Welcome to ChainFaaS Docs!¶
The idea behind ChainFaaS is to use the untapped computational power of the current computers as a serverless platform. In ChainFaaS, regular computer users can rent out their unused computational power by connecting it to a large network of resources. On the other hand, those who need computing resources can rent from this vast pool of compute at scale. If enough personal computers were connected to ChainFaaS, the need for building new data centers would decline. However, the goal in ChainFaaS is not to replace the data centers and servers but to only offload some of their tasks by reusing the idle cycles of personal computers.
Another motivation for creating ChainFaaS is to improve developers’ experience of internet-based computing services. Currently, cloud giants, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, are the leading players in serverless computing. Serverless computing platforms offered by these companies are highly centralized, and such companies control every single detail of the platforms. There is no way for the developers to verify the reported billing information. On the other hand, ChainFaaS offers a low-price, transparent, reliable and easy-to-use serverless platform which is not managed by one entity. Anyone can join the network to participate in the management of the platform as well as to observe the transactions.
To sum up, ChainFaaS offers an open blockchain-based serverless platform with the following features:
It is public in the sense that anyone can be either a developer, provider or both.
It is open and transparent to everyone.
It is based on the excess computing power available on personal computers.
It is affordable for developers, especially compared to similar centralized (in terms of management) cloud solutions.
It is user-friendly and easy to use.