Imagine the difference between building a hospital in the Neolithic era and today. Similarly, serverless technologies have drastically shortened development timelines. With serverless computing, developers can focus on core project aspects without managing infrastructure. This paradigm shift streamlines workflows, accelerates development, and enhances efficiency.
As you know, time is money. The faster you launch your web project to the market, the quicker you will attract customers and generate profit for your business. Shortening development time is one significant advantage of serverless technology, but how does it really look? Is it less costly and more efficient? Let's delve into this article - keep reading and you'll discover JetBase's practices and insights based on real-world experience. We will focus on one advantageous serverless service by Amazon - Lambda AWS, as we use it ourselves and highly recommend it to our partners, colleagues, and clients.
What is AWS Serverless, And What Are its Benefits
AWS, established in 2006, stands as one of the oldest cloud platforms. It is renowned for its comprehensive suite of services, user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, robust security measures, and unparalleled reliability and high performance. Brands such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and others began their journey with AWS, cementing its status as the number one platform for startups and enterprises alike.
The serverless service by AWS, known as Lambda, debuted in 2014 and continues to evolve. It is a service that allows code to be executed without the need to manage and support servers. The economic advantage lies in the fact that users of AWS Lambda only pay for the resources they consume - a model also known as pay-as-you-go. Serverless technology is applicable in various scenarios across industries, offering a flexible and efficient solution for a wide range of applications. AWS Serverless Lambda offers numerous features and benefits for developers, simplifying the deployment and maintenance process overall. Here are some of its key advantages:
Load alleviation
With AWS, you don't need to manually configure everything typically handled by developers. This includes server maintenance and a deep understanding of database operations.
Simplified configuration
While configurations still need to be written, it's not as extensive as with traditional methods. Lambda has generous limits, allowing for the implementation of both small and large projects.
Automation and convenience
Once deployed, everything is automatically configured. Additional benefits include in-service play upgrades and extensive automation, significantly easing the workload for developers. These factors enable the team to focus on development without worrying about how to redeploy the application or system, which means not spending time on basic tasks like server settings or bug fixes in case of server loads. But let's delve into this topic more deeply later in the article.
How AWS Serverless Works in Practice — Our Own JetBase’s Case
One of our current projects is hosted on AWS Lambda serverless service. It is an IT project in the healthcare industry that involves near-real-time big data processing. Specifically, it is a web and mobile application designed for tracking and monitoring data from health devices connected to IoT. We chose AWS to architect the project for several reasons.
Mostly, it was the project requirements that led us to choose AWS Serverless, and they were as follows:
Data Storage
For our needs, RDS seemed sufficient, while for medium-sized requirements, we selected Aurora. DynamoDB was chosen for saving processed data from devices due to its scalability and performance.
Request Processing
We chose Lambda for their simplicity and because our requests process in under 30 seconds, well within the lambda running limit. This decision saves us time and money, as Lambdas scale efficiently and charge based on actual usage.
Framework Selection
Serverless was chosen as the framework due to its popularity and the presence of team members experienced in working with it. We executed the deployment of the project. Our client already had some devices and a couple thousands of readings in place. The deployment time with AWS took us a few days. Then, we developed and launched the MVP and subsequently conducted quality testing and integration of additional services.
For example, we choose to store data in DynamoDB due to its scalability and performance. This service consistently delivers fast data processing speeds regardless of the volume of data. This necessitated the need for efficient data and status searches. To optimize the search process, we decided to integrate ElasticSearch, which is specifically optimized for this purpose. Another issue we encountered later was report processing. For such projects, we decided to integrate SQS (Service Queue Subsystem). After its integration, we were able to handle more data and adjust the number of messages accordingly. The project is still ongoing; it continues to evolve in terms of features and users. The scalability of Serverless was one of the crucial pros for us in choosing this platform for our healthcare development project. You can read more about it in the case study linked here.
Pain Reliever and Money Saver
One of the big advantages of AWS is cost reduction and flexibility in managing expenses because we pay for what we use. Unlike traditional servers, where we pay even in the absence of user activity. However, the economy is also hidden in the timeline - with AWS serverless, the launch of the product, testing, and bug fixing are much faster, meaning interested parties get what they need in a shorter time. No need to pay for time wasted.
Another important advantage is team composition and work environment. With Serverless, there's no need to hire separate specialists like DevOps or Solution Architects. But if a client decides to purchase a clean server, then developers have to configure it from scratch, in addition to writing the code. They need to set up databases, describe engines, etc. Serverless is less costly, but it also means that the project team can concentrate on coding itself and not on infrastructure routines. Human resource allocation matters. With AWS, team collaboration is faster and easier. But, of course, the team must be competent in many development issues, even if it doesn't include experts in a particular area. Otherwise, it's not a good team. All that is said is just to emphasize the comparative ease of launching the project and the comfort it provides. As our JethBase expert, Shuhrat B., says:
To Sum Up
We have been building applications on AWS Serverless for the past few years, and are completely satisfied. We would recommend AWS Serverless to individuals or organizations looking for a scalable, cost-effective, and efficient solution for building and deploying applications without the overhead of managing infrastructure. This is particularly beneficial for startups and small businesses, as they usually have limited budgets for dedicated servers and specialists. Developers themselves will find serverless to be a pain reliever. Enterprises can also benefit from AWS Serverless, as even complex and demanding applications can leverage its capabilities, allowing enterprises to innovate faster and respond to changing market demands more effectively. Overall, AWS Serverless is suitable for anyone looking to build and deploy applications quickly, scale them easily, and reduce operational costs. If you need a team of developers with expertise working with AWS Serverless, please don't hesitate to contact JetBase. We offer free consultations, and who knows, we may be exactly what you are looking for for your future development project, whether it's in healthcare or any other industry.
