Building a Serverless platform for Edge Computing in Erlang

After the feedback from our customers at Enki Multimedia, I started in Erlang a new opensource "On-Premise Serverless" platform with an emphasis on moving the data and its application, next to the consumer in a P2P manner. Based on barrel it allows you to build a P2P messaging and data platform using replication and synchronisation mechanisms. Eg. a multi-homing application, a decentralised message hub, a signalling platform, … .
I will present the platform and how to extend it in Erlang but not only.

Transcript

1. BUILDING A SERVERLESS PLATFORM
   FOR EDGE COMPUTING IN ERLANG
   BeamMeetup - 07/2021
   

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2. benoît chesnea
   u
   
   craftsman in edge computing & P2P platform
   s
   
   Owner of Enki Multimedia created 14 years ago
   about me
   

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3. Edge computing is a distributed computing
   framework that brings enterprise
   applications closer to data sources such
   as IoT devices or local edge servers. This
   proximity to data at its source can deliver
   strong business bene
   fi
   ts, including faster
   insights, improved response times and
   better bandwidth availability.
   What is edge
   

   computing?
   https://www.ibm.com/cloud/what-is-edge-computing
   

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4. Serverless is a cloud computing execution
   model that provisions computing resources
   on demand, and o
   ffl
   oads all responsibility
   for common infrastructure management
   tasks (e.g., scaling, scheduling, patching,
   provisioning, etc.) to cloud providers and
   tools, allowing engineers to focus their time
   and effort on the business logic speci
   fi
   c to
   their applications or process.
   What is serverless
   
   
   computing?
   

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5. integrating
   Serverless to
   edge computing
   

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6. decomposing applications in small units: function
   s
   
   whitebox approac
   h
   
   event drive
   n
   
   computation closer to the data sources
   key
   s
   
   

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7. next-generation of barrel: namshu
   b
   
   HCI focus on containers and distributed storag
   e
   
   focus on offering a P2P and customisable
   infrastructure where data and its execution can be
   replicated between different edge points
   .
   
   on Premise
   

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8. replicated document storage as database (
   fi
   ltered
   )
   
   documents are stored (durable objects with
   properties
   )
   
   “design documents” that contains functions that can
   be executed over a databas
   e
   
   events driven, you can executes functions based on
   changes in the database.
   
   
   inspired by couchdb, kazoo + feedback from
   customers
   

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9. ~/ $ namshub login https://localhost:7090
   
   
   # Create and publish a “Hello World” application
   
   
   ~/ $ namshub generate hello
   
   
   ~/ $ cd hello
   
   
   ~/hello $ namshub db world
   
   
   ~/hello $ namshub publish
   

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10. a server language engine written Erlang.
    
    
    shows and lists function
    s
    
    Functions evaluations in different languages using
    nif or extenal process using a gen_server / design
    doc
    s
    
    evaluated code was evaluated line by line in a loo
    p
    
    the couchapp client in python or erica in erlang
    Couchapps,
    
    
    a missed opportunit
    y
    
    

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11. issue with the couchapps engine is that it forced us to
    write one nif or an external server for each language
    supporte
    d
    
    dif
    fi
    cult to be multiplatfor
    m
    
    the solution: webassembl
    y
    
    namshub support beam and WASM
    
    
    functions can be executed during a request or on
    change
    s
    
    results can be persisted. (or a snapshot of them)
    the namshub engine
    

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12. 3 main component
    s
    
    the gateway, a separate controller that can replicate
    or forward document betwene different node
    s
    
    the application server which contains the execution
    logic and handle design documents
    .
    
    the database nodes (a barrel node) that support
    local storage and exchange events.
    

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13. the WASM enging is written using Zig and is
    connected as a c-node to erlang.
    
    
    Multiple execution engine can be registered to the
    application server
    .
    
    the controller is an erlang release that pass the data
    and the events between each registered
    applications and local storage nodes.
    

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14. application server
    gateway
    data node
    data node
    

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15. the application server is composed of different erlang
    applications: UI, Functions runtime, yours.
    .
    
    applications:
    
    
    can have a listener that receive events from the controlle
    r
    
    do other execution or interact with external application
    s
    
    send event
    s
    
    different transports between nodes can be use
    d
    
    a transaction engine
    

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16. HTTP/(1.1,2,3) as a glue to discuss from and to
    Erlang application
    s
    
    Hackney with HTTP2 and websocket
    s
    
    Cowbo
    y
    
    storage handled by a custom storage built on top
    of rocksdb
    .
    
    gen_persist: persistant framework
    key components
    

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17. release next week as an opensource releas
    e
    
    a service will simplify the usage between different
    edge points
    key components
    

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18. ?
    

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19. want to get a preview:

    beta@enki-multimedia.eu
    
    
    Contact us
    :
    
    contact@enki-multimedia.eu

    

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