What is serverless computing in the cloud?
By Pooja | 26th June 2025
The term ‘serverless’ means that even if the name tells that it is serverless, it doesn’t mean that there are no servers involved. There are servers involved, but the key here is that you, as the developer, need not have to worry about managing the servers but only concentrate on your work, i.e., writing your code or business logic.
As the deployment models have been evolving, we were able to reach this advanced point. It started with Bare Metal (BM), where we were managing the servers and the environment; we were responsible for installing the OS, and it was quite time-consuming figuring out the environment. We then moved to Virtual Machines (VMs), where we were able to handle idle times much better. We were still responsible for installing the OS, setting up the whole environment. We then came across Containers, where Docker helped popularize this idea. Here, we were packaging the codes and dependencies all into one single container that could run on any underlying infrastructure. It did simplify most of the things, but the challenges faced were regarding the scaling up of your apps, and managing them was a challenge. We advanced from there to Serverless, which we are using now. It abstracts from all of the underlying infrastructure, and the developers’ main focus is on writing their business logic.
Definition: Serverless Computing
Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model that is used in application development, where applications are built and deployed on a server infrastructure managed by an outside provider.
While all applications need servers to operate, in a serverless model, the cloud provider takes care of providing the necessary infrastructure and automatically scales it up or down based on one’s needs. It is also responsible for all routine infrastructure management and maintenance, such as operating system updates and patches, security management, capacity planning, system monitoring, and more.
Originally, what was intended with serverless compute was an environment where no server management would have to exist for developers. The server environment would be rendered hypostatic so that the developers would focus solely on frontend work and business logic development. Developers now just need to write their application code and deploy it in containers that are entirely handled by the CSP rather than having to manage any infrastructure.
Importance of Serverless Computing:
In the Traditional IT time, during the early days of the internet, if a person wanted to run a web application, they had to buy a physical server and maintain it by themselves. This was quite expensive since most applications used only a tiny fraction of the server hardware resources.
This problem was initially solved, but the customers still had to manage the servers and the environment; they were responsible for installing the OS, and it was quite time-consuming to figure out the environment.
Then Serverless Computing came into the picture, which later helped customers with developer productivity, efficient scalability, security, and all of this for a low cost. With the help of serverless computing, the developers were able to run their code, manage their data, and integrate applications without worrying about infrastructure management tasks.
Examples: AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, Microsoft Azure Functions, and Netflix.
Used in:
- Real-time data analytics
- Batch processing
- REST API backends
- Stateless application development
Advantages:
- It is cost-effective as the customer will not have to pay for the unused space in the server.
- Regular physical maintenance of the server is not required, as you are not responsible for it.
- They have inbuilt fault tolerance and availability.
- We can code, develop in any language.
- Faster deployment.
Disadvantages:
- It is still not suitable to meet all of the potential use cases.
- We cannot execute code for long periods.
- Developers don’t get clear access to what is happening behind the serverless scene, making debugging and testing a bit challenging.
- Serverless platforms are not meant to run long-duration tasks, meaning very long-running applications tend to become more expensive.
Drawbacks:
- Timeout – If your execution code does not finish in time, then your app could fail.
- Cold start – If the function is run after letting it be idle, there’s a delay.
Benefits of Serverless Computing:
- Pay for execution only, no idle time
- Auto Scalable
- Faster time of management
- Polyglot Environment
- It takes care of fault tolerances and MZRs
Key Components of Serverless Architecture:Function as a Service (FaaS):
In the middle of any serverless setting comes the presence of FaaS, running application logic upon invocation by some predetermined trigger or event. Such platforms are usually offered by cloud providers, including AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. Once the binding event occurs (a user clicks on a button or uploads a file), the Function takes some required data from the backend and processes it to respond to the user, all without having that user set up any servers.
Client Interface:
The client-side interface must interact with serverless apps. It must support short and stateless request-response cycles and integrate seamlessly with the backend services. The interface needs to scale along with traffic spikes and scale down during low traffic, always ensuring smooth and dependable operation.
Cloud-Based Web Hosting:
Unlike the regular web server, temporary cloud hosting is used by serverless apps to process incoming requests. This temporary layer receives user inputs, FaaS processes them, and returns responses. To give an example, for a video streaming platform, requests to view a video would be handled here, while the video files would be stored elsewhere in the backend.
Security Service:
Given their distributed, stateless nature, security is ensured in serverless systems. Every incoming request is expected to be authenticated since there is no sort of stored session history for reference. As serverless applications could span multiple services and vendors, protecting the full environment itself becomes a challenge. Normally, however, tools and methods would be token-based authentication and identity services such as AWS Cognito that can work well with FaaS platforms to secure logins with social or enterprise credentials.
Backend Database:
Where application data is stored, everything: static content, dynamic media, SQL queries, and real-time data. Developers typically deal with BaaS solutions offered by cloud providers who remove the need for manual setup and upkeep of infrastructure. These databases are tightly integrated with the FaaS platforms to make data retrieval and updates more efficient.
API Gateway:
The API gateway presents itself as a link to the client-facing interface and FaaS components. It receives requests from the client interface and passes them on to the serverless functions. The gateway can also do authentication, throttling, and versioning, apart from routing. Having one endpoint connecting many functions makes the application somewhat more functional and flexible.
Conclusion:
Serverless computing is an emerging cloud computing model that allows developers to focus on writing code, and it helps them not to be distracted by the server-side infrastructure. In short, it goes on to provide automatic scaling, reduces cost for quick short-term jobs, and enables a quick development cycle. Serverless computing simplifies the backend management with Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) and lends itself to event-driven applications. It is inclined not to provide a solution for long-running processes or applications that require some heavy backend control. On the whole, serverless computing gives a promising way to build scalable, lightweight, and responsive applications in a fast-paced digital world.