A Comparative Study of Serverless Computing Platforms for Microservices Architectures

Authors

Latha P.H., Anitha M., Madhu N.Y.

Abstract

The rise of microservices architectures and serverless computing has revolutionized the way developers build and deploy applications. Serverless platforms offer a compelling model for deploying microservices, promising benefits such as automatic scaling, reduced operational overhead, and cost-effectiveness. However, the growing number of serverless offerings from different cloud providers makes it challenging to choose the optimal platform for a given application. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of leading serverless computing platforms, specifically for deploying and running microservices-based applications. We evaluate and compare AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions based on key dimensions, including performance, cost, developer experience, and features ecosystem. Our methodology involves deploying a representative microservices application on each platform and subjecting it to various workloads. We analyze cold start latency, execution time, scalability, pricing models, deployment processes, development tools, and platform-specific features such as event triggers and integrations. Our findings reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each platform and highlight the trade-offs involved in choosing one over another. We find that AWS Lambda generally offers the best performance and maturity, but can be more complex to configure. Azure Functions provides a strong developer experience, particularly for .NET developers, while Google Cloud Functions excels in its integration with other Google Cloud services and offers competitive pricing. The study provides valuable insights for developers and architects seeking to leverage serverless computing for their microservices architectures, helping them make informed decisions based on their specific requirements and priorities. The research also identifies areas where further development and research are needed in the serverless ecosystem.

Keywords

Serverless Computing, Microservices, Cloud Computing, AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions, Performance, Cost, Developer Experience, Scalability, Function as a Service (FaaS)

A Comparative Study of Serverless Computing Platforms for Microservices Architectures. Latha P.H., Anitha M., Madhu N.Y.. 2024. IJIRCT, Volume 10, Issue 6. Pages 1-15. https://www.ijirct.org/viewPaper.php?paperId=2412141