Serverless

Serverless computing is a cloud execution model where the provider allocates resources on demand for each request. You deploy functions (small units of code), and the platform handles scaling, availability, and infrastructure. You do not manage, patch, or monitor servers.

Vercel (for Next.js), AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers, and Supabase Edge Functions are serverless platforms. When a request arrives, the platform spins up your function, processes the request, and shuts down. You pay only for the compute time used, which makes it extremely cost-effective for apps with variable traffic.

For vibe coders, serverless is the default deployment model. When you deploy a Next.js app to Vercel, every API route and Server Action runs as a serverless function automatically. You write the code; the platform handles everything else.