Benchmarking Serverless Efficiency for E-Learning Platforms: A Comparative Study of AWS Lambda and EC2 Models
Keywords:
Serverless computing, e-learning platforms, AWS Lambda, scalability, cost-efficiency, cold-start latency, vendor lock-in, cloud-native architecture, real-time learning, infrastructure automationAbstract
Serverless computing offers a paradigm shift in cloud-based application deployment by abstracting infrastructure management and enabling real-time, event-driven scalability. This study evaluates the practical implications of adopting serverless architectures in cloud-based e-learning platforms environments characterized by variable workloads, latency sensitivity, and cost constraints. A comparative deployment using Amazon Web Services (AWS) is conducted between a traditional EC2-based infrastructure and a serverless architecture built with AWS Lambda, API Gateway, S3, and DynamoDB. The results demonstrate substantial improvements in responsiveness (71.8% faster), error rate reduction (80% fewer errors), and operational cost savings (56.8%) under simulated user loads. However, challenges such as cold-start latency, execution time limits, and vendor lock-in remain. This research provides actionable insights into real-time serverless integration for education technology developers and institutions, balancing scalability, performance, and long-term viability
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