Application Development Using Server-Based and Serverless Approaches

When it comes to building digital products, the question immediately arises: how exactly should the application architecture be structured? In recent years, two approaches have been particularly actively discussed — server-based and serverless. Both options have their pros, cons, and unique features, and the choice between them often depends on the specific task, budget, user expectations, and how flexible and scalable the system needs to be.

The server-based approach is something like the classic school. Everything is under control here: your own servers (or rented virtual machines), fine-tuned environment configurations, custom logic for interacting with databases, authentication systems, APIs, and more. This works especially well when fine-tuning is required or when complex computations are expected that can't fit within the limitations of "cloud functions." Large enterprise solutions and complex systems feel particularly at home with this approach, where maximum control and transparency at every stage are critical.

The serverless approach, on the other hand, is more about flexibility and speed. There's no need to worry about where or how the code runs — everything happens on the cloud provider’s side. Need to execute a function? A specific piece of logic spins up, runs, and then the resource is released. This makes it possible to launch applications with minimal infrastructure costs and scale them quickly as demand grows. It's ideal for startups, mobile applications, and small services that don’t want — or can't afford — to maintain servers constantly.

Interestingly, many modern projects aim for a hybrid model, combining the best of both worlds. For example, the core business processes live in a traditional server-based architecture, while auxiliary tasks like sending notifications or image processing run as serverless functions. This approach is especially convenient in the context of custom software development, where it’s important to account for a business's unique needs without overloading the project with unnecessary complexity.

Choosing an approach isn’t just about technology. It’s a strategic decision that affects maintenance costs, ease of scaling, time-to-market, and even the overall user experience. And that’s exactly why it’s so important not to blindly follow trends, but to understand what stands behind each architectural decision.