AWS cooks up Extensions API for Lambda serverless platform: Useful for monitoring, alerting

Cloud computing behemoth Amazon Web Services, has pushed out an Extensions API for its Lambda serverless platform that lets developers write custom code to handle lifecycle events – such as when the environment starts, invokes functions, and shuts down. AWS Lambda runs functions on demand. It works by firing up an execution …

[Eclectic Man]

energy consumption

I just heard on BBC Radio 4's PM program that in a few years cloud services could be using about 6% of global electricity production. OK so not really to do with the article, but maybe consider the environment when deciding to cloudify your business.

[sabroni]

Re: that in a few years cloud services could be using about 6% of global electricity production

You're comparing oranges with nothing.

If computing uses 10% of global electricity resources when everyone has their own racks and 6% when we all share cloud resources then cloud is more efficient. Without that comparison your point is pointless.

[Peter-Waterman1]

Re: that in a few years cloud services could be using about 6% of global electricity production

If you look at the three Hyper-Scale providers, AWS, Azure and Google. All three are moving to, have already moved to 100% renewable energy to power their data centres.

It absolutely makes sense to centralise compute to help the environment and this is a big plus point for Cloud Computing, not a detractor.

[Alan_Peery]

Re: that in a few years cloud services could be using about 6% of global electricity production

To some degree -- but if it's too centralized you have too much waste heat from cooling for it to be applied to something useful. In Stockholm the heat from at least one DC is used for district heating of business and housing, and this is an under-utilized synergy,.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're nostalgic

I've been moving AWS gadgets to ordinary Linux instances. It boosts performance from 1990s era to 2010 era. I guess you can use AWS gadgets if you like the old days where you watched blank web pages slowly fill in after each click.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I've been moving AWS gadgets to ordinary Linux instances.

How do you still service distant continents when your ordinairy Linux instances go down? How do you fire up extra Linux instances to deal with unexpected surges? How do you ensure edge servers near your customers have timely caches? How do you ensure you have geographically distant backups?

You don't. You don't understant what Cloud is supposed to fix or how to use it and think that "running things quickly" is the only important metric.

Getting things right is much more important.