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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +meta: |
| 3 | + title: Serverless overview |
| 4 | + description: Understand the concepts and benefits of Serverless computing on Scaleway. |
| 5 | +content: |
| 6 | + h1: Serverless overview |
| 7 | + paragraph: Understand the concepts and benefits of Serverless computing on Scaleway. |
| 8 | +tags: functions serverless |
| 9 | +dates: |
| 10 | + validation: 2025-06-18 |
| 11 | + posted: 2025-06-18 |
| 12 | +categories: |
| 13 | + - serverless |
| 14 | + - functions |
| 15 | +--- |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +## What is serverless compute? |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +Serverless computing is a cloud computing model where the cloud providers manage the infrastructure and dynamically allocate computing resources as needed. |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +This means that there is no need to provision machines, manage a cluster, or pay for servers. Your application code is executed on demand, and you only pay for the computing time consumed by your software. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +This approach enables greater scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +Key features: |
| 26 | +* **Automatic scaling:** Your application can scale up or down automatically based on demand |
| 27 | +* **No server management:** No need to provision, maintain, or manage servers |
| 28 | +* **Pay as you go:** Only pay for the computing time you consume, making it cost-effective |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +Serverless is not limited to Serverless Functions which is perfect to deploy small chunks of code, it can also directly deploy containers on Serverless Containers and Serverless Jobs. |
| 31 | +Refer to the [differences between Functions, Jobs, and Containers](/serverless-functions/reference-content/difference-jobs-functions-containers/) for more information on Scaleway's different Serverless products. |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +## Why Serverless? |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +Serverless offers numerous advantages that can significantly enhance your development and operational efficiency: |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +* **Cost savings:** You only pay for the compute time your code uses, which can lead to significant cost reductions. No idle resources |
| 38 | +* **Scalability:** Automatically scale your applications to handle varying loads without manual intervention. It is perfect for seasonal traffic and viral apps |
| 39 | +* **Faster time to market:** Focus on writing code rather than managing infrastructure, accelerating your development cycles |
| 40 | +* **Reduced operational overhead:** Let the cloud provider handle server maintenance, updates, and scaling, freeing up your team to focus on innovation |
| 41 | +* **Eco-friendly:** Optimized resource usage reduces wasted energy |
| 42 | +* **Focus on apps:** you can put all your energy into the application value instead of managing infrastructures |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +## How to control the costs of Serverless? |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +Serverless is inherently cost-transparent. Here are some tips to optimize costs: |
| 47 | +* **Cost estimator:** When deploying Serverless resources via Scaleway Console, you can try different parameters to evaluate costs |
| 48 | +* **Best practices** Use efficient code with optimized libraries, ensuring a small resource footprint |
| 49 | +* **Monitoring** Monitor usage with built-in observability and use Cost Manager: [How to use cost manager documentation](/billing/how-to/use-the-cost-manager/) |
| 50 | +* **Parameters** Define a max-scale setting according to traffic spikes |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +Remember: Serverless eliminates upfront capital expenses and reduces operational costs giving you predictable, granular billing. |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +## Ready to go Serverless? |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +By adopting Serverless, you are choosing agility, innovation, and cost savings. |
| 57 | +Whether you are a startup scaling rapidly or an enterprise modernizing legacy systems, Serverless lets you focus on what matters: delivering value to your users. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +You can fully deploy your API on Serverless or use it to empower and add automation to your infrastructure. |
| 60 | +Serverless is excellent at handling traffic spikes, which is useful for offloading regular servers during special events. |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +## Is my application a good fit for serverless? |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +Most applications can benefit from serverless. Check some use cases: |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +* **Event-driven workloads:** file processing, real-time notification, IoT data streams |
| 67 | +* **Microservices and APIs:** Stateless, short-lived tasks (e.g., user authentication, payment processing, etc.) |
| 68 | +* **Sporadic traffic:** Apps with variable usage (e.g., marketing campaigns, ticketing system). |
| 69 | +* **Rapid prototyping:** Test ideas quickly without upfront infrastructure investment |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +## How secure are Serverless resources? |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +Scaleway prioritizes strong security and isolation for Serverless products. |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +* **Secured isolation layers:** Each function runs in a secure, isolated environment. Our systems provide a VM-like security while maintaining container-like performance |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +## How do I debug and monitor applications in a Serverless environment? |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +Scaleway provides full observability: |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +* **Logs and metrics:** Centralized logging and real-time metrics via Cockpit |
| 82 | +* **Local debugging:** Test functions locally using our [local testing tools](/serverless-functions/reference-content/local-testing/#requirements) |
| 83 | +* **Error Reporting:** Automatic alerts for failed invocations or resource bottlenecks via Cockpit. See [how to configure alerts for Serverless Functions](/serverless-functions/how-to/configure-alerts-functions/) |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +As our Serverless environment does not encourage vendor-locking, you can easily debug your container locally. |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +## Will Serverless lock me into the ecosystem? |
| 88 | + |
| 89 | +No. Scaleway Serverless is designed to minimize vendor lock-in. |
| 90 | +We believe in empowering your freedom to choose, adapt, and evolve. Here is how we ensure flexibility: |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +### No proprietary lock-in |
| 93 | +- **No forced dependencies**: Some providers require customers to import specific libraries to work properly. We do not. |
| 94 | +- **Open APIs**: Manage Serverless Functions via REST APIs, Terraform, CLI, and more with no proprietary control required. |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +## How to migrate to a Serverless ecosystem? |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +Serverless products at Scaleway allow you to gradually migrate to Serverless, offering different strategies: |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +### Start small |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +* **Small workloads:** Migrate non-critical workloads first, like parts of APIs, automation, and scheduled tasks |
| 103 | +* **Proof of concept:** Use our tutorial and check our [scaleway/serverless-examples repository](https://github.com/scaleway/serverless-examples) for inspiration |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +### Hybrid architecture |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +* **Coexistence:** Run serverless endpoints alongside VMs, clusters, and traditional apps |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +### Incremental refactoring |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +* **Break monoliths:** Convert microservices or stateless components to Serverless first |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +## What specific knowledge is required to deploy Serverless projects? |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +Serverless is designed to eliminate infrastructure complexity, so teams can focus on innovation: |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +### No infrastructure expertise needed |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +* **Managed services:** Scaleway handles networking, scaling, patching, and availability |
| 120 | +* **Simplified operations:** No need for DevOps engineers to manage clusters or servers |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +### Developer-centric workflow |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +* **Familiar tools:** Use Git, Docker, CI/CD pipelines, and IDEs you already know |
| 125 | +* **Language flexibility:** Support for Python, Node.js, Rust, Go, PHP on Serverless Functions |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +### Learn Serverless basics |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +* **Minimal learning curve:** Teams only need to understand event-driven architecture, container basics, and Scaleway’s serverless console/CLI |
| 130 | +* **Training resources:** Free tutorials, examples, and free-tier to experiment |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +## Is Serverless a good choice for a growing business? |
| 133 | + |
| 134 | +Absolutely. Serverless is ideal for startups and scaling businesses due to its cost efficiency, elasticity, and operational simplicity: |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +### Auto-Scaling for traffic spikes |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +* **Zero manual intervention:** Automatically scale from zero to millions of requests during flash sales, marketing campaigns, or viral events |
| 139 | +* **Example:** An e-commerce app handles black friday traffic seamlessly without provisioning extra resources |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +### Pay-as-you-go cost model |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +* **No idle costs:* Growing businesses avoid overspending on underutilized infrastructure |
| 144 | +* **Predictable budgeting:** Use cost estimator to forecast costs based on expected usage |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +### Focus on core innovation |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +* **Reduce operational overhead:** Teams avoid spending time on server management, freeing resources for product development |
| 149 | +* **Faster iteration:** Deploy updates in minutes without downtime |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +### Enterprise-Ready as you scale |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +* **SLAs and security:** Check our [SLA page](https://www.scaleway.com/en/terms/sla/) |
| 154 | +* **Hybrid flexibility:** Seamlessly integrate with other Scaleway services (e.g., databases, messaging, AI/ML) to support complex workflows |
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