When to Use Docker vs When to Use Serverless Functions

Serverless architecture is incredible for erratic, low-volume workloads, but it becomes catastrophically expensive at scale. We learned this early on.

The Hybrid Approach

Our core data engine runs persistently inside highly optimized Docker containers for sustained high traffic. However, we utilize serverless functions strictly for asynchronous background tasks - like PDF generation and thumbnail processing - where ephemeral compute is the distinct economical choice.