The FaaS market is expanding rapidly. Allied Market Research reports that it was valued at $3.01 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $24 billion by 2026, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.7% from 2020 to 2026.

Seeing that transition, it’s easy to say FaaS is a stunning great deal. However, what exactly is FaaS, and how does it function? 

To help you address those queries, this article will offer the fundamentals of FaaS and explain why individuals should (or shouldn’t) opt for FaaS. Let’s delve into it.

What is Function as a Service (FaaS)?

Function as a Service (FaaS) is a cloud computing format that allows creators to perform nicely by terminating the requirement to support application infrastructure. When designers leverage FaaS, they operate a FaaS platform to create, operate, and manage application packages.

At this moment, you may think that FaaS seems like serverless computing—and you’re correct. Serverless computing lets creators outsource handling databases, messaging, storage, API gateways, and other infrastructure to a third-party provider. FaaS falls under the umbrella of serverless computing.

Though this might be your first time learning about FaaS, you’ve probably experienced it in the wild. Multiple famous apps and programs operate FaaS, such as Amazon’s Alexa.

How Does Function as a Service (FaaS) Work?

To know FaaS, you must understand two essential terms:

Monolithic architecture = an integrated application that operates alone from other applications. These applications drive the business functions, user interface, and data interface in-house. This architecture relies on interconnected code components.

Microservice architecture = a fragment of code that controls some small tasks. These microservices are different (though they drive up a complete application jointly).

When you complete or edit a function, you can witness the major distinction between monolithic and microservice architectures in practice.

In a monolithic architecture, the entire program executes functions as a single unit (such as updating an app). Conversely, you can perform individual microservice functions independently in a microservice architecture.

FaaS enables microservice architectures to operate. You must only make the function when you complete every new microservice process. Then, your FaaS provider receives the function, executes it, and controls the direction of the process from then on.

Because FaaS is a tool that operates based on your input, citing note that every FaaS process should only be responsible for one task is essential. This task executes when its stimulus is triggered. 

Pros of a FaaS Model

With FaaS, creators aren’t required to worry about deployment or infrastructure—they only need to write application logic. When executed efficiently, FaaS can substantially reduce the time required for program development and deployment.  

Deploying and building are also more comfortable with FaaS. Provisioning time is only a few seconds instead of hours. 

You’re not restricted to specific resources or languages, either. FaaS offerings can run code in many languages, and you can rush up the structure process by utilizing the databases and caches your provider delivers.

The FaaS model is highly scalable, and capability planning is relatively easy. If you require more help, you can just direct to your FaaS provider’s teachings to boost your service. Also, you don’t need to stress about Disaster Recovery (DR), maintenance, or security.

Ultimately, FaaS is quite efficient. Providers only bill you for the resources consumed, so you will probably spend less for FaaS than maintaining your hardware. Also, your functions sit idle and don’t operate in the background.

Function as a Service (FaaS) Best Practices

Yes, FaaS is a technology, but it’s also a mindset that creators must adapt for application development and programs. To obtain the most from FaaS, follow these most promising approaches:

Know FaaS’s limitations. FaaS is not appropriate for every program, and attempting to make a non-FaaS-friendly program with FaaS will result in wasted time, effort, and cash.

Only run single-action functions on FaaS. If you operate functions with numerous moves, you spoil the isolated setting where FaaS functions thrive. This disruption will delay your application performance and decrease efficiency.

Don’t run functions with dependencies. Dependencies will make mistakes and have a scalability issue afterward.

See your load time carefully. Your load time is influenced by libraries or functions that require significant memory. High load times can slow down your program and frustrate users.

Do You Need FaaS?

FaaS is a creative and transformative technology for a few, yet it may not be suitable for everyone.

The entities that benefit most from Function as a Service (FaaS) are ready to create programs with microservice architectures where each function performs a singular task. These functions must operate alone—if they’re dependent, you will have scalability problems.

If you desire to make an application with a monolithic architecture or interdependent processes, FaaS might not be the best fit. Similarly, if you’re reluctant to commit to a single vendor over the long term, choosing FaaS could be a limited decision.

However, there are alternative ways to leverage cloud technology without FaaS. You could, for instance, invest in Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to delegate some of your application’s functions to the cloud.

Moreover, if you don’t require creating a program with highly specialized functionality, consider funding a Software as a Service (SaaS) tool. Some SaaS tools are even open-source, offering the possibility of adapting existing solutions to meet your needs.

Conclusion

FaaS, or Function as a Service, is not technobabble or a new trend. It’s a scalable technology expected to gain prominence in the next decade. Explaining FaaS can occasionally look challenging, but FaaS is simply a service that lets creators run and write code utilizing infrastructure managed by someone else. 

Popular services like Alexa already operate FaaS. Major FaaS providers include Google Cloud Functions, AWS Lambda, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud Functions, and Microsoft Azure Functions.

While FaaS is favorably helpful for some companies, it won’t work for everyone. FaaS functions are most suitable for handling isolated, stateless code that serves a specific function.

FAQS

What are a few examples of FaaS being used today? 

Google Cloud Functions and Amazon’s AWS Lambda are famous examples of Function as a Service (FaaS) platforms. These platforms allow creators to execute code without providing or operating servers.

What is the difference between FaaS and PaaS?

PaaS and FaaS are two kinds of cloud computing media that can be utilized to create, host, and operate applications. PaaS is a cloud computing platform that aids in developing and deploying applications, whereas FaaS offers on-demand services specifically for executing functions.

How much does FaaS cost?

Function as a Service (FaaS) costing depends on resource usage, execution time, or the number of requests. As such, it can vary greatly depending on usage patterns. Vendors provide costing examples ranging from less than $10 for modest usage to over $1,500 per month for more extensive requirements.

Is FaaS appropriate for edge computing?

Due to resource constraints, efficient resource management of Function as a Service (FaaS) is appealing for edge computing. Existing literature on Edge-Cloud FaaS platforms demonstrates compute workloads considering factors like data locality, resource availability, network expenses, and bandwidth.