OpenFaaS review
A self-hosted function platform with broad deployment options and a high Standard entry price.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
OpenFaaS is a self-hosted serverless platform for teams deploying event-driven functions and microservices on Kubernetes, K3s, OpenShift, or a single host with faasd. Workloads are packaged as OCI container images, with CLI and REST API deployment, synchronous and asynchronous invocation, and templates for languages including Go, Python, Node.js, Java, C#, Ruby, and PHP. It suits organizations that want to operate their own function platform across cloud, on-premises, or air-gapped environments rather than use a vendor-operated execution service.
Its deployment and event ecosystem is a central strength. Functions can connect to Kafka, RabbitMQ, AWS SNS/SQS, GCP Pub/Sub, PostgreSQL, Cron, and MQTT; Istio and Linkerd are also listed integrations. Autoscaling, metrics, observability, Grafana dashboards, custom domains with ingress and TLS, and configurable timeouts round out the platform. The range of deployment targets and container support gives teams flexibility, but also means OpenFaaS is a fit for those prepared to manage a self-hosted environment. Teams seeking a managed execution service should look elsewhere.
Pricing divides the entry-level option from the paid feature set. Community Edition costs $0 and includes 15 functions, one namespace, public repositories, a REST API, basic autoscaling, and basic metrics and observability. OpenFaaS Standard is $1,250 per month, with 500 functions, private registries, fine-tuned autoscaling, scale to zero, and event connectors; a 14-day trial is subject to approval. The Enterprise plan lists multi-tenant hosting, multiple namespaces, upgraded support and compliance features, OpenID Connect SSO, RBAC, and secure function isolation. Choose OpenFaaS when control over deployment and a broad connector set matter; its Standard price may not suit teams prioritizing a lower-cost hosted option.
OpenFaaS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Deploy to Kubernetes, K3s, OpenShift, or a single host with faasd
- Connect event-driven functions to Kafka, RabbitMQ, cloud queues, and more
- Use CLI or REST API deployment, autoscaling, metrics, and Grafana dashboards
- Where it doesn't
- Community Edition is limited to 15 functions and one namespace
- Community Edition supports public function repositories only
- Standard starts at $1,250 per month
OpenFaaS fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update