A device driver assignment service registers, in an event-driven compute service, device driver functions for respective IoT devices. The event-driven compute service receives a network protocol message that includes an identifier for an IoT device and an instruction for the IoT device. In response to determining that the network protocol message matches a defined event to trigger a registered device driver function, the event-driven compute service launches the registered device driver function. The registered device driver function translates the instruction into a device driver hardware command for a hardware device corresponding to the IoT device (e.g., within the IoT device). The registered device driver function then transmits, to the IoT device, another network protocol message that includes the device driver hardware command. The IoT device receives the other network protocol message, parses the message to obtain the device driver hardware command, and performs the command on the hardware device.