Serverless: a backend thing that gives superpowers to frontend developers @ CODEstantine

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ How simple static website hosting should work?

@slobodan_ You should focus on your app only! And deployment
should be simple.

@slobodan_ • Fast one command deployment • Cheap • Free
if (almost) no one is using it • Caching + Auto-scaling

@slobodan_ That feature list sounds familiar!

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ But it also sounds like a feature list of…

@slobodan_ Serverless

@slobodan_ Serverless a backend thing that gives superpowers to frontend
developers

@slobodan_ Before we continue…

@slobodan_ Slobodan Stojanovic CTO @ Cloud Horizon co-author of Serverless
Applications with Node.js book AWS Serverless Hero @slobodan_ serverless.pub

@slobodan_ So, serverless…

@slobodan_ So, serverless… Less servers?

@slobodan_ So, serverless… Less servers? No servers?

@slobodan_ So, serverless… Less servers? No servers? Or even more
servers?

@slobodan_ So, serverless… No one cares about servers anymore!

@slobodan_ So, serverless… No one cares about servers anymore! (except
service providers, hopefully)

@slobodan_ To, understand serverless, let's go a step back… What
do you need to do to make your app function properly?

@slobodan_ • Buy or rent a server • Install Operating
System • Setup the server (libs, framework, etc.) • Write your code (business logic, etc.) • Make your app available (deploy it) • Make sure your app works (monitoring) • Manage server and software updates • Manage your app code (ﬁxes + features)

@slobodan_ What's important for your users/customers?

@slobodan_ What's important for your users/customers? Or what's important to
you, if you are building your app for yourself or for fun?

System • Setup the server (libs, framework, etc.) • Write your code (business logic, etc.) • Deploy your code to the server • Make sure your app works (monitoring) • Manage server and software updates • Manage your app code (fixes + features)

System • Setup the server (libs, framework, etc.) • Write your code (business logic, etc.) • Deploy your code to the server • Make sure your app works (monitoring) • Manage server and software updates • Manage your app code (ﬁxes + features) ✔ ✔ Isn't cloud helping? Yes, with some things…

System • Setup the server (libs, framework, etc.) • Write your code (business logic, etc.) • Deploy your code to the server • Make sure your app works (monitoring) • Manage server and software updates • Manage your app code (fixes + features) Serverless is simply the next step! ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

@slobodan_ Again, what's important for your business?

@slobodan_ And, what do you need to take care about
with serverless?

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ But, you need servers to serve the app!

@slobodan_ "It is serverless the same way WIFI is wireless"
Gojko Adzic (@gojkoadzic)

@slobodan_ What are the beneﬁts of serverless?

@slobodan_ • Managed infrastructure, so you can focus on the
business logic • Cheap • Auto-scaling and auto-failover • Per function isolation • Easy to start with (beginner friendly)

@slobodan_ But the most important one is…

@slobodan_ Pricing model of serverless

@slobodan_ • You are paying for used, not reserved capacity
• Pay-per-execution model • If no one is using your app, it costs you $0 + there are generous free tiers

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ But pricing model doesn't give superpowers at least not
to frontend developers

@slobodan_ What is the frontend developer kryptonite? The Myth of
the Fullstack Developer?

@slobodan_ What are some frontend developers with superpowers? Is anyone
using serverless at all?

@slobodan_ Story time!

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ How many DevOps team members you need to be
able to handle 250 million preprocessor API requests per month? in your team (or to pay directly)

@slobodan_ 0 Yes, zero/null/nulla/nula…

@slobodan_ • Team of mostly frontend devs + one DevOps
• Ruby on Rails backend • Many preprocessors that needs full isolation • > 200k requests/hour in peak • Unexpected peaks (you never know when some pen will become popular)

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ • Lack of resources • DevOps engineer recommended serverless
• Frontend dev wrote a SASS converter • Everything worked, so frontend team migrates other preprocessors

@slobodan_ Results?

@slobodan_ • Full isolation between services • Auto-scaling (up to
5000 parallel requests) • Decreased infrastructure cost (250 million requests costs $1180/month) • More DevOps time for RoR part of the app • Frontend developers with superpowers

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Vacation Tracker vacationtracker.io

@slobodan_ • In-company hackathon idea • Small startup with one
full time developer (+ small help) • One mostly frontend developer • Slack chatbot + API + SPA dashboard

@slobodan_ To minimize initial cost and to speed up development,
we used serverless from the beginning

@slobodan_ Current state of the system

@slobodan_ Ok, that's not true, it's more like this:

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Results?

@slobodan_ • Almost 200 teams using the product • Current
infrastructure cost is $0 • Fast development cycles • Easy refactoring, because of micro services • Reusable parts for our next products

@slobodan_ vacationtracker.io

@slobodan_ Btw, do you know the cost of your latest
bug?

@slobodan_ We know the exact cost of our!

@slobodan_ $2.37 per week

@slobodan_ $2.37 Free tier got us covered :) per week

@slobodan_ Should you even fix a bug that costs you
less than $20/month?

@slobodan_ No* * unless it affects user experience or it
creates a larger damage

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Nice, people are using serverless. But, where do I
start?

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ A Single Page App or a static website

@slobodan_ npm install scottyjs -g

@slobodan_ An Express.js application or API

@slobodan_ What's the beneﬁt? Beside being easy to deploy it

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ bit.ly/serverless-expressjs

@slobodan_ Not the best solution, because…

@slobodan_ A better API

@slobodan_ Claudia.js + Claudia API Builder claudiajs.com

@slobodan_ Looks the same, but it's not!

@slobodan_ Faster means cheaper! You pay per execution time, milliseconds
matter

@slobodan_ P.S. You can do server-side rendering using similar approach!
There are also Lambda@Edge and Cloudflare workers

@slobodan_ APIs are boring, GraphQL FTW! That's easy too!

@slobodan_ AWS AppSync aws.amazon.com/appsync

@slobodan_ • Serverless GraphQL • Preconﬁgured access to AWS data
sources  (DynamoDB, Lambda or Elastic Search) • Real-time data access and updates • Oﬄine data synchronization • Authorizers • Minimize backend development

@slobodan_ "Oh, and I only hire front-end developers at this
point. I have been the sole DevOps/backend/ middle-tier developer in the last two companies I started, and it’s been fine." Joe Emison (@JoeEmison)

@slobodan_ "With AppSync I could continue to be the CTO,
do all the backend and middle-tier code, and support up to probably about a hundred front-end developers before I would need a dedicated backend developer." Joe Emison (@JoeEmison)

@slobodan_ A ﬁle converter

@slobodan_ Claudia.js or AWS Serverless Application Repository serverlessrepo.aws.amazon.com/applications

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Do we have time (and internet) for a short
live demo?

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Links to mentioned things

@slobodan_ • Claudia.js - https://claudiajs.com • Scotty.js - https://github.com/stojanovic/scottyjs •
Vacation Tracker - https://vacationtracker.io • AWS App Sync - https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/

@slobodan_ Summary

@slobodan_ • Serverless is easy to start with (beginner friendly)
• No server maintenance and other boring things • Pay-per-usage model + it's cheap • You can deploy SPAs, APIs or GraphQL in minutes • It gives you superpowers!

@slobodan_ One more thing!

@slobodan_

@slobodan_ Serverless Applications with Node.js Use claudia40 promo code for
40% off serverless.pub/book @slobodan_  bit.ly/slobodan-codestantine4 presentation

Serverless: a backend thing that gives superpowers to frontend developers @ CODEstantine

Serverless: a backend thing that gives superpowers to frontend developers @ CODEstantine

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