A comparison between serverless and Docker container deployments : In the cloud

Abstract: Designing an application from top to bottom is a challenge for any software architect. Designing an application to be deployed in the cloud adds extra complexity and a variety of questions to the task. One of these questions is how to deploy an application? The most popular choices at this time are either Docker containers or serverless functions. This report presents a comparison between the two deployment methods based on cost and performance. The comparison did not yield a conclusive winner but it did offer some key pointers to help with the decision. Docker containers offer a standardized deployment method for a low price and with good performance. Before choosing Docker the intended market needs to be evaluated given that for each region Docker needs to serve, the price also increases. Serverless functions offer auto-scaling and easy global deployments but suffer from high complexity, slower performance, and an uncertain monthly price tag.