OpenFaaS is a function-as-a-service platform that runs on Kubernetes and lets you deploy event-driven functions.

It is often used when you want serverless-style function execution, but you want to run the platform yourself instead of using a managed cloud provider service.

Why people use it

OpenFaaS is useful when you want:

  • Self-hosted serverless functions
  • Kubernetes-native deployment
  • Event-driven workloads
  • A portable FaaS platform

Compare

OpenFaaS is a Serverless platform, but unlike AWS Lambda it runs on infrastructure you manage.

It is closer to AWS Lambda in programming model and closer to Kubernetes in deployment model.