Building Serverless Full Stack Applications with AWS Lambda and API Gateway

Serverless architecture is nothing less than a revolution for full-stack development services that want to build applications quickly. It is because serverless computing removes the complexity of infrastructure management to allow developers to deliver value to users by focusing solely on writing code.

Different computing and services are available to build applications on a serverless architecture. Our focus is one two of these options—AWS Lambda and API Gateway. We begin by describing AWS Lambda and API Gateway before diving into the steps for creating full-stack application using them.

What Is AWS Lambda?

You can run code for any backend service or app without the need to provide or manage servers when you use the event-driven and serverless AWS Lambda compute service.  You can use API calls to trigger Lambda functions.

What Is API Gateway?

When you hire full-stack programmers to build applications using the AWS serverless architecture, they can use the API Gateway to create, track, maintain, implement, and secure APIs of any size. You can use the API Gateway to access functions, business logic, and data from backend services like on-premise resources or compute services rendered by AWS.

The full-stack development services you hire to build your applications with the AWS serverless architecture can focus on the design and other aspects of the application. They don’t have to worry about the underlying infrastructure as the API Gateway makes creating, managing, and securing APIs simple.

What You Will Need

Here is a checklist of things you will need to build serverless full-stack applications with AWS Lambda and API Gateway:

AWS Account

You can create and manage resources in Amazon Web Services (AWS) only after you sign up for an AWS account with the relevant permissions.

NPM and Node.Js

Full-stack development services building your application must install Node Package Manager (NPM) and Node.JS on your system if you want to create the application on a serverless architecture using AWS Lambda and API Gateway. You can go to the office website of Node.JS website to download them.

Serverless Framework CLI

Use the NPM installed on your system to install the Serverless Framework CLI. You can use the following command to do this:

Steps for Building Serverless Full-Stack Applications with AWS Lambda and API Gateway

Now that you know the perquisites for full-stack development services to build applications on a serverless architecture using AWS Lambda and API Gateway, we can reveal the steps to follow to accomplish it. Here are the six steps you need to remember when hiring a full-stack programmer to build your applications on a serverless architecture with AWS Lambda and API Gateway.

1. Set Up The Serverless Framework

You need to create a new service by setting up by the framework for the serverless architecture to create the foundations on which the full-stack serverless application will be built. You will make it straightforward for the full-stack programmer you hire to implement and manage serverless applications by setting up the Serverless Framework. You can do this by following the steps below after opening your terminal:

You will generate a basic structure for your project with a sample function of Lambda and a configuration file in serverless.yml format by entering the above code.

2. Define the Application in the Serverless Framework

The serverless.yml configuration file is the foundation on which your full-stack serverless application is built. It is because the file defines individual functions in Lambda, provider such as AWS, and the name of the service. Here is the code to enter:

You specify AWS as the provider, reveal my-serverless-app as the name of the service, and assign Node.js 14.x as the Lambda functions’ runtime by entering the code above. You also introduce the hello function and clarify its location in the handler.hello module.

3. Creating a Function in Lambda

You cannot create a usable full-stack serverless application without an AWS Lambda function. This function manages the incoming events and comes up with appropriate responses for them. Here is an example of a simple Lambda function with a greeting response. You can create it by entering the code below after creating a file in your project directory named handler.JS:

An event variable with data related to the incoming request can be seen in the hello function in the above code. It receives the event variable and responds with a JSON object with the greeting message and 200 status code in HTTP.

4. Add an API Gateway

An API gateway is needed to enable the full-stack development services building your serverless application to allow the Lambda function to interact externally. The Lambda function can interact with clients through the API Gateway that serves as the serverless application’s front-end. 

Use the configuration below to define the help function’s HTTP event trigger and update the file in the serverless.yml format:

You will allow an API Gateway endpoint to be setup by AWS when you use the above configuration. Also, whenever the /hello path is targeted by the HTTP GET request, the hello function will be triggered by the endpoint.

5. Implement the Serverless Application

The full-stack development services working on your serverless application can get ready to implement it on AWS after fitting it with the configuration for API Gateway and the Lambda function defined previously. You can enter the code below to allow the Serverless Framework to assist this process:

The Serverless Framework packages the above code throughout implementation; it also organizes the creation of the AWS resources you need, and provides your API Gateway’s endpoint URL.

6. Test The Endpoint URL

You will be provided with an endpoint URL as soon as you deploy the app. You can use the URL to test the app on a browser or by using tools like curl. You can execute the request below to perform the test:

You will get a JSON response after you run the above request. It will generate the greeting message you used the Lambda function to define.

Conclusion

The underlying infrastructure is no longer a concern when you hire full-stack programmer to build your application as the AWS serverless architecture relieves you of it. It combines with the API Gateway to create a solid platform where you can build application in a cost-effective and scalable manner. You can use the steps outlined above to start building serverless full-stack applications with AWS Lambda and API Gateway.