Step-by-Step Guide to Using Serverless Framework for AWS Lambda

Introduction

Serverless computing is revolutionizing the way we deploy applications, eliminating the need for managing infrastructure. The Serverless Framework is a powerful tool that simplifies the deployment of AWS Lambda functions along with associated resources. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through setting up the Serverless Framework and deploying a simple AWS Lambda function with an API Gateway trigger.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have the following:

• AWS Account with necessary IAM permissions
• Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• Serverless Framework installed globally (npm install -g serverless)
• AWS CLI configured with your credentials (aws configure)

Step 1: Install and Configure the Serverless Framework

1. Open a terminal and install the Serverless Framework:

npm install -g serverless        

2. Verify installation:

serverless -v        

3. Configure AWS credentials:

serverless config credentials --provider aws --key YOUR_ACCESS_KEY --secret YOUR_SECRET_KEY        

Step 2: Create a Serverless Project

1. Initialize a new Serverless project:

serverless create --template aws-nodejs --path my-serverless-app
cd my-serverless-app        

2. Open serverless.yml and define the function:

service: my-serverless-app
provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs18.x
functions:
  hello:
    handler: handler.hello
    events:
      - http:
          path: hello
          method: get        

3. Edit handler.js:

module.exports.hello = async (event) => {
  return {
    statusCode: 200,
    body: JSON.stringify({ message: "Hello from Serverless Framework!" }),
  };
};        

Step 3: Deploy to AWS

1. Deploy the function:

serverless deploy        

2. After deployment, you’ll see an API Gateway endpoint. Test it using:

curl https://YOUR_API_ID.execute-api.YOUR_REGION.amazonaws.com/dev/hello        

Step 4: Monitor and Remove Resources

1. Check logs:

serverless logs -f hello        

1. Remove deployment (cleanup):

serverless remove        

Conclusion

The Serverless Framework makes it easy to deploy AWS Lambda functions. It provides a simple way to set up and manage functions, APIs, and cloud resources. This tutorial covered the basics, but you can also explore plugins, automation, and advanced settings to improve your serverless applications.

Have you used the Serverless Framework? Share your thoughts in the comments!