New Kids: An Architecture and Performance Investigation of Second-Generation Serverless Platforms

A team of seven researchers, led by Trever Schirmer, has published a comprehensive analysis titled 'New Kids: An Architecture and Performance Investigation of Second-Generation Serverless Platforms.' The paper identifies a clear evolution in serverless computing, moving beyond the first generation of containerized, centralized platforms. The new second-generation platforms leverage lightweight isolates (like WebAssembly) and edge-native deployment, fundamentally changing the performance profile for developers.

Through detailed architectural analysis of seven platforms and a massive microbenchmark evaluation of over 38 million function calls, the study quantifies the impact. The shift to this new architecture slashes warm request latency by approximately 75%, from around 40 milliseconds down to just 10 milliseconds. More significantly, it renders the notorious problem of 'cold starts' virtually obsolete, transforming it from a major performance hurdle into a minor consideration.

However, the research also notes a key trade-off: this performance leap comes at the cost of a more limited execution environment compared to traditional container-based systems. The findings provide crucial data for architects and developers choosing a platform, highlighting that the serverless landscape is no longer monolithic and that specific use cases will benefit from different architectural generations.