AWS Lambda-Dynamodb Facet of Serverless Computing

Aug 18,2021 by Raghav Bansal

AWS Lambda is an efficient computing service that helps in running code without the complications of managing more servers than required for efficient processing. It primarily works as a FaaS (Function-as-a-Service) and offers complete administration, management, monitoring, and logging of the system. It offers excellent management in higher-availability design infrastructure. The primary outlook of AWS Lambda is to offer enhanced flexibility, scalability, and complete integration with the other AWS services. It is a boon for running your code without incurring complicated management of additional servers.

Benefits of the Serverless Model:

Continuous Scaling: AWS Lambda automatically measures the requirements of code as soon as the trigger is initiated. Thus, the code runs accurately with auto-scaling, for meeting the compute service requirements effectively.

On-Demand Solutions: The platform issues are observed & corrected at the minutest level so that no issue arises during code compilation. When compared to other technologies, AWS Lambda is unique since it charges as per usage. This makes it highly cost-effective.

Managed Compute Services: AWS Lambda can manage high loads of data easily. It can simultaneously manage various software as well as hardware.

Secure Gateway: Secure management is the biggest advantage of AWS Lambda, as it reduces the risks that are caused because of viruses and attacks on the code.

No pending OS: In the traditional method of Compute Resources allocation, the complete management of hardware as well as software is a tough challenge, but in AWS Lambda, any allocation errors are managed with higher accuracy and precision.

How Lambda Works:

Serverless Model-Things to consider in AWS Lambda:

While you are seeking an understanding of AWS Lambda, a few watchpoints must be kept in mind for effective output. Amazon, being a futuristic organization, has various AWS enhancements in the pipeline at all times, which get updated on regular basis. So, the system is dynamic and technology additions occur regularly, which might outdate or replace previous iterations.

Statelessness: In Lambda, a particular function makes use of Redis, SQL/NoSQL databases, and message queues for data services which must be processed in a readable form. The Concurrency feature of Lambda can reduce certain complexities while working with the other platforms, for taking complete care of the transactional logic and other related platforms.

Limited Execution time: Lambda functions take up to 300 seconds or five minutes for execution and implementation. This implies that old-styled server architectures might not be compatible with the Lambda without re-structuring, so it is advisable to check compatibility before deployment.

Time Duration Support: AWS Lambda supports Node.js – v4.3.2, Java 8, Python 2.7, .NET Core, .NET Core 1.0.1 (C#).

Design Size Considerations: In AWS Lambda, the maximum execution size can be 50MB, which can be uncompressed up to 250MB. Depending on the application runtime available, downloading can be done automatically.

Compliance: Lambda is not presently PCI or HIPAA compliant, for the organizations that have restricted rules in force. However, this condition does not affect its use for other environments that are having PCI or HIPAA compliance. It is regularly used by AWS for the management of various platforms, without any serious complications.

Being a relatively recent platform for analytics framework usage, it has relatively fewer features when compared to dedicated cyphering platforms. Meeting the competitive benchmark of TFLOPS, and a robust analytics capability are the major benefits of AWS Lambda.

Applicability with other technologies:

Web Services along with the API Gateway: AWS API Gateways have complete management with Lambda for running Web services. As web services are less demanding than core compute services, a lot of functions of AWS Lambda are used together to provide the best web application output.

Data Processing through batch: AWS Lambda is clubbed with he batch data processing for batches to operate effectively along with delivering speedy data processing.

Analytics: Due to huge data processing, the analytics feature of AWS Lambda is growing its popularity. Lambda, being one of the latest technologies for analytics frameworks, is not so mature when compared to traditional dedicated system platforms. The Lambda application is being adopted widely because of its advantages for managing costs. Dubbed “Serverless Map/Reduce”, open-frames are other architectures that work for Lambda.

Event-Driven Processing: It is a completely event-driven process, as the complete functioning of the AWS system has S3 notifications for the management of the Lambda functions.

AWS Environment Automation: Traditionally, the automation instances were used only for AWS account task management, for example, EBS volume snapshots or maintenance of other housekeeping records. But now with the AWS Lambda availability, an automated environment is provided. With complete ease of management, Lambda functions are easy to handle and easy to manage the system tasks within seconds.

Artifact Build and Test: Even while tests are being performed during the code compilation, Lambda manages another software side by side effectively. So a completely secured test time is provided even during code build and test time.

AWS Step Functions: This is a new technology that was introduced in 2016. In this, the AWS Step Functions platform builds itself on he Lambda. It offers the user a privilege to coordinate functions within supported Lambda services. This feature manages the complete functioning of the serverless system along with the AWS Step functions.

In spite of being a new technology, Lambda uses open source code on which systems are built, deployed, and managed for achieving the design of the best serverless application.

Lambda Platforms & Frameworks

Serverless Framework: The Serverless Framework is one of the primary releases out of all the mature frameworks launched till date. This technology is completely written in node.js and uses the AWS Cloud formation for provisioning the AWS resources, so that system process execution is easier.

Chalice: Chalice is a framework for the deployment of Python applications along with the assistance of AWS Lambda requests with the API Gateway. Chalice uses Python for managing the route to request, and for attempting complete management of AWS along with the API Gateway.

Sparta: It is similar to the serverless Framework as it is using the Cloud formation for provisioning and management of complete AWS resources.

Apex: The node.js Apex is the framework that helps in building and management of Lambda services. The Apex technology along with tools such as Hashicorp, Terraform, etc. offers the management of AWS resources except for Lambda.

SAM: AWS has its own Serverless Application Model (SAM) which extends in the form of Cloud Formation. It is designed to enable serverless applications along with the use of technologies such as API Gateway, Lambda, and Dynamo DB.

Features of the AWS Lambda

It continuously operating a system with seamless delivery.
It easily merges with other servers.
It functions for complete integration testing and working.
It provides a quick code repairing solution.
It helps in having a better design of solutions.
It helps in releasing data without any delayed responses.
It has the least number of production defects.

Conclusion:

AWS Lambda is an effective serverless computing model. When it is seen in terms of both efficiency and scale, Lambda has the best features. The serverless computing service offers the best value for cloud consumers. The points of difference among the traditional EC2 instances and Lambda execution are the features offered by Lambda such as execution time, statelessness, and many others.

Obviously, all types of workloads are not suitable to Lambda, so initially, the steps are tested for each new application. It is important to preview AWS Lambda as per the features and criteria of the application. The development and growth of such an interesting technology are sure to elicit keen interest.

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