AWS Lambda
Serverless compute service that runs code in response to events without provisioning or managing servers
OpenFunction
Run serverless workloads on any cloud with flexible autoscaling
OpenFunction lets developers focus on business logic by handling runtime, infrastructure, and scaling, offering cloud‑agnostic, pluggable runtimes, sync/async support, and OCI image generation.
Overview
Overview
OpenFunction is a cloud‑native Function‑as‑a‑Service platform built on Kubernetes. It abstracts away runtime management and infrastructure concerns, allowing developers to submit pure business‑logic code as functions. The platform works across any Kubernetes provider, making it suitable for multi‑cloud or on‑prem environments.
Capabilities
With a pluggable architecture, OpenFunction supports multiple runtimes and both synchronous and asynchronous execution models. Asynchronous functions can directly consume events from sources, and the built‑in autoscaling engine scales from zero to N based on custom metrics, including event‑driven signals. OCI‑compliant container images are generated automatically from source code, and traffic management leverages the Kubernetes Gateway API. Integration with Dapr simplifies BaaS connections for both sync and async workloads.
Deployment
Deploy OpenFunction via its Helm chart or Kubernetes manifests, which create Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to manage function lifecycles. The platform fits teams that already operate Kubernetes clusters and seek a CNCF‑sandbox, open‑source serverless solution.
Highlights
Cloud‑agnostic, works with any Kubernetes provider
Pluggable architecture supporting multiple runtimes
Built‑in sync and async function support with event source integration
Fine‑grained autoscaling from zero to N, including event‑driven metrics
Pros
- Focus on business logic, no runtime operations required
- Runs on any Kubernetes cluster, enabling multi‑cloud deployments
- Supports both synchronous and asynchronous workloads
- Automatically generates OCI‑compliant container images
Considerations
- Requires Kubernetes expertise to install and operate
- Language support limited to runtimes provided by the platform
- Advanced features depend on Dapr and Gateway API configuration
- Community is still growing, fewer third‑party extensions
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider OpenFunction, 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 wanting serverless on existing Kubernetes clusters
- Enterprises needing a cloud‑agnostic function platform
- Developers building event‑driven asynchronous services
- Organizations preferring CNCF sandbox projects
Not ideal when
- Users without Kubernetes infrastructure
- Projects requiring out‑of‑the‑box UI dashboards
- Workloads needing proprietary vendor services
- Teams needing extensive pre‑built language SDKs
How teams use it
Real‑time data processing
Functions automatically scale to handle bursty event streams with low latency
API backend services
Deploy lightweight sync functions behind the K8s Gateway for fast, reliable responses
Background job processing
Async functions consume messages from queues and scale based on queue depth
Edge compute functions
Generate OCI images and run functions on any edge Kubernetes node
Tech snapshot
Go95%
Shell3%
Makefile2%
Dockerfile1%
Frequently asked questions
How do I install OpenFunction?
Use the provided Helm chart or apply the Kubernetes manifests as described in the Installation Guide on the project website.
Which programming languages are supported?
OpenFunction supports any language for which a runtime plug‑in exists; common runtimes include Go, Java, Python, and Node.js.
Can I run asynchronous functions that react to events?
Yes, async functions can directly consume events from supported sources, leveraging the built‑in events framework.
Does OpenFunction scale functions to zero when idle?
The platform includes autoscaling that can scale functions down to zero instances when there is no traffic.
Where can I get community support?
Join the community calls, mailing lists, and issue tracker linked from the project’s website for help and discussions.
Project at a glance
Dormant- Stars
- 1,633
- Watchers
- 1,633
- Forks
- 169
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age5 years old
Last commit2 years ago
Primary languageGo
Last synced 11 hours ago