Netlify, the workflow for the modern web, today announced the acquisition of Quirrel, an open source solution and service for managing and scheduling the execution of serverless functions and jobs. Simon Knott, founder of Quirrel and maintainer of Blitz.js, will join Netlify to build scheduling functionality in the Netlify platform as well as continue work as an open source maintainer.
To enable developers to build scalable, dynamic web applications without sacrificing simplicity, collaboration or performance, Netlify introduced serverless functions to its platform in 2018. This made it possible for web developers to deploy frontend code and backend functions together, from a single repo and using a single workflow. Serverless functions allow teams to easily run on-demand, server-side code for dynamic applications without having to run dedicated servers.
Today, with the help of Knott’s expertise in the serverless space, Netlify will broaden these capabilities with a new feature, Scheduled Functions. With Scheduled Functions, developers can run functions on a regular and consistent schedule, freeing up time by automating menial tasks like backups and running reports. A beta version of Scheduled Functions is available to experiment within Netlify Labs.
“Simon is an exciting addition to the Netlify team,” said Matt Biilmann, CEO, Netlify. “As we evolve Netlify Functions, we expect his experience to be critical in innovating around executing external APIs, scheduling functions, and more. We’re looking forward to shaping the next wave of serverless together.”
