# Serverless

Concept · [Cloud, hosting and security](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloud)

Also called: serverless computing, serverless function, serverless functions, cloud function, cloud functions, edge function, scale to zero, scale-to-zero

A way to run code where [the cloud](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/terms/cloud) provider sets up and looks after the [servers](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/server). Servers still exist, but the customer does not manage them. Capacity adjusts on its own, and the bill covers only the time the code runs.

**For example:** A site's contact form runs as a serverless function. On a day with no messages it costs nothing. On a busy day the provider runs many copies at once.

## Connects to (9)

- [Server](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/server): A computer that stays on and connected to the internet so it can run your app and answer requests from people's phones and browsers.
- [Scaling](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/scaling): Adding capacity so a system can handle more use.
- [Usage-based pricing](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/usage-based-pricing): A way to charge where the bill follows how much the customer uses, instead of a flat fee.
- [Edge](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/edge): Running code and storing data in many locations close to users, instead of in one distant data center, mainly so responses arrive faster.
- [Managed service](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/managed-service): A service where the provider handles the upkeep instead of the customer's own team.
- [Cloudflare](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloudflare): A company that runs a global network for websites and apps.
- [Vercel](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/vercel): A platform for deploying and hosting web apps.
- [Netlify Blobs](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/netlify-blobs): A Netlify service for storing files and data from a site or app on Netlify, without setting up a separate storage service.
- [Cloudflare D1](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloudflare-d1): Cloudflare's managed database built on SQLite, used by apps running on Cloudflare's network.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/serverless