NestJS deployment to AWS Lambda using Serverless

2 min read 04-10-2024

NestJS deployment to AWS Lambda using Serverless

Deploying Your NestJS Application to AWS Lambda with Serverless

Building a powerful and scalable backend application with NestJS is fantastic. However, deploying it to a production environment can be a daunting task. Thankfully, tools like Serverless make this process much simpler, especially for deployments to AWS Lambda. In this article, we'll guide you through deploying your NestJS application to AWS Lambda using Serverless.

Understanding the Challenge:

Deploying a Node.js application to AWS Lambda traditionally involves configuring and managing serverless infrastructure manually. This can be time-consuming and complex. Serverless simplifies this process by handling the infrastructure setup, deployment, and management for you.

The Scenario:

Imagine you have a NestJS application built with the following dependencies:

// main.ts
import { NestFactory } from '@nestjs/core';
import { AppModule } from './app.module';

async function bootstrap() {
  const app = await NestFactory.create(AppModule);
  await app.listen(3000);
}

bootstrap();

Using Serverless for Effortless Deployment:

Here's a step-by-step guide to deploy your NestJS application to AWS Lambda using Serverless:

Project Setup:

Initialize a new Serverless project: serverless create --template aws-nodejs-typescript
Update serverless.yml with the following configuration:

service: your-nestjs-app

provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs16.x
  stage: dev
  region: us-east-1
  apiGateway:
    restApiId: <your-api-gateway-id>
    restApiRootResourceId: <your-api-gateway-resource-id>
    apiKeys:
      - name: mykey
        value: <your-api-key>

functions:
  your-nestjs-app:
    handler: handler.handler
    memory: 128
    timeout: 30
    events:
      - http:
          path: /
          method: GET
          cors: true
          authorizer: 
            name: myAuth
            arn: <your-authorizer-arn>

NestJS Configuration:

Modify your NestJS application to handle the Lambda execution context:

// app.module.ts
import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { YourService } from './your.service';

@Module({
  imports: [],
  providers: [YourService],
})
export class AppModule {
  constructor() {
    // Ensure your application has a single entry point
    // for AWS Lambda execution. 
  }
}

Serverless Deployment:
- Install Serverless globally: npm install -g serverless
- Deploy your application: serverless deploy

Analysis and Clarifications:

serverless.yml: This file defines the Serverless configuration for your deployment.
handler: This property in the functions block specifies the entry point for your Lambda function.
http event: This triggers your Lambda function when an HTTP request is made to the specified path and method.
cors: Enables Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) for your API.
authorizer: You can add an authorization layer to secure your API with the help of AWS Cognito or API Gateway Authorizers.

Additional Value:

Monitoring & Logging: Serverless offers built-in monitoring and logging capabilities.
CI/CD: Integrate Serverless with your CI/CD pipeline for automated deployments.
Serverless Framework: This is a powerful tool with features like:
- Plugins: Extend functionality with community-built plugins.
- Serverless Application Model (SAM): Define your application's infrastructure as code.
- Deployment Management: Easily manage deployments across different environments.

Conclusion:

Deploying your NestJS application to AWS Lambda using Serverless is a streamlined and efficient process. By leveraging this powerful tool, you can easily manage your infrastructure and focus on building high-quality backend applications. The serverless architecture offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, making it an ideal choice for modern backend development.

Resources:

Serverless Documentation: https://www.serverless.com/framework/docs/
NestJS Documentation: https://docs.nestjs.com/
AWS Lambda Documentation: https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/

This guide provides a starting point for deploying your NestJS application to AWS Lambda with Serverless. Remember to adapt the configuration and code examples to fit your specific application needs and requirements.