LFS157x - Introduction to Serverless on

Kubernetes

Course Overview
Learn how to build serverless functions that can be run on any cloud, without being restricted by
limits on the execution duration, languages available, or the size of your code.

With the advent of systems like AWS Lambda, the term serverless gained much popularity.
However, many people are still unsure what it is for, and how it can help them build applications
faster than traditional approaches. Other potential users are turned off by the arbitrary limits and
lock-in of cloud-based serverless products.

This course will teach you what “serverless” means and how it can be made portable with open
source frameworks. You will get a good overview of the CNCF serverless landscape, and a
first-hand experience in building and deploying code, directly to a Kubernetes cluster.

You will build functions using Python and learn how to configure them, manage secrets, add
dependencies via pip, learn how to work with binary data, and add authentication. In the second
part of the course you will explore the operational side of functions with Kubernetes. This will
introduce auto-scaling, metrics, dashboards and how to expose them securely on the Internet
with TLS.

If you are a developer or an IT operator interested in exploring new approaches for building
software, and prefer to be able to set your own limits when it comes to things like timeouts and
choice of programming language, this is the course for you!

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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Course Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to:

● Understand what serverless is.

● Get an overview of the CNCF landscape around serverless technologies.
● Learn how serverless can be made portable through the use of the Serverless 2.0
definition and Kubernetes.
● Explore the OpenFaaS toolchain, including: UI, CLI and REST API.
● Explore the OpenFaaS ecosystem, including the template store and function store for
sharing functions and code templates.
● Build functions using Python, configure them, and use secrets.
● Add dependencies via pip, and learn how to build native extensions.
● Explore how to operate OpenFaaS with: autoscaling, metrics, dashboards, upgrades,
custom URLs, and versioning.
● Expose functions securely on the Internet with TLS, and secure them with
authentication.

Prerequisites
● Basic knowledge of CLI tools and Linux administration
● Some experience with Python programming language
● Basic understanding of containers and Docker

Audience
This course has been designed for developers and IT operators interested in exploring new
approaches for building software.

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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Course Instructor(s)

Alex Ellis ​is a CNCF Ambassador and the Founder of OpenFaaS and inlets. He is a respected
expert on Serverless and Cloud Native computing. He founded OpenFaaS, one of the most
popular open-source serverless projects, where he has built the community via writing,
speaking, and extensive personal engagement. As a consultant and CNCF Ambassador, he
helps companies around the world navigate the Cloud Native landscape and build great
developer experiences.

Course Length
12-16 hours

Course Outline
Welcome!
Chapter 1. Introduction to Serverless
Chapter 2. State of Serverless in CNCF
Chapter 3. OpenFaaS
Chapter 4. Setting Up Kubernetes and OpenFaaS
Chapter 5. OpenFaaS Features
Chapter 6. Create Your First Function with Python
Chapter 7. Configuring a Function
Chapter 8. Operating Serverless
Chapter 9. Taking It Further
Final Exam ​(Verified Certificate track only)

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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edX Platform
If you are using edX for the first time, we strongly encourage you to start by taking a free 'how to
use edX' course that the team at edX has made available. In this course, you will learn how to
navigate the edX platform, how to connect with other edX learners, how to answer problems on
the edX platform, how grades work in edX courses, and how to complete your first course.

Click ​here​ to register for “​DemoX”​ and you will be on your way. You will find the edX platform
simple and intuitive.

Getting Help
For any​ technical issues​ with the edX platform (including login problems and issues with the
Verified Certificate), please use the ​Help​ icon located on the upper right side of your screen.

One great way to interact with peers taking this course and resolving any ​content-related
issues​ is via the ​Discussion Forums​. These forums can be used in the following ways:

● To discuss concepts, tools, and technologies presented in this course, or related to the
topics discussed in the course material.
● To ask questions about course content.
● To share resources and ideas related to Serverless and OpenFaaS.

We strongly encourage you to not only ask questions, but to share with your peers opinions
about the course content, as well as valuable related resources. The Discussion Forums will be
reviewed periodically by the Linux Foundation staff, but it is primarily a community resource, not
an 'ask the instructor' service.

To learn more tips on how to use them, read the following article: ​"​Getting the Most Out of the
edX Discussion Forums"​ ​.

Course Timing
This course is entirely self-paced; there is no fixed schedule for going through the material. You
can go through the course at your own pace, and you will always be returned to exactly where
you left off when you come back to start a new session. However, we still suggest you avoid
long breaks in between periods of work, as learning will be faster and content retention
improved.

The chapters in the course have been designed to build on one another. It is probably best to
work through them in sequence; if you skip or only skim some chapters quickly, you may find

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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there are topics being discussed you have not been exposed to yet. But this is all self-paced
and you can always go back, so you can thread your own path through the material.

Learning Aids
Besides simple exposition through text and figures, this course uses additional methods to
present the learning material, including external resources and knowledge check questions
(Verified Certificate track only)​.

Audit and Verified Tracks

You can enroll into an audit or a verified track. In an audit track, you will have access to all
ungraded course content: course readings, videos, and learning aids, but no certificates are
awarded when auditing. You will not be able to access any graded content (knowledge check
questions at the end of each chapter, and the final exam).

In order to receive a certificate, you will need to obtain a passing grade (please refer to the
“Grading” section below), verify your identity with edX, and pay a fee. Once all edX
requirements have been met, you can download your certificate from the Progress tab.

To learn more about audit and verified tracks, visit ​edX Help Center > Certificates​.

Grading​ ​(Verified Certificate track only)

At the end of each chapter, you will have a set of graded ​knowledge check questions​, that are
meant to further check your understanding of the material presented. The grades obtained by
answering these knowledge check questions will represent ​20%​ of your final grade.

The remaining ​80%​ of your final grade is represented by the score obtained in the ​final exam​.
The final exam is located at the end of the course and it consists of 10 questions.

You will have a maximum of two attempts to answer each knowledge check and final exam
question (other than True/False questions, in which case, you have only one attempt). You are
free to reference your notes, screens from the course, etc., and there is no time limit on how
long you can spend on a question. You can always skip a question and come back to it later.

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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In order to complete this course with a passing grade, you must obtain a passing score
(knowledge check and final exam) of minimum 70%​.

Course Progress and Completion​ ​(Verified Certificate track only)

Once you complete the course (including knowledge check questions and final exam), you will
want to know if you have passed. You will be able to see your completion status using the
Progress​ tab at the top of your screen, which will clearly indicate whether or not you have
achieved a passing score.

Professional Certificate Program

Professional Certificate programs are a series of courses designed by industry leaders and top
universities to build and enhance critical professional skills needed to succeed in today's most
in-demand fields.

To learn more about our Professional Certificates, visit ​Blockchain for Business Professional
Certificate​, ​5G Strategy for Business Leaders Professional Certificate​ and ​Developing
Blockchain-Based Identity Applications Professional Certificate​.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation partners with the world's leading developers and companies to solve the
hardest technology problems and accelerate open technology development and commercial
adoption. The Linux Foundation makes it its mission to provide experience and expertise to any
initiative working to solve complex problems through open source collaboration, providing the
tools to scale open source projects: security best practices, governance, operations and
ecosystem development, training and certification, licensing, and promotion.

Linux is the world's largest and most pervasive open source software project in history. The
Linux Foundation is home to Linux creator Linus Torvalds and lead maintainer Greg
Kroah-Hartman, and provides a neutral home where Linux kernel development can be protected
and accelerated for years to come. The success of Linux has catalyzed growth in the open
source community, demonstrating the commercial efficacy of open source and inspiring
countless new projects across all industries and levels of the technology stack.

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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The Linux Foundation's work today extends far beyond Linux, fostering innovation at every layer
of the software stack. The Linux Foundation is the umbrella organization for many critical open
source projects that power corporations today, spanning all industry sectors:

To learn more about the Linux Foundation, click ​here​.

The Linux Foundation Events

The Linux Foundation hosts an increasing number of events each year, including:

● Open Source Summit North America, Europe, Japan and China

● Embedded Linux Conference + OpenIoT Summit North America and Europe
● Open Source Leadership Summit
● Open Networking Summit North America and Europe
● KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America, Europe and China
● Automotive Linux Summit
● KVM Forum
● Linux Storage Filesystem and Memory Management Summit
● Linux Security Summit North America and Europe
● Cloud Foundry Summit
● Hyperledger Global Forum
● And many more.

To learn more about the Linux Foundation events and to register, click ​here​.

The Linux Foundation Training

The Linux Foundation offers several types of training:

● Classroom
● Online
● On-site
● Events-based.

To get more information about specific courses offered by the Linux Foundation, click ​here​.

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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The Linux Foundation Certifications
The Linux Foundation certifications give you a way to differentiate yourself in a job market that's
hungry for your skills. We've taken a new, innovative approach to open source certification that
allows you to showcase your skills in a way that other peers will respect and employers will
trust:

● You can take your certification from any computer, anywhere, at any time
● The certification exams are performance-based
● The exams are distribution-flexible
● The exams are up-to-date, testing knowledge and skills that actually matter in today’s IT
environment.

The Linux Foundation and its collaborative projects currently offer the following certifications:

● Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator​ (LFCS)

● Linux Foundation Certified Engineer​ (LFCE)
● Certified Kubernetes Administrator​ (CKA)
● Certified Kubernetes Application Developer​ (CKAD)
● Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist​ (CKS)
● Cloud Foundry Certified Developer​ (CFCD)
● Certified Hyperledger Fabric Administrator​ ​(CHFA)
● Certified Hyperledger Fabric Developer​ (CHFD)
● Certified Hyperledger Sawtooth Administrator​ (CHSA)
● FinOps Certified Practitioner​ (FOCP)
● OpenJS Node.js Application Developer​ (JSNAD)
● OpenJS Node.js Services Developers​ (JSNSD).

Open Source Guides for the Enterprise

The Linux Foundation in partnership with the TODO Group developed a set of guides leveraging
best practices for:

● Running an open source program office, or

● Managing an open source project in your organization.

To learn more, you can visit the following webpage: ​“​Open Source Guides for the Enterprise”​ .​

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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Copyright
The course content is licensed under a ​Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License​.

Copyright 2020, The Linux Foundation.

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