Going Serverless in 2018
I know it’s the season to set resolutions for the year, but I’m suggesting we do something a bit different this go around. I’m not telling you to forget about your health-related goals - let’s chat in March - what I’m suggesting is adopting a Serverless first approach in 2018.
Exactly what do I mean when I say Serverless first? It’s pretty simple really - [we avoid adding additional Operating Systems] (http://curiousorbit.com/blog/go-serverless/) at all costs! Whenever possible, we use the following principle for solutions deployed on the AWS platform:
- Serverless First: Avoid OS’s
- Managed Services: Let someone else manage the OS
- Infrastructure Services: We’re backed into a corner so OS management it is
Getting started
Here’s a typical conversation I have when standing on my Serverless soapbox:
X: I’m super interested in Serverless, but I’m not a developer and have never used Lambda.
Me: [Serverless means much more than just Lambda] (https://curiousorbit.com/blog/serverless-computing/) - let’s look at some other Serverless solutions you may be able to use.
Me (quietly to X): BTW, I’d highly suggest you start brushing up on your ‘development’ skills - there are going to be table stakes in the very near future.
Just a quick note before proceeding - The next section is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of Serverless options on the AWS platform - these are just my go-to services when someone is stuck and is looking for some suggestions on where to start.
Simple Storage Service (S3)
S3 is the grand-daddy of all AWS services. It’s widely used by organizations of all sizes as a high-durable, cost-effective storage platform, but did you also know you could use S3 as an entry point for Serverless solutions?
It’s a great, easy way to start; I highly suggest you check out some of what’s possible using S3 Event Notifications.
DynamoDB
I bet if you had a good hard look at the majority of the data you’re storing in your current RDBMS solutions much of it isn’t even relational. Here’s a great opportunity to start leveraging another Serverless solution by moving non-relational data to DynamoDB and (possibly) downsize your current RDS deployment.
API Gateway
I describe the AWS API Gateway services as a ‘front-door’ to your applications. It’s highly flexible, cost-effective and is tightly integrated with many AWS services. Have a look in your environment - is there a ‘front-door’ that could be replaced with the API gateway?
‘Developer’ Starting Point
If you’ve decided to start polishing up those ‘development’ skills here’s a pro-tip for you - make a list of all the cron jobs running on all your EC2 instances and start transforming each of them into discrete, easy-to-manage Lambda functions.
It’s a great way to learn, without disrupting what you already have in place, plus once you’re happy with your creation, you can start building loosely coupled solutions by moving away from jobs running on EC2 instances - a win win situation in my books.