Foreword

BY PATRICK DEBOIS, DEVOPS JEDI

FOUNDER OF DEVOPSDAYS

CTO, SMALL TOWN HEROES

Write programs that do one thing and do it well. Write programs designed to work together. These are the core ideas of the Unix philosophy, first articulated by Unix designer Ken Thompson. In recent years, companies like Google, Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb have proven that in modern distributed systems you can easily replace the word programs with the word services. The latest twist on this idea, serverless computing, is a manifestation of how the intelligent combination of hosted services and self-managing infrastructure can result in significant improvements in development time and operating cost.

Serverless Architectures on AWS balances emerging serverless design patterns with a set of practical, down-to-earth case studies, making it ideal for both beginners and advanced practitioners. Serverless is a new discipline, and this author succeeds in covering a wide spectrum of topics without losing depth and focus. He writes with clear passion, an eye for detail, and a treasure trove of knowledge to share.

Serverless computing requires a shift in how you build software architectures, and as with many paradigm shifts, you have to unlearn some of your habits. While being enthusiastic about the new technology, the author goes to great lengths to point out the benefits and limits of these new types of architectures. As a bonus, he gives insight into his own journey running a real-life serverless-based architecture. His “put your money where your mouth is” attitude shows the ultimate payoff of serverless, helping your business to focus and succeed.