Serverless Computing Vs. Bare Metal Servers

Serverless computing and bare metal are both convenient ways of implementing IT infrastructure. They do, however, have very different uses. With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide to serverless vs bare metal.

Serverless computing

Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model where the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation of machine resources. Users can execute code without provisioning or managing servers, thus the term “serverless,” even though servers are still used in the background.

Serverless computing platforms like AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Azure Functions allow developers to run code in response to events without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

In a serverless model, developers write and deploy functions—small pieces of code that execute in response to events such as HTTP requests or file uploads. These functions are stateless and can scale automatically based on demand. The cloud provider handles the complexities of scaling, patching, and maintaining the infrastructure.

Typical use cases for serverless computing

Serverless computing is often perfect for event-driven applications, microservices architectures, and workloads with variable or unpredictable demand. Examples include real-time file processing, chatbots, and serverless APIs.

Bare metal servers

Bare metal servers are physical servers dedicated to a single tenant, offering raw, unvirtualized hardware. Unlike virtual servers or cloud instances, bare metal servers provide full access to the hardware, allowing users to install their operating systems, hypervisors, and applications directly on the server. This approach provides maximum control, performance, and security.

Bare metal servers are ideal for workloads requiring high and consistent performance, such as large databases, big data applications, and high-performance computing (HPC). They eliminate the overhead associated with virtualization and offer greater control over the hardware environment, which can be crucial for specific compliance and security requirements.

On the minus side, they often involve higher upfront costs and more extensive operational management, including hardware maintenance and scaling challenges.

Typical use cases for bare metal servers

Bare metal servers are typically best suited to high-performance computing, large-scale databases, and applications requiring low latency and high throughput. Examples include enterprise-grade ERP systems, gaming servers, and big data analytics platforms.

Serverless vs bare metal

Here are the five key factors to consider when choosing between serverless vs bare metal.

Performance

Serverless computing can introduce latency due to the cold start problem, where functions take longer to start up after periods of inactivity. For workloads that are event-driven and can tolerate some latency, however, the performance is generally sufficient. Serverless platforms automatically allocate resources, but the abstraction layer may not match the performance of dedicated hardware.

Bare metal servers offer predictable and consistent performance since the resources are dedicated and not shared. This is crucial for applications requiring low latency and high throughput, such as gaming servers, financial trading platforms, and real-time data processing.

Cost efficiency

Serverless computing typically has few to no upfront costs. Its running costs are generally directly linked to usage. This means that it can be highly cost-effective for short-term use and/or for variable and unpredictable workloads. It is, however, relatively expensive for long-term and/or heavy usage.

Bare metal servers involve higher initial costs but their running costs are typically lower than the equivalent running costs of serverless computing. Also, they tend to use resources more efficiently than serverless computing due to the absence of virtualization overhead. This means that bare metal servers tend to be best suited to long-term use for predictable workloads.

Scalability

Serverless computing excels in scalability, automatically scaling functions up or down in response to demand without any intervention from the user. This makes it ideal for applications with fluctuating or unpredictable workloads, such as web applications with variable traffic patterns.

Scaling bare metal servers involves physically adding or upgrading hardware, which can be time-consuming and expensive. This makes it less suitable for applications requiring rapid scaling. However, for applications with stable, high-performance requirements, bare metal servers provide a reliable environment.

Control and customization

Serverless environments abstract away the underlying infrastructure, offering less control over the runtime environment. Users cannot fine-tune the hardware or operating system settings, which can be a limitation for specialized applications requiring custom configurations or specific performance optimizations.

Bare metal servers provide full control over the hardware and software stack, allowing for extensive customization. This level of control is essential for applications needing specific hardware configurations, custom security measures, or performance optimizations that are not possible in a serverless environment.

Security

Serverless platforms offer built-in security features, such as automatic updates and patches, but the multi-tenant nature of cloud environments can introduce potential security risks. Users must rely on the cloud provider’s security measures and ensure that their application code is secure.

With bare metal servers, security can be tightly controlled since the entire server is dedicated to a single tenant. This isolation reduces the risk of cross-tenant vulnerabilities and allows for custom security configurations and compliance with strict regulatory requirements.