Transforming websites with serverless functions and edge computing
Track: Web Tools & Complementary Technologies
The beginning concepts of edge computing started in the 1990s with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) which brought static content closer to users to reduce latency. By the 2010s, "edge computing" became a common term as cloud providers and CDNs evolved to support dynamic, real-time processing at the network “edge”.
In 2014, serverless functions emerged with the launch of AWS Lambda, which introduced the concept of running code without managing servers. By the late 2010s, serverless functions evolved to include edge computing, with services like Cloudflare Workers and AWS Lambda@Edge allowing code execution closer to users for reduced latency.
While many websites leverage a CDN, it’s not as common for sites, particularly Drupal sites, to integrate serverless functions or edge computing into their sites. But, integrating serverless functions allows developers to add dynamic, scalable features like real-time data processing, personalised content, and secure form handling without managing servers.
Let’s discuss:
- Overview of edge computing and serverless functions
- Pros and cons and use cases for these technologies
- Demo of how to integrate these with Drupal and static sites
Adding serverless functions to your website makes it faster, more flexible, and lets you easily add cool features like real-time updates and personalised content without worrying about servers.
And, they can be easy and fun to add to your site!
In 2014, serverless functions emerged with the launch of AWS Lambda, which introduced the concept of running code without managing servers. By the late 2010s, serverless functions evolved to include edge computing, with services like Cloudflare Workers and AWS Lambda@Edge allowing code execution closer to users for reduced latency.
While many websites leverage a CDN, it’s not as common for sites, particularly Drupal sites, to integrate serverless functions or edge computing into their sites. But, integrating serverless functions allows developers to add dynamic, scalable features like real-time data processing, personalised content, and secure form handling without managing servers.
Let’s discuss:
- Overview of edge computing and serverless functions
- Pros and cons and use cases for these technologies
- Demo of how to integrate these with Drupal and static sites
Adding serverless functions to your website makes it faster, more flexible, and lets you easily add cool features like real-time updates and personalised content without worrying about servers.
And, they can be easy and fun to add to your site!
Speakers
Stuart Rowlands
Stuart Rowlands is the founder of QuantCDN (www.quantcdn.io) and a seasoned expert in web technologies. With deep involvement in the web since its early days, Stuart has a comprehensive understanding of the entire stack — from infrastructure to application development and edge computing. His expertise spans across the evolving landscape of web technologies, with a particular focus on performance, scalability, and innovation at the edge. Stuart has been involved with the Drupal community for more than 10 years, and has been instrumental in integrating Drupal with QuantCDN to allow Drupal sites to easily leverage CDN, static, WAF and edge computing solutions.
Additional speakersSteve Worley, QuantCDN
Example DrupalSouth talk:
Secure, Performant, Scalable and Green: The big wins of a static Drupal website
https://youtu.be/ojBop6Ff8s8?si=k2K3bAGZSz8A8cEt
Bio:
Hi! I'm a full-stack web developer with a keen interest in service oriented architecture and am an advocate for API development best practices. I have been developing web applications professionally for more than 10 years and specialise in using open source technologies that utilise PHP, MySQL and various Javascript frameworks. I have worked with many leading open source systems, namely Drupal and WordPress, and I contribute back to the community either via code releases or sharing knowledge.
I am passionate about all parts of application development, from design and UX through to performance monitoring and optimisations. I enjoy working with the latest technologies and being a mentor to others around those technologies.
In my professional career I have focused on building solutions with Drupal and have worked with various integration layers. Some of the most prevalent being the GovCMS CKAN module which utilises a data backend to produce dynamic visualisations.
In my personal time I am more general and use other PHP frameworks to help facilitate my frontend applications. Backend applications have been typically written with the Symfony and Laravel frameworks, while frontends typically leverage React, React Native, Angular and VueJS.
Example DrupalSouth talk:
Secure, Performant, Scalable and Green: The big wins of a static Drupal website
https://youtu.be/ojBop6Ff8s8?si=k2K3bAGZSz8A8cEt
Bio:
Hi! I'm a full-stack web developer with a keen interest in service oriented architecture and am an advocate for API development best practices. I have been developing web applications professionally for more than 10 years and specialise in using open source technologies that utilise PHP, MySQL and various Javascript frameworks. I have worked with many leading open source systems, namely Drupal and WordPress, and I contribute back to the community either via code releases or sharing knowledge.
I am passionate about all parts of application development, from design and UX through to performance monitoring and optimisations. I enjoy working with the latest technologies and being a mentor to others around those technologies.
In my professional career I have focused on building solutions with Drupal and have worked with various integration layers. Some of the most prevalent being the GovCMS CKAN module which utilises a data backend to produce dynamic visualisations.
In my personal time I am more general and use other PHP frameworks to help facilitate my frontend applications. Backend applications have been typically written with the Symfony and Laravel frameworks, while frontends typically leverage React, React Native, Angular and VueJS.