Cloud functions vs. traditional cloud hosting

Discover when cloud functions are the smarter choice over traditional hosting — save on costs, scale effortlessly, and focus on what…

Apillon

Nov 15, 2024 • 5 min read

Discover when Web3 cloud functions are the smarter choice over traditional hosting — save on costs, scale effortlessly, and focus on what matters: your code.

Welcome to the Apillon world, where you can deploy code, sip coffee, and scale your dapps — all while hardly breaking a sweat.

If you’ve been staring at your server bills or wondering when to swap your dusty infrastructure for sleek, modern serverless tech, this post is your roadmap. Let’s dig into when cloud functions make more sense and why they might be your future best friend.

What are cloud functions?

First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Web3 cloud functions allow you to run your code without managing the underlying infrastructure. You write a function, upload it, and the cloud provider runs it when needed. No servers to maintain, no worries about scaling — just pure function magic.

Meanwhile, traditional cloud hosting (like AWS EC2 and Google Cloud) is more akin to having your own server on rent. You’ve got full control but also full responsibility — patching, scaling, and monitoring are all on your plate.

So, when should you ditch traditional cloud hosting and go serverless?

1. When you want to pay per usage (not for idle time)

With traditional cloud hosting, your servers are always on — piling up costs whether they’re handling traffic or taking a midday nap.

In contrast, cloud functions operate on a pay-as-you-go model. If your function isn’t being used, you’re not being charged.

Perfect use case:

Let’s say you run an e-commerce store that experiences spikes in traffic only during the holiday season. Traditional cloud hosting means paying for a server to be on 24/7, even with low traffic. However, with cloud functions, you only pay when your function is invoked (like when a customer completes a transaction or loads a page).

Actionable tip: If your app has highly variable traffic, cloud functions can save you from wasting money on idle server time.

2. When you need automatic scaling

Scaling with traditional cloud hosting can be a headache. Auto-scaling groups, load balancers, more servers — it can feel like a game of Tetris, except with servers. With cloud functions, it’s all automatic. When traffic spikes, your function scales up instantly without you lifting a finger.

Perfect use case:

Imagine you run a news website that gets sudden traffic surges whenever big news breaks. With traditional hosting, you might need to scramble to spin up more instances. With cloud functions, however, everything scales automatically — whether 100 or 10,000 users show up.

Actionable tip: Use cloud functions for applications with unpredictable or spiky traffic patterns to ensure seamless scaling without manual intervention.

3. When you want to focus on code, not infrastructure

With traditional hosting, you’re not just writing code — you’re a part-time server admin. You’ll need to consider patching, maintenance, monitoring, and more. Cloud functions, on the other hand, let you focus solely on writing code. The cloud provider handles everything else on the back end.

Perfect use case:

You’re building a new app and want to roll it out quickly. Instead of wasting time setting up and configuring servers, cloud functions let you push your code live without worrying about the infrastructure side of things.

Actionable tip: If you’re starting a new project or want to ship updates faster, cloud functions allow you to focus on development, not DevOps.

4. When you need an event-driven architecture

Cloud functions shine in event-driven architectures. You can trigger them based on various events — HTTP requests, file uploads, database updates — without needing a constantly running server.

Perfect use case:

Say you want a system that automatically resizes images when users upload them. With traditional cloud hosting, you’d have to keep a server running and watch for uploads. With cloud functions, you can trigger the function only when an upload happens.

Actionable tip: Use cloud functions for tasks triggered by specific events, such as user interactions or database changes.

5. When security and maintenance feel like a chore

Security patches, SSL certificates, software updates — the list never ends with traditional hosting. With cloud functions, the provider handles the bigger part of the security. They care for patches, updates, and even encryption, so you can sleep soundly.

Perfect use case:

Your team is stretched thin, and you’d rather not worry about keeping servers secure. Using cloud functions offloads much of the security responsibility to the cloud provider, ensuring that your app stays protected without manual intervention.

Actionable tip: If you’re concerned about keeping your servers secure and up to date, cloud functions take a huge chunk of that work off your plate.

The future is serverless

At the end of the day, cloud functions offer flexibility, cost savings, and simplicity for many modern applications. They’re perfect when you want to focus on writing code, avoid unnecessary infrastructure headaches, and pay only for what you use.

Traditional cloud hosting still has its place for more complex setups. But as the landscape continues to shift, it’s clear: cloud functions are no longer just the future — they’re the present.

So, what’s stopping you from going serverless?

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⧓ About Apillon

The Apillon platform serves as a unified gateway to the Web3 services provided by linked Polkadot parachains. Following the multi-chain vision, Apillon powers the transition of developers to Web3, simplifying its adoption in the real economy, and expanding its versatility as the ecosystem grows. With Apillon, Web3 services are within reach for every developer, regardless of their background and experience with blockchain technology.