Amazon Cloudfront Functions compared to Fly.io

Amazon Cloudfront Functions

Amazon Cloudfront Function introduces cloud computing to every CloudFront pop around the globe.

Amazon Cloudfront Functions differs from Amazon’s Lambda@Edge because CloudFront’s servers have been located traditionally at the edges of Amazon’s gigantic global network of servers. This means CloudFront functions will run closer to the end-user than traditional Lambda’s, which usually run within customers' own VPN or behind loadbalancers.

With this change in approach, Amazon hopes to even further play into the serverless space that is to become the future of IaaS or Serverless as a Service.

Given Amazon’s massive reach and the tremendously popular CloudFront product, this will surely be a success going forward. Perhaps even replacing Amazon’s Lambda@Edge in the long term?

Fly.io

Fly is an opensource runtime for edge apps, Fly offers a paid hosted version of their product as well. This provider will focus on the paid hosted version. Fly.io is one of the few companies and products that has a full range of tools alongside their actual product, which makes them an ideal candidate for curious developers and new companies to experiment.

Everything they do is docker based, and their networking abstraction is top notch, it’s clear Fly will play a major role in turning the space into a more user-friendly one. Fly’s ambitious mission to make application distribution as ubiquitous as CDNs sets the bar for any contenter willing to compete.