AWS Lambda Alternatives & Competitors

AWS Lambda is an event driven and serverless computing service by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The users of this service create functions and self-contained applications that are written in supported languages. It allows developers to run code in response to events and without the need of managing servers. Moreover, AWS Lambda is designed to simplify the process of building scalable, fault-tolerant applications by automating infrastructure management.

AWS Lambda is a managed service that manages all the infrastructure for you. It can perform all kinds of computing tasks like building APIs, processing data, automating workflows, and more. It's a powerful tool for building highly scalable and cost-effective serverless applications in the AWS ecosystem.

Although AWS Lambda offers many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks due to which users search for other options. Firstly, Lambda functions have resource limitations such as CPU, memory, and execution time. Functions must complete execution within the allocated time frame, which can range from a few seconds to 15 minutes, depending on the configuration. If your application needs more CPU power or memory than what is provided in Lambda, then the users must look for other computing options.

Moreover, using Lambda and other AWS services can lead to vendor lock-in, which makes it challenging to migrate the applications to other cloud providers or the on-premises infrastructure, if required.

Why are People Looking for AWS Lambda Competitors?

Some people search for alternatives to AWS Lambda because of drawbacks such as cold starts, resource limitations, scaling issues, and more.

• Cold Starts: When a Lambda function begins, there can be a delay known as a ‘cold start’. It can also lead to latency, especially for applications that require rapid response times. Although AWS has introduced features like provisioned concurrency to mitigate this problem, some users still look for AWS Lambda alternatives to completely avoid this issue.
• Limited Network Access: AWS Lambda functions have limited outbound network access. They can access the internet through a default VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), but custom VPC configurations may have some limitations.
• No Custom Runtime Support: While Lambda supports a wide variety of programming languages, users cannot create custom runtimes for languages that are not officially supported by AWS.
• Limited Deployment Options: Lambda functions must be deployed within the AWS Lambda service, which sometimes is not suitable for all use cases. If users require more control over the deployment environment, they might have to use other computing options.

What To Consider When Looking for Alternatives to AWS Lambda?

Here're some important points to keep in mind while looking for Amazon Lambda alternatives.

• Lambda Aliases

Lambda alternative should allow you to create aliases that point towards multiple versions (prod, dev, stage etc.). Plus, you can use aliases to create green/blue deployment, which is a deployment strategy where you can create two different, but identical environments.

• Pay-Per-Use Pricing

In AWS Lambda, you are billed based on the number of requests and the compute time consumed by your Lambda functions. You don't have to pay anything when your functions are not running, which makes it cost-effective for variable workloads. Likewise, your Lambda competitors should also offer similar pricing model.

• Trust & integrity controls

Code Signing for Lambda lets you check that only unchanged code is published in your Lambda functions. It allows you to develop digitally signed code artifacts and set up the Lambda functions for verifying the signature at deployment. This improves the agility and speed of your application development while enforcing top security standards. Therefore, you must make sure all alternatives come with a similar set of features.

Must Have Features in Platforms Similar to AWS Lambda

Platforms like AWS Lambda should have several notable features, such as:

• Language Support: AWS Lambda supports several programming languages, such as Node.js, Python, Java, C#, Ruby, and Go, allowing you to write code in your preferred language. Similarly, all Lambda competitors must support multiple programming languages.
• Scaling: Lambda substitutes should automatically scale your functions in response to incoming events. It should be able to handle a few requests per day or thousands per second, depending on your configuration.
• Task automation: Thanks to its flexibility and event-driven model, AWS Lambda is a perfect fit for automating several business tasks that don’t always require the entire server. This can involve executing recurring tasks to clean up your infrastructure, moving data between multiple datastores, and data processing for online forms. Hence, while shortlisting a Lambda substitute, you must ensure that the software offers task automation features.
• Automatic Scaling: Lambda alternatives should automatically scale to handle the number of requests, ensuring that functions can handle high traffic without any manual intervention.
• Concurrency Control: Your AWS Lambda competitor should be able to control the maximum number of concurrent executions of a function, which helps in managing resources and preventing overloads.

Comparison of Alternatives of AWS Lambda

Here’re popular AWS lambda alternatives and their comparison in terms of features:

• Azure
• Oracle Cloud
• DigitalOcean

What Types of Businesses are Looking for AWS Lambda Alternatives?

Let's look at some businesses that often look for AWS Lambda alternatives:

• Startups: Startups that require rapid development and experimentation consider AWS substitutes that offer lower initial costs and flexibility, allowing them to scale as their user base grows.

Secondly, AWS Lambda can be expensive, primarily for resource-intensive applications. Startups often work with limited budgets, hence they seek more cost-effective cloud solutions or managed hosting providers

• Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): SMEs explore more cost-effective solutions that align with their budget constraints and don't require a deep commitment to a specific cloud provider. They prefer serverless platforms that integrate seamlessly with their existing technology stack or have a more extensive ecosystem of third-party tools and integrations.

Moreover, SMEs that operate in regions with limited AWS data centre presence look for alternative serverless providers that have data centres in more strategically located regions. It helps in reducing latency and compliance issues.

• Large Enterprises: Large enterprises seek AWS Lambda alternatives when they have complex, multi-cloud, or hybrid cloud strategies, or when they need to ensure compatibility with existing infrastructure. Plus, many large enterprises maintain hybrid cloud environments.

They combine on-premises infrastructure with cloud resources. Hence, they require serverless solutions that integrate seamlessly with both on-premises and cloud environments.

Techjockey’s Verdict

AWS Lambda is a powerful serverless computing service that offers various benefits such as ease of use, event-driven execution, automatic scaling, and integration with various AWS services. It is widely used by businesses of all sizes and across various industries. Despite all the advantages, Lambda's suitability depends on your specific use case and organizational requirements.

You should do a careful evaluation of your needs and critical factors like integration, cost, compliance, and performance. This will help you in deciding whether you want to use Lambda or explore other alternatives. Moreover, the serverless landscape is constantly evolving, therefore it's essential to stay informed about the latest developments and options in the serverless computing domain.