10 Best Serverless Frameworks for Creating and Running Computing Services
If you’re looking to create and run computing services without having to manage any servers, then a serverless framework is what you need. In this article, we’ll show you the 10 best serverless frameworks for creating and running computing services on AWS.
What is a Serverless Framework?
A Serverless Framework is a tool used to create and deploy serverless applications on cloud service providers. It includes features for building serverless architectures, such as version control, boilerplate code, and templates, that are provider-agnostic, meaning they will run as expected no matter which provider hosts the software. Serverless Frameworks also provide tools for testing, monitoring, and security, allowing developers to build products with the benefits of serverless computing without having to do some of the grunt work. This helps to reduce the total cost of running and operating applications, enabling developers to build more and manage less.
Why do you need a Serverless Framework?
Serverless Frameworks provide developers the opportunity to create applications that can be deployed on any serverless provider and are adaptable to a variety of cloud environments. The framework simplifies the process of building and deploying projects and allows developers to focus on writing code rather than dealing with the infrastructure. The framework also provides tools for version control, boilerplate code, and templates, making it easier for developers to build and launch applications quickly.
The most popular serverless platform is AWS Lambda, which provides developers with a comprehensive suite of services that can be used to create and run serverless computing services. With AWS Lambda, developers have access to powerful tools and a secure environment that help them develop, deploy, and scale applications quickly and cost-effectively. Additionally, AWS Lambda has built-in features for handling traffic, optimizing performance, and ensuring compliance.
In conclusion, serverless frameworks like AWS Lambda provide developers the flexibility to create applications quickly and cost-effectively without having to worry about dealing with the infrastructure. With built-in tools, scalability, and security features, AWS Lambda is the perfect platform for developers looking to create and run cloud services.
How to speed up your Serverless deployments?
How can you speed up your Serverless deployments? [Step-by-step instructions]
- Choose the right Serverless Framework: With a plethora of choices in the market, pick the right Serverless Framework that suits your workflow and skill set. Consider the features, pros, and cons of each framework before making your selection.
- Set up your Developer Workflow: Establish a serverless developer workflow that enables you to iterate and test business logic quickly while being able to interact with cloud services.
- Create an Example HTTP API: Follow a tutorial to create an example HTTP API with Node and the Serverless Framework for testing and programming.
- Install and Configure Plugins: Install and configure plugins from the registry to extend the use cases and workflow for your app.
- Deploy Infrastructure and Code: Use the ‘serverless deploy’ command to deploy the infrastructure and code in the cloud. All the AWS Lambda functions, triggers, and code will be deployed and wired together automatically.
- Monitor Performance: Monitor the performance of the application to ensure that all the functions are running smoothly and efficiently.
By following these steps, you will be able to speed up your Serverless deployments quickly and conveniently.
Top Serverless Frameworks
1. Zappa
Zappa is an excellent choice for serverless frameworks due to its ease of use and robust features. With Zappa, users can quickly and easily build and deploy their applications on AWS Lambda, with minimal coding required. Zappa also provides a wide range of automation tools, such as an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, automated deployment, and continuous delivery. Additionally, it provides default IAM security roles and can be customized to meet specific requirements. Finally, Zappa is open-source, with great community support. Therefore, it is a great choice for both new and experienced users who are looking for a powerful, secure, and efficient serverless framework.
Zappa is an excellent choice for serverless frameworks due to its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, automated deployment capabilities, and default IAM security role. The drag-and-drop interface allows developers to easily add blocks to their infrastructure without learning additional programming languages like NodeJS or Python. Automated deployment makes it easy to deploy Django, Flask, and other Python apps on AWS Lambda and API Gateway, and the default IAM security role provides enough permission for immediate usage. Additionally, Zappa is an open-source command-line tool with over 11,700 stars and 1,200 forks on GitHub and provides continuous delivery for CI/CD deployments. With its easy-to-use, full-featured Python framework, Zappa is a great choice for serverless frameworks.
2. Serverless
The Serverless Framework is a free, open-source, and framework-agnostic tool for building and operating serverless applications. It provides a simplified way to develop and deploy serverless functions, allowing developers to focus on writing code rather than managing infrastructure.
The Serverless Framework enables developers to build and deploy serverless applications with ease, using familiar programming languages and tools. It supports popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and more, and provides a unified workflow for deploying and managing serverless functions.
With the Serverless Framework, you can build a wide range of applications, from simple event-driven functions to complex, multi-tier applications. Some common use cases include:
- Backend APIs: Building RESTful APIs or WebSockets, providing a secure and scalable backend for web and mobile applications.
- Event-driven functions: Triggering functions based on specific events, such as incoming HTTP requests, database updates, or scheduled cron jobs.
- Chatbots: Building conversational interfaces for websites, messaging platforms, and voice assistants.
- Machine learning: Building and deploying machine learning models, using serverless functions to run predictions in real time.
3. AWS Chalice
AWS Chalice is a popular serverless framework that simplifies the process of deploying applications to the cloud environment. It helps developers create serverless applications quickly and easily, without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure and cloud provisioning. With Chalice, developers have access to a microframework that supports the use of AWS Lambda and API Gateway, and the ability to generate CI/CD pipelines with the help of AWS CodePipeline and AWS CodeBuild. Moreover, it provides an easy-to-use framework for managing IAM identity and integrates with other AWS services such as Amazon API Gateway, Amazon SNS, and Simple Queues Service (SQS).
Furthermore, it has an open-source codebase with over 7.6k stars, 780 forks on Github, and 128 contributors. Since it is built with Flask requests in mind, most tools work seamlessly within this ecosystem. This makes Chalice a great option for those looking for a serverless framework to manage their applications with Python.
Chalice automatically creates an IAM identity for the framework, and it integrates with a variety of AWS services such as Amazon API Gateway, Simple Storage Service (S3), Simple Queues Service (SQS), and more. It is also open-source, with over 7.6k ratings, 780 forks on Github, and 128 contributors. Additionally, Chalice provides support for Python packaging tools and a decorator-based syntax which simplifies the learning curve. It can also be used in conjunction with AWS SAM, Terraform, CloudFormation, and other similar tools to save time on defining resources.
4. Claudia.js
Claudia.js is a great choice for serverless frameworks because of its open-source nature, short and easy commands, automatic configuration and deployment, and extension libraries. With its open-source nature, developers have access to over 33 contributors on GitHub that can help with any issues they may have. Its short and easy commands also make it easy to deploy and manage projects without a lot of effort. Furthermore, Claudia.js automates the deployment and configuration process, which makes it even easier to get your project up and running. Finally, it includes extension libraries that can help developers build chatbots and web API endpoints quickly. All of these features make Claudia.js an ideal choice for serverless frameworks.
5. Architect
Architect is an advanced and sophisticated serverless framework that leverages Node.js and npm to create, deploy, and manage AWS serverless infrastructure. It provides interesting features such as Infrastructure as Code, local development workflow, open-source support, and built-in security. With Architect, developers can easily manage the entire stack from code to metadata, with no need for any other cloud provider. Architect is an ideal framework for building and delivering powerful Functional Web Apps (FWAs) on AWS. It is secure, reliable, and simple to use, making it an ideal choice for developing and deploying cloud-native apps rapidly.
Flogo is an ideal candidate for serverless platforms due to its lightweight, small-footprint design. It allows developers to save time during the installation phase and also speeds up their code going live. Its open-source and customizable features also provide reliable solutions for many organizations. Furthermore, its event-driven platform facilitates applications to respond only when there is a specific trigger or action, saving even more time. Flogo’s Golang coding language also allows developers to create lightweight serverless functions, containers, or static binaries on IoT edge devices. Finally, its ability to be flexible with its deployment, such as the option to pay per request, gives the user more options for their budget. Overall, through its lightweight design, customizable features, and flexible deployment, Flogo is a perfect candidate for serverless platforms.
7. Jets
The Jets platform offers a variety of features that make it easy to build and deploy applications. It includes tools like a warm-up to optimize Lambda response time, resources and associated APIs customized to fit your needs, support for SQS (Amazon Simple Queue Service ), DynamoDB, AWS Lambda, SNS (Social Networking Service), and more. You can also write separate functions to link different services and resources provided by AWS. Additionally, the Jets platform supports dynamic Ruby languages. It also offers comprehensive technical documentation with many examples.
The Deep Framework is a popular choice for serverless frameworks because it provides an open-source, secure, and efficient solution to create web applications. It is based on Docker and abstracts away the complexities of accessing web services from cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure. Deep also integrates easily with Amazon S3 and CloudFront in the front end, DynamoDB database, and AWS Lambda for API Gateway and request handling. It also offers IAM and Cognito security for authentication and authorization. Additionally, Deep provides a production-like development environment to enable faster development, testing, and deployment. This makes it an ideal solution for developers who want to quickly build and deploy applications on the cloud.
9. Pulumi
What makes Pulumi a good choice for serverless frameworks? Pulumi is a much more holistic approach to cloud infrastructure management than the Serverless Framework. It allows users to write entire applications, and not just functions, for cloud-based platforms. It can provision and manage resources on service providers such as GCP, AWS, Kubernetes, and Azure, and it supports multiple cloud providers and Kubernetes. Additionally, it only takes a few minutes to get started with every cloud platform. Moreover, Pulumi CrossGuard provides security, compliance, and cost controls for an organization’s cloud governance. Finally, it is an open-source framework that simplifies the process of creating, deploying, and managing cloud-based applications.
10. Auth0
Auth0 is a popular choice for serverless frameworks due to its extensive features and capabilities. It has the capability to create robust server-side applications without worrying about infrastructure compatibility. It provides a CLI for deploying functions and provides an HTTP protocol for navigating the back end. Furthermore, it is easy to integrate mobile and web apps with existing or new AWS resources with fewer lines of code. With AWS Amplify, developers are able to create full-stack apps on AWS faster, customize the app as needed, and benefit from features such as authentication, interactions, functions, DataStore, user management, APIs (REST, GraphQL), Analytics, AI/ML predictions, storage, PubSub, push notifications, and more. Additionally, developers have access to Managed Hosting, PR previews, CI/CD, custom domains, and monitoring for deployment. These features, along with its comprehensive security measures, make Auth0 a great choice for serverless frameworks.
Is Serverless something that you need to consider for your next Web Application?
Absolutely! Serverless computing is becoming an increasingly popular choice in application development and is definitely something that you should consider for your next web application. With serverless computing, businesses can easily scale their applications to meet the demands of their customers and users without having to invest in more infrastructure. Furthermore, there are numerous frameworks available to help you build your application quickly and easily, such as Serverless Framework and AWS Lambda. With these tools and frameworks, developers can create applications that can automatically scale, use multiple cloud providers, and run functions in response to events. Moreover, the extensive documentation and multi-language support available with these frameworks make them ideal for developing applications in 2021.
What do you need to be aware of when going Serverless?
Things to consider when going serverless include cost savings, the platform used to operate the serverless apps, scalability, reliability, Function as a Service (FaaS), and latency. Going serverless eliminates the need for an organization to configure and manage the server, and can help reduce the costs associated with server maintenance. Scalability and reliability are also important, as applications must be able to scale up and down as required by end-user demand, and the cloud provider must provide maximum uptime and reliability. Additionally, Function as a Service (FaaS) is a key consideration, as it allows an organization to run server-side logic in stateless compute containers. Finally, latency should also be taken into account, as a serverless approach can cause noticeable sluggishness if the application has been idle for a while.
Final thoughts
By using a serverless framework, you can eliminate the need for dedicated servers and infrastructure. This guide provides an overview of 10 popular serverless frameworks and how to use them to create and run computing services. By understanding which framework best suits your needs, you can build more scalable, agile, and reliable applications without wasting time or money on unnecessary complexity.