting: Set up alerts for your serverless applications so that you can be notified when something goes wrong. This helps you take action immediately and avoid downtime. These alerts can be sent via email, SMS or Slack.

3. Security Considerations: Security is important in serverless architectures; consider the following measures:

• Implement proper IAM permissions: Implement the principle of least privilege, granting functions only the necessary permissions to minimize potential security risks.

• Keep secrets safe: Safeguard sensitive information such as API keys and credentials using secure configuration management practices to prevent unauthorized access.

Conclusion

Serverless computing is a paradigm shift in software development and deployment. It has the potential to transform DevOps workflows by reducing the amount of time spent on infrastructure management and increasing the speed at which new features are released.

This article explored how serverless computing can be used to transform DevOps workflows. You also learned about some of the challenges that come with adopting this new technology and how they can be overcome.