Limelight is launching EdgeFunctions, a new distributed serverless computing capability, for its edge platform to allow developers to more easily deploy code.
The company said that serverless architecture will allow developers to not have to worry about underlying infrastructure, including provisioning and managing servers or runtimes, and instead “concentrate on writing and deploying code to create or enhance user application experiences.”
For streaming video, EdgeFunctions will support optimization for users’ device, preferences and bandwidth; authentication for video access; targeted advertising; dynamic ad insertion; forensic watermarking; A/B testing; and data collection.
EdgeFunctions will let developers to run their code in Limelight edge locations, the same locations as Limelight’s Content Delivery Network (CDN), to help ensure the low latency for code execution and optimal user experiences. The company is calling it an “API-first approach to serverless computing” with support for Node.js, Python and Go.
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Limelight said that EdgeFunctions is in field trials with several customers, and that it’s planning general availability in the second quarter.
“Limelight's pivot to supporting the edge cloud with solutions such as EdgeFunctions will help differentiate the company's offerings and drive further growth. At IDC, we believe that Limelight's private CDN network coupled with the move toward stronger edge presence will help the company capitalize on increasing demand for live and on-demand video, key drivers of future CDN traffic growth,” said Ghassan Abdo, vice president of WW telecom, virtualization, cloud and CDN at IDC Research, in a statement.
“EdgeFunctions enables our customers to deploy their own application functions into our network edge locations and run them on demand,” said Nigel Burmeister, global marketing and product vice president at Limelight, in a statement. “Developers can concentrate on delivering innovation and business outcomes without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. EdgeFunctions eliminates costly delays in latency-sensitive video and CDN workflows and dynamically allocates resources to scale as demand changes.”