Modern applications are moving away from the traditional request/response loop to more event-driven patterns. The concept of “serverless” computing is floated around when discussing microservices and modern architectural design patterns. But what is serverless, and how – if at all – is it different than microservices?

We’re entering a world where developers won’t have to think about provisioning resources to run their code. While serverless computing sounds like nirvana, there’s an upfront investment in changing development and operational patterns to allow for such a level of automated orchestration. Meanwhile, innovative teams have embraced the use of microservices as a direct response to the costly and cumbersome monolithic methodologies of the past, but new questions have arisen around use cases, planning, and best practices for implementation.

In his from Stream Conf 2016, Kyle MacDonald, Advisor & Board Member at Iron.io discusses implementing serverless architecture, and what the future holds for software development.