I built an API using Express which, while initially meant to be deployed to EC2, will now be deployed to Lambda. I looked into Middy.js initially, but there wasn't enough documentation on how to use it to build APIs.
Upon more research, I landed upon Laconia and Serverless. The community around Serverless seems to be much bigger, but I probably wouldn't want to use it if it meant I had to get a subscription with them (not from the jump at least).
My understanding is that their tool is open source. However, looking at their website, I have not been able to differentiate which features are exclusive their cloud services vs their open source offering.
So, with all in mind, my question is:
Serverless Cloud is a SaaS product that Serverless Inc created and owns. It's in public beta right now (unclear about pricing). It helps you build, deploy, and run Serverless applications without worrying about AWS.
Serverless Framework is an open source project that Serverless Inc also maintains. It's free to use, but requires your own AWS account to run.
You're looking at two different products from the same company - one is free and open source, the other is not. That's the difference. It's totally possible to use Serverless Framework without using Serverless Cloud.
(disclosure: I previously worked at Serverless Inc and have worked on both things)