Function Compute is a fully managed event-driven computing service. To use Function Compute, you need to only write and upload your code or images. This allows you to focus on coding without the need to plan and purchase infrastructure such as servers. Function Compute prepares computing resources for you to reliably run tasks, uses auto scaling to handle traffic peaks and valleys, and provides features such as logging, performance monitoring, and alerting.
Function Compute provides an event-driven computing model. You can create triggers for a function. A trigger contains a set of rules. When an event that meets the rules occurs, the event source triggers the associated function.
Tutorial video
What is Function Compute?
Function Compute help you quickly build any type of applications and functions. You only pay for the resources that are actually consumed.
What is a serverless architecture?
Compared with serverful architectures, serverless architectures let you pay only for the resources you use instead of all provisioned servers. This allows you to focus on developing business logic without the need to manage servers.
Why Function Compute?
Traditional server-based architectures burden users with complexities in system design, inflexible cost structures with upfront investments, substantial O&M overheads, and low development agility.
With the serverless architecture of Function Compute, you need to only focus on your business. The platform prepares computing resources for you, reliably runs tasks, and uses auto scaling to cope with traffic peaks and valleys. You pay only for the resources that are actually consumed.
What can Function Compute do?
Web applications
You can use Function Compute together with other Alibaba Cloud services to quickly build scalable web applications. Engineers need to only write business code to build applications. The applications can run in multiple data centers to implement high availability. You do not have to manage scalability and backup redundancy.
Real-time data processing
Function Compute supports a wide range of event sources. You can use the event trigger mechanism that is provided by Function Compute to process data in real time with a few lines of code and simple configurations. For example, you can decompress Object Storage Service (OSS) packages, cleanse logs or data in databases, and consume Message Service (MNS) messages.
AI inference
When an AI model is ready to provide inference services after it is trained, you can pack the data model in functions of Function Compute. This way, the code is run only when actual requests are sent.
Video transcoding
Function Compute can be used together with CloudFlow to easily build an elastic and highly available serverless video processing system. This solution has significant advantages over traditional solutions in terms of performance, cost, and engineering efficiency.
How to use Function Compute?
How does Function Compute work?
The preceding procedure consists of the following steps:
You need to activate Function Compute before you can use the service. Register an Alibaba Cloud account and activate Function Compute. For more information, see Step 1: Activate Function Compute.
Use a programming language to write an application and function. For information about the languages that are available for Function Compute, see Overview.
Upload an application to Function Compute.
An application can be uploaded by using one of the following methods:
(Recommended) Use the Function Compute console.
Use Serverless Devs. For more information, see What is Serverless Devs?
Call an API operation or SDK. For more information, see SDK reference.
Trigger function execution. You can trigger function execution in the Function Compute console or by calling an API operation. You can also configure event sourced for a function to let the function be automatically triggered when a specified event occurs.
Function Compute supports automatic scaling based on user requests.
You are billed based on the actual execution duration and resource usage. After function executions, you can view fees incurred in the bill. For more information, see Billing overview.
References
Topic | Description |
Describes supported function creation methods, including event functions, web functions, and task functions, and function storage services, including Apsara File Storage NAS (NAS), and Object Storage Service (OSS), temporary storage, and layers, of Function Compute. | |
Describes the terms that are used in Function Compute to help you better understand related concepts and use Function Compute. | |
Summarizes FAQs of different categories in Function Compute. | |
Provides methods to contact technical support when issues occur or when feedback is required. |