Serverless technologies have revolutionized application development by reducing the time spent managing infrastructure and minimizing the amount of code that needs to be written. This shift from traditional monolithic architectures to more loosely-coupled, serverless designs has been facilitated by the rise of AWS Lambda and other cloud services. As developers embrace this new architecture, they are also rethinking how automation can enhance their serverless applications.
Cloud automation, which began with the introduction of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like AWS CloudFormation, has evolved to accommodate serverless architectures. With the emergence of frameworks like AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), developers can now define application architectures using popular programming languages. This shift towards “Architecture as Code” allows for better separation of concerns by focusing on the application’s topology rather than provisioning infrastructure elements.
By utilizing automation code to handle tasks traditionally done in application code, developers can achieve cleaner, more robust serverless applications. This separation of concerns not only improves maintainability but also enhances the application’s runtime characteristics. Delegating tasks like message passing to the serverless runtime simplifies the application logic, making it more scalable and resilient. Moreover, cloud automation libraries like CDK enable developers to create high-level constructs that streamline the deployment process and reduce the risk of errors.
Refactoring code to be “serverless-native” involves shifting functionality from the application to automation code. This process, known as “Serverless Refactoring,” aims to improve the design and runtime characteristics of serverless applications. While there are limitations to this approach, such as changes in behavior when using features like Lambda Destinations, the benefits of cleaner architecture and better runtime performance outweigh these drawbacks.
Incorporating serverless refactoring into team structures can improve collaboration between developers and platform teams, ensuring that both application and automation code are in sync. Continuous refactoring is essential to maintain the agility and efficiency of serverless applications, allowing teams to manage complexity and streamline software delivery. By embracing serverless refactoring and leveraging automation tools like CDK, teams can accelerate development efforts and create more resilient serverless applications.
To get started with serverless refactoring, developers can explore open source code examples and AWS CDK implementations available online. By embracing serverless-native design principles and continuous refactoring practices, developers can harness the full potential of serverless technologies and create more efficient, scalable applications.
Article Source
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/devops/refactoring-to-serverless-from-application-to-automation/
