An apparatus in one embodiment comprises at least one processing platform including a plurality of processing devices. The processing platform is configured to receive a request to execute a serverless application, to initiate execution of the serverless application responsive to the request, to utilize one or more application function mappings to invoke one or more application functions with each such application function interacting with one or more backend services in executing the serverless application, to capture state of the serverless application for a particular point in time, and to perform operational recovery of the serverless application for the particular point in time utilizing the captured state. Capturing state of the serverless application for the particular point in time comprises capturing the state in accordance with a previously-generated serverless application manifest characterizing the application function mappings, the application functions, and the backend services.