Financial Operations

A FinOps Guide to Comparing Containers and Serverless Functions for Compute

Elin Åberg

Tags: Cloud Management; FinOps; Compute; AWS Lambda; Amazon ECS

A FinOps Guide to Comparing Containers and Serverless Functions for Compute

FinOps Article

In the evolving landscape of cloud computing, professionals and organizations alike face a pivotal decision when it comes to optimizing compute resources: Should they choose Containers or Serverless Functions? The truth is that this is not an either-or proposition; in many instances, the effective strategy may involve leveraging both. The essence of achieving operational efficiency and cost management lies in understanding the unique strengths each technology offers and how they can complement each other within a well-architected cloud environment. This critical decision should be influenced by the specific use case, workload characteristics, and overall application architecture, ultimately guiding you in identifying the ideal compute service to meet your needs.

Understanding the Basics: Containers and Serverless Functions

What are Containers?

Containers, within the realm of cloud computing, are essentially image files that encompass all the necessary application files required to run software. They excel in scenarios that demand consistent and reproducible environments, optimal resource utilization, and simplified deployment across different settings. Containers provide users with a significant degree of control over the runtime environment, a feature crucial for applications possessing specific dependencies or configuration requirements.

We’ll focus on Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), especially given its robust capabilities.

When Should You Use Amazon ECS?

  • Long-running Processes: Perfect for workloads that demand a persistent runtime.
  • Applications Needing Full Control: Tightly controlled environments ensure specific configurations are met.
  • Steady, Predictable Traffic: Ideal for workloads with consistent traffic requirements.

What is Serverless?

A Serverless architecture enables developers to construct and run applications without dealing with the underlying infrastructure. Services such as Amazon Sagemaker Serverless and Amazon DynamoDB are great examples. In this guide, we will concentrate on AWS Lambda Functions, which offer a pricing model based on memory allocation and execution time, potentially leading to cost efficiency for dynamically-driven workloads.

When Should You Use AWS Lambda?

  • Event-driven, Stateless Workloads: Excellent for applications triggered by specific events.
  • Highly Variable Traffic Patterns: Suitable for workloads with unpredictable demands.
  • Short-running Processes (< 15 minutes): Great for tasks that require minimal execution time.
  • Reduced Operational Overhead: Ideal for minimizing management efforts.

Comparing AWS Lambda and Amazon ECS

To determine the most suitable option between AWS Lambda and Amazon ECS for your workload, the following components need thorough evaluation:

Lifecycle and Load Profile

Amazon ECS

When considering Amazon ECS, evaluate its always-on nature, which effectively handles multiple sequential requests without restarting. This persistent runtime aligns with workloads requiring stable and predictable traffic patterns, where consistent performance is a non-negotiable requirement.

AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda should be considered when your workload aligns with an on-demand execution model. This architecture is better suited for dynamic traffic patterns, event-driven processing, and when cost optimization is crucial.

Cost Comparison of AWS Lambda and Amazon ECS

When comparing costs, real-world deployment scenarios take precedence over simple one-to-one comparisons. For instance, consider a microservices application with multiple services each processing a significant number of daily requests.

Container Deployment Options and Costs

Amazon ECS on EC2 instances can efficiently host multiple containers, leading to more predictable cost management. AWS Fargate offers a different cost model, charging based on vCPU and memory but provides advantages like eliminating cluster management needs.

Function Costs and Considerations

AWS Lambda incurs costs through requests and compute based on memory allocation and execution time, with linear scalability making it resource-efficient for variably-used applications.

Portability and Optimization Techniques

Portability inherently affects decision-making. While Amazon ECS offers high portability across clouds, AWS Lambda requires carefully crafted architecture for the same. Both technologies can leverage AWS’s optimization techniques like Compute Savings Plans and Spot Instances for cost management.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the decision between Containers and Serverless Functions, or an amalgamation of both, hinges on a deep understanding of workload characteristics, cost implications, and operational requirements. FinOps professionals should work closely with development and operations teams to dissect usage patterns, model costs under varying scenarios, and factor in aspects like development velocity and long-term maintainability. By capitalizing on the strengths each brings to the table, you can devise robust yet flexible cloud architectures adept at adapting to ever-evolving business needs and optimizing resource expenditure effectively.

Explore these AWS resources for further insights: