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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Lambda (AWS Serverless) vs Splunk

Lambda (AWS Serverless) logo

Lambda (AWS Serverless)

Cloud & Infrastructure

Run code without thinking about servers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk logo

Splunk

Network & Connectivity

Turn Data Into Doing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lambda (AWS Serverless) billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does; Splunk no prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • They diverge on capability: Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Splunk covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lambda (AWS Serverless) and Splunk actually diverge.

Attributes where Lambda (AWS Serverless) and Splunk differ
AttributeLambda (AWS Serverless)Splunk
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureNetwork & Connectivity
Founded20142003

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Lambda (AWS Serverless)

  • Function-as-a-Service
  • Event-driven execution
  • Auto-scaling
  • Pay-per-use
  • Multiple languages
  • Concurrency limits
  • Dead Letter Queues
  • Environment variables

Only in Splunk

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Data visualization
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Alert management
  • Anomaly detection
  • Log parsing

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Lambda (AWS Serverless)

  • Event-driven functions without managing serversnot Splunk
  • API backends behind API Gatewaynot Splunk
  • Processing S3, DynamoDB, SQS and Kinesis eventsnot Splunk
  • Scheduled jobs without a always-on instancenot Splunk
  • Edge compute through Lambda@Edgenot Splunk

Splunk

  • Log search and analysis across infrastructurenot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
  • SIEM, SOAR and UEBA for a security operations teamnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
  • Application performance and infrastructure monitoringnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
  • Cloud, private cloud or on-premises deploymentnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lambda (AWS Serverless)

  • Billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
  • Provisioned concurrency, used to avoid cold starts, is charged separately at $0.0000041667 per GB-second whether or not the function runs
  • Ephemeral storage beyond the included 512 MB is metered
  • Lambda@Edge costs $0.60 per million requests, three times the standard request rate
  • VPC use and cross-region data transfer carry EC2 charges on top

Splunk

  • No prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • Three separate pricing models, workload, ingest and entity, so the same deployment costs different amounts depending on which was signed
  • Ingest pricing bills on data volume, so cost tracks how much you log rather than how much value you get from it
  • Security, observability and platform are priced separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Lambda (AWS Serverless)

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1M free requests/month
    • 400,000 GB-seconds/month
    • Always free

Splunk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Data visualization

Which should you pick?

Choose Lambda (AWS Serverless) if

  • You need function-as-a-service.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want event-driven execution.
Lambda (AWS Serverless) review

Choose Splunk if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time monitoring.
Splunk review

Questions people ask

Is Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Splunk better?
Neither clearly leads. Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Splunk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Splunk?
Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Splunk at Free.
Does Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Splunk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Lambda (AWS Serverless) for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Lambda (AWS Serverless) best used for?
Lambda (AWS Serverless) is most often used for event-driven functions without managing servers, api backends behind api gateway, processing s3, dynamodb, sqs and kinesis events, scheduled jobs without a always-on instance. Of those, event-driven functions without managing servers and api backends behind api gateway are not what Splunk is typically brought in for.
What can Lambda (AWS Serverless) do that Splunk cannot?
Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Event-driven execution, Auto-scaling, Pay-per-use. Splunk covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Data visualization, Full-text search. Both handle Web support.
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