Comparative analysis shows serverless computing reduces energy usage by 28% in web applications, suggesting greener solutions for cloud sustainability.
Abstract—Serverless computing has emerged as a transformative cloud paradigm by abstracting infrastructure management while promising scalability and cost-efficiency. However, its environmental impact, particularly for small-scale web applications, remains underexplored. This paper presents a comparative analysis of energy consumption between serverless computing models, specifically AWS Lambda, and traditional VM-based hosting on AWS EC2 for lightweight web apps. We present experimental data evaluating energy metrics over a 30-day period. Our findings demonstrate that serverless architectures can reduce idle-time energy consumption by up to 65% and overall energy usage by 28% in low-traffic scenarios. This study highlights serverless computing's potential as a green computing solution for sustainable software engineering. Keywords—serverless computing, AWS Lambda, energy efficiency, green computing, cloud sustainability, web applications.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Pranuth et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: