EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
The average consumer expects speedy online experiences , so when milliseconds matter , the advantage of processing at the Edge is that it is an ideal way to handle highly dynamic and timesensitive data quickly .
But until recently , many developers were only curious about the power of Edge cloud platforms , maintaining a healthy hesitation about building applications and migrating complex logic there .
Fastly , reliable and secure
Developers are at the heart of building fantastic online experiences , and Fastly was built to enable and empower those developers to write and deploy code at the Edge . We did this by making the platform extremely accessible , self-service and API-first . Developers have unprecedented real-time control and visibility that removes traditional barriers to innovation .
Access to logs in near-real-time enables quick debugging during the dev-push-validate loop . The result is a critical visibility boost to edge compute applications and the support of accelerated development cycles .
A cloud too far ?
Enterprises globally have discovered running modern applications from a central cloud can pose challenges related to latency , ability to pre-scale and cost-efficiency . Software development life cycles ( SDLC ) have been corralled to suit cloud provider processes , which in turn impacts speed to market and change control . To be clear , the Edge should not replace the central cloud completely – there are still important computing jobs to be done there . As a general rule , any app that requires persistent state is not a candidate for Compute @ Edge . This includes big persistent data stores , legacy applications which haven ’ t been converted to microservices architectures and Machine Learning training .
The JavaScript support you demanded without cold starts or increased security risks
Upon launch Fastly Compute @ Edge supported RUST . With so many developers accustomed to using JavaScript , we knew this presented a barrier to entry for Compute @ Edge . Until now to bring JavaScript to Compute @ Edge , we started by homing in on security . Isolation technology creates and destroys a sandbox for each request flowing through our platform in microseconds . This technology holistically minimizes attack surface area while maintaining the ability to scale and perform , and keeps your code completely isolated from other requests flowing through the platform .
Unlocking potential
Web application architecture has evolved substantially over time , but today too many organizations still adopt the strategy of running code on central , directly controlled platforms . Now , it ’ s time to rethink our legacy design principles and maximize value from Edge application architectures .
But no enterprise can pivot to new technologies on a whim . When assessing legacy architecture migration options it is important to consider developer friction , which may include skill gaps and significant changes to SDLC processes . By utilizing existing team expertise and implementing a strategy which supports , and even celebrates , well understood development strategies organizations can take advantage of the benefits edge compute brings .
Innovators and early adopters from a variety of industries have harnessed the Edge ’ s computing power , cost benefits and security features – offering up incredible customer experiences as signs of success . One fact is becoming clear : for a more performant and secure web , building at the Edge has significant benefits . p
STEPHEN GILLIES , APAC TECHNOLOGY EVANGELIST
AT FASTLY
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO APAC 35