# Serverless Applications: Why, When, and How?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.08173 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.08173/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 17 Sep 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Functionals in the Clouds: An abstract architecture of serverless Cloud-Native Apps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.10362/) (2021)
- [Cloud-Native Generative AI for Automated Planogram Synthesis: A Diffusion Model Approach for Multi-Store Retail Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.00527/) (2026)
- [High-Performance Serverless Computing: A Systematic Literature Review on Serverless for HPC, AI, and Big Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.09334/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Serverless computing shows good promise for efficiency and ease-of-use. Yet, there are only a few, scattered and sometimes conflicting reports on questions such as 'Why do so many companies adopt serverless?', 'When are serverless applications well suited?', and 'How are serverless applications currently implemented?' To address these questions, we analyze 89 serverless applications from open-source projects, industrial sources, academic literature, and scientific computing - the most extensive study to date.