AWS Lambda
Serverless compute service that runs code in response to events without provisioning or managing servers
OpenFaaS
Deploy event-driven functions to Kubernetes with zero-config scaling
OpenFaaS lets developers package code or binaries into OCI images and expose them as auto-scaling HTTP or event-driven endpoints on any Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster.
Overview
Who should use OpenFaaS
OpenFaaS is aimed at developers and DevOps teams that already run Kubernetes or OpenShift and want to add serverless capabilities without leaving their existing platform. By packaging code or any binary into an OCI‑compatible container, teams can expose functions as HTTP endpoints or bind them to event sources such as Kafka or AWS SQS.
Core capabilities
The platform provides a web UI and a faas-cli that let you create functions from a rich template store or a custom Dockerfile, define them in simple YAML, and deploy them with a single command. Functions automatically scale out with demand and can scale to zero when idle, while built‑in queuing enables background processing. OpenFaaS runs on any Kubernetes‑compatible cluster, whether on‑prem, public cloud, or lightweight distributions like faasd, and integrates with service meshes (Istio, Linkerd) and monitoring tools such as Prometheus.
Highlights
One‑click UI installation and dashboard
Language‑agnostic templates plus custom Dockerfile support
Automatic scaling to zero based on request load
Portable deployment on any Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster
Pros
- Intuitive web UI reduces onboarding friction
- Supports any language via templates or Dockerfile
- Zero‑scale capability saves resources when idle
- Runs on existing Kubernetes infrastructure
Considerations
- Requires a Kubernetes cluster, adding operational overhead
- YAML‑based function definitions have a learning curve
- Advanced monitoring relies on external tools like Prometheus
- Enterprise‑grade features are locked behind a commercial Pro edition
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider OpenFaaS, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Teams already using Kubernetes who need serverless extensions
- Event‑driven data pipelines that require auto‑scaling workers
- Developers wanting to expose legacy binaries as HTTP services
- Organizations seeking a vendor‑neutral, on‑prem serverless platform
Not ideal when
- Projects without access to a Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster
- Users looking for a fully managed SaaS serverless offering
- Workloads that depend on deep integration with a specific cloud provider's services
- Edge devices lacking container runtime support
How teams use it
Webhook processing
Scale to zero when idle and handle traffic spikes for incoming webhooks
Kafka‑driven data enrichment
Consume events, transform payloads, and write results to a database with automatic scaling
CI/CD task runner
Execute build or test steps as functions, scaling resources based on pipeline demand
Legacy binary exposure
Wrap existing command‑line tools in containers and expose them as HTTP endpoints
Tech snapshot
Go80%
HTML16%
JavaScript1%
Dockerfile1%
Makefile1%
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Kubernetes cluster to run OpenFaaS?
Yes, OpenFaaS runs on any Kubernetes‑compatible environment, including lightweight distributions like faasd.
Can I write functions in any programming language?
Functions can be created from official templates for many languages or from a custom Dockerfile, allowing any language that can run in a container.
How does auto‑scaling work?
OpenFaaS monitors request rates and automatically adds or removes function replicas, scaling down to zero when no traffic is present.
Is there a free version of OpenFaaS?
The Community Edition is free and suitable for proof‑of‑concepts and internal use; a commercial Pro edition adds enterprise features.
What security options are available?
OpenFaaS supports TLS, authentication plugins, and can be integrated with service meshes like Istio for additional security controls.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 26,040
- Watchers
- 26,040
- Forks
- 1,973
Repo age9 years old
Last commit3 months ago
Primary languageGo
Last synced 12 hours ago