Client SDKs for ServerlessNetworking
What is Serverless Networking?
The Serverless Networking project brings reliable peer-to-peer networking to serverless applications, allowing cloud functions to easily exchange data and files.
What can I do with Serverless Networking?
You can add get many of the capabilities that “serverful” applications enjoy: function-to-function messaging and other forms of distributed communication without paying per-message fees, stream data between cloud functions or between cloud functions and server-based applications, remotely control serverless functions to create warm capacity, choreograph functions without the need for an additional service, send multiple inputs (or receive multiple responses) from a single function invocation, and much more.
Can you show me a simple example?
The following code sends string between two Lambda functions (error handling has been omitted for clarity):
| Source function | Destination function |
|---|---|
conn = connect('pairing_key_123') |
conn = connect('pairing_key_123') |
conn.send(b'Hello!') |
conn.recv(buf) |
How does Serverless Networking work?
Serverless Networking enables communication between Lambda functions (or between Lambda and an application running on EC2 or other servers) by using a reliable protocol layered on top of UDP. Although UDP (also called datagrams) is _un_reliable, Serverless Networking messages are fully reliable - it handles retransmissions, dropped packets, out-of-order delivery, flow control, and other issues similar to (but distinct from) TCP. To establish a connection between Lambdas, which operate behind a NAT, Serverless Networking also relies on a scalable, websocket-based NAT Puncher-as-a-Service. This Amazon API Gateway-hosted public service replaces the role that STUN and TURN servers occupy in traditional content-based NAT punching scenarios.
How is Serverless Networking packaged?
Serverless Networking is delivered as a public Lambda Layer. By default, it connects to the NAT Puncher service hosted by Serverless Tech. You can also deploy your own NAT Puncher or use the open source library and Python language bindings under a BSD license.
Do I have to understand or write retry logic, sliding windows, or other networking-level code in order to use Serverless Networking?
No! Serverless Networking handles the hard work for you. Reliable transport, including flow control, dynamic bandwidth tuning, and retry logic as well as higher level capabilities like buffer and file transfer in Python 3 work “out of the box”.
What cloud platforms does Serverless Networking support?
The beta release targets AWS Lambda functions running outside of VPCs. Future releases will bring serverless networking capabilities to other platforms and additional AWS Lambda configurations.
What languages does Serverless Networking support?
The beta release supports low-level C++ access (to the UDT library) and a higher-level Python 3.7 language binding. The open source Serverless Networking project is actively seeking participation to create additional language bindings and convenience layers built on top of the networking core code.
How much does Serverless Networking cost?
The Serverless Networking client code is open source and free of charge. Currently, AWS does not charge data transfer fees for data sent between functions, and so data transferred using Serverless Networking is also free of additional charges. Forming connections between functions requires a NAT Punching coordinator; ServerlessTech offers a fully hosted NAT Punching service with a free tier, free beta evaluation mode, and modest pay-per-connect rates for production accounts. You can also deploy your own serverless NAT Punching coordinator.
How fast is Serverless Networking?
Serverless Networking adds a reliability layer to UDP sockets; it generally performs as good or better than TCP/IP communication. Note that network bandwidth is determined by your cloud vendor.
How is Serverless Networking licensed?
Serverless Networking and the udt4 library offer an enterprise-friendly BSD license.
Who can use the beta?
The beta is open to everyone.
Where is the beta available?
The beta is initially available in AWS us-east-1.
Do I need an API key to get started? Can I get my own NAT Punch API key?
Serverless Networking uses a shared demo API Key by default to enable you to get started without needing to sign up. You can also subscribe to get your own API Key and private usage plan. Many users will find the free tier sufficient, but after the beta period is complete, you can also upgrade a subscription to a paid account if you need high levels of NAT Punch capacity. Note that data transfers using the Serverless Networking client are free and the client is open source code.
Do I need special tools to use Serverless Networking?
No - it appears to you as normal Python 3 code. Importing a couple of symbols is all that’s required.
I’m an advanced networking user. Can I get access to the UDP sockets and code directly against them?
Yes. You can use the NAT Punching service to establish connectivity (and optionally handle rendezvous) but then write your own UDP code directly against Unix sockets in either C/C++ or Python 3.
Can I use Serverless Networking in asynchronous programs?
Yes. Serverless Networking exposes an efficient select()-like mechanism and a non-blocking mode. The underlying udt4 C++ library is thread safe and can be used in multi-threaded C/C++ applications.