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AWS Lambda vs Apache OpenWhisk: What are the differences?

Key Differences between AWS Lambda and Apache OpenWhisk

AWS Lambda and Apache OpenWhisk are both serverless computing platforms that allow developers to run code without having to provision or manage servers. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.

  1. Execution Engine: AWS Lambda uses a proprietary execution engine called Firecracker, which provides a lightweight and secure runtime environment for running functions. On the other hand, Apache OpenWhisk uses Docker containers to execute functions, providing a more flexible and customizable runtime environment.

  2. Programming Languages: AWS Lambda supports a wide range of programming languages, including Python, Node.js, Java, C#, and more. Apache OpenWhisk also supports multiple languages, but the selection of languages is not as extensive as AWS Lambda.

  3. Event Sources: AWS Lambda integrates seamlessly with various event sources such as AWS services, databases, and messaging systems. It provides easy-to-use triggers that can be configured to automatically invoke functions in response to events. Apache OpenWhisk also supports multiple event sources, but the integration may require more manual configuration compared to AWS Lambda.

  4. Scaling: AWS Lambda automatically scales the resources allocated to functions based on the incoming workload. It can handle high concurrency and scale up or down as needed. Apache OpenWhisk also provides automatic scaling, but the scaling behavior may differ compared to AWS Lambda, depending on the configuration and deployment settings.

  5. Pricing Model: AWS Lambda has a pay-per-use pricing model where you are charged only for the actual number of invocations and the execution time of your functions. It offers a free tier for a certain amount of usage. Apache OpenWhisk, on the other hand, is an open-source platform and can be self-hosted, allowing you to avoid vendor lock-in and potentially reducing the cost.

  6. Community and Ecosystem: AWS Lambda has a large and mature community with extensive documentation, resources, and third-party integrations. It is backed by Amazon Web Services, a major cloud provider, and has a robust ecosystem of services that can be easily integrated with Lambda functions. Apache OpenWhisk also has an active community but may have fewer resources and integrations compared to AWS Lambda.

In summary, AWS Lambda and Apache OpenWhisk are both powerful serverless computing platforms with their own strengths and differences. AWS Lambda offers a wider range of programming languages, seamless integration with AWS services, and extensive community support. On the other hand, Apache OpenWhisk provides a more flexible runtime environment, open-source nature, potential cost savings, and avoidance of vendor lock-in. The choice between the two platforms would depend on specific requirements, language preferences, and ecosystem needs.

Advice on Apache OpenWhisk and AWS Lambda

Need advice on what platform, systems and tools to use.

Evaluating whether to start a new digital business for which we will need to build a website that handles all traffic. Website only right now. May add smartphone apps later. No desktop app will ever be added. Website to serve various countries and languages. B2B and B2C type customers. Need to handle heavy traffic, be low cost, and scale well.

We are open to either build it on AWS or on Microsoft Azure.

Apologies if I'm leaving out some info. My first post. :) Thanks in advance!

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Replies (2)
Anis Zehani

I recommend this : -Spring reactive for back end : the fact it's reactive (async) it consumes half of the resources that a sync platform needs (so less CPU -> less money). -Angular : Web Front end ; it's gives you the possibility to use PWA which is a cheap replacement for a mobile app (but more less popular). -Docker images. -Kubernetes to orchestrate all the containers. -I Use Jenkins / blueocean, ansible for my CI/CD (with Github of course) -AWS of course : u can run a K8S cluster there, make it multi AZ (availability zones) to be highly available, use a load balancer and an auto scaler and ur good to go. -You can store data by taking any managed DB or u can deploy ur own (cheap but risky).

You pay less money, but u need some technical 2 - 3 guys to make that done.

Good luck

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My advice will be Front end: React Backend: Language: Java, Kotlin. Database: SQL: Postgres, MySQL, Aurora NOSQL: Mongo db. Caching: Redis. Public : Spring Webflux for async public facing operation. Admin api: Spring boot, Hibrernate, Rest API. Build Container image. Kuberenetes: AWS EKS, AWS ECS, Google GKE. Use Jenkins for CI/CD pipeline. Buddy works is good for AWS. Static content: Host on AWS S3 bucket, Use Cloudfront or Cloudflare as CDN.

Serverless Solution: Api gateway Lambda, Serveless Aurora (SQL). AWS S3 bucket.

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Decisions about Apache OpenWhisk and AWS Lambda
Cory Bell

Netlfiy Functions uses AWS Lambda under the hood, but Netlify adds some nice sugar. The biggest advantage is the local development experience with netlify-cli. This allows you to run your functions locally with local configuration or pull configs from the Netlify dashboard. I built a health-check endpoint in about 2 minutes, and my send-email function in less than an hour.

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Tim Nolet

When adding a new feature to Checkly rearchitecting some older piece, I tend to pick Heroku for rolling it out. But not always, because sometimes I pick AWS Lambda . The short story:

  • Developer Experience trumps everything.
  • AWS Lambda is cheap. Up to a limit though. This impact not only your wallet.
  • If you need geographic spread, AWS is lonely at the top.
The setup

Recently, I was doing a brainstorm at a startup here in Berlin on the future of their infrastructure. They were ready to move on from their initial, almost 100% Ec2 + Chef based setup. Everything was on the table. But we crossed out a lot quite quickly:

  • Pure, uncut, self hosted Kubernetes โ€” way too much complexity
  • Managed Kubernetes in various flavors โ€” still too much complexity
  • Zeit โ€” Maybe, but no Docker support
  • Elastic Beanstalk โ€” Maybe, bit old but does the job
  • Heroku
  • Lambda

It became clear a mix of PaaS and FaaS was the way to go. What a surprise! That is exactly what I use for Checkly! But when do you pick which model?

I chopped that question up into the following categories:

  • Developer Experience / DX ๐Ÿค“
  • Ops Experience / OX ๐Ÿ‚ (?)
  • Cost ๐Ÿ’ต
  • Lock in ๐Ÿ”

Read the full post linked below for all details

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Pros of Apache OpenWhisk
Pros of AWS Lambda
  • 4
    You are not tied to a provider. IBM available however
  • 3
    Still exploring... its just intresting
  • 129
    No infrastructure
  • 83
    Cheap
  • 70
    Quick
  • 59
    Stateless
  • 47
    No deploy, no server, great sleep
  • 12
    AWS Lambda went down taking many sites with it
  • 6
    Event Driven Governance
  • 6
    Extensive API
  • 6
    Auto scale and cost effective
  • 6
    Easy to deploy
  • 5
    VPC Support
  • 3
    Integrated with various AWS services

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Cons of Apache OpenWhisk
Cons of AWS Lambda
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 7
      Cant execute ruby or go
    • 3
      Compute time limited
    • 1
      Can't execute PHP w/o significant effort

    Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions

    What is Apache OpenWhisk?

    OpenWhisk is an open source serverless platform. It is enterprise grade and accessible to all developers thanks to its superior programming model and tooling. It powers IBM Cloud Functions, Adobe I/O Runtime, Naver, Nimbella among others.

    What is AWS Lambda?

    AWS Lambda is a compute service that runs your code in response to events and automatically manages the underlying compute resources for you. You can use AWS Lambda to extend other AWS services with custom logic, or create your own back-end services that operate at AWS scale, performance, and security.

    Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

    What companies use Apache OpenWhisk?
    What companies use AWS Lambda?
    Manage your open source components, licenses, and vulnerabilities
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    What tools integrate with Apache OpenWhisk?
    What tools integrate with AWS Lambda?

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    What are some alternatives to Apache OpenWhisk and AWS Lambda?
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    GitHub is the best place to share code with friends, co-workers, classmates, and complete strangers. Over three million people use GitHub to build amazing things together.
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    Python is a general purpose programming language created by Guido Van Rossum. Python is most praised for its elegant syntax and readable code, if you are just beginning your programming career python suits you best.
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