Summary

This chapter discussed the Fn Project, its components, and architecture. We started using Fn with its command line, the Fn CLI.

We then discussed the structure of an Fn function, such as how it interacts with STDIN, STDOUT, and STDERR. We learned how to build and deploy Fn functions, both with Java and Go runtimes.

Then we formed an Fn cluster on Docker Swarm and linked the Fn Server instances to an external DB store, MySQL. We load balanced the Fn instances using Fn LB, a load balancer specifically implemented by the same team.

With the Fn UI, we learned how to use it to monitor invocations for Fn. With MyAdmin, we used it to browse calls and error logs directly in MySQL. A simple tool like MyAdmin could be used to achieve the same analytical result without preparing a complex toolchain.

The next chapter will introduce OpenWhisk, another serverless stack from the Apache project, and those used by IBM to offer serverless services in their cloud.