mirkokiefer / lambda-api-example

Implementing a Node.js based API with AWS Lambda and API Gateway

#API Gateway / Lambda examples

Goal:

Implementing a Node.js based API with AWS Lambda and API Gateway. Ideally with no trade-offs compared to the convenience of something like Hapi.js deployed on Heroku.

Having reviewed Apex, Serverless and Gordon I went with the latter one.

• Apex: based on Terraform and only supports Lambda - no Gateway definition.
• Serverless: allows definition of both Lambda functions and API Gateways. Seems like it requires plenty of boilerplate to manage a large API. Misses good documentation and examples.
• Gordon: has a convenient file structure for managing multiple API services. Feels like its not hiding too much under leaky abstractions. Plenty of examples and good docs. The generated cloudformation scripts and resources are easily accessible.

Some of the roadblocks I stumbled upon and tried to resolve

• automated tests across multiple functions:
  custom shell script like https://github.com/mirkokiefer/lambda-api-example/blob/master/gordon/test.sh
• automated deployment via CI tool:
  demonstrated here with Travis - use gordon and the sample code custom cloudformation
• shared code:
  Gordon: common modules with a custom build script (https://gordon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/lambdas.html#build). Has to annoyingly be specified for every single lambda function.
• integration testing per branch: no Heroku-style PR apps - would have to manually deploy to stages.
• exclude dev dependencies in deployed code: Gordon: use npm-install-extra parameter: https://github.com/mirkokiefer/lambda-api-example/blob/master/gordon/settings.yml#L5
• managing configuration variables:
  configurable in settings.yml
• managing secrets
• custom domain:
  supported in API Gateway / cloudfront, needs ssl cert
  http://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/how-to-custom-domains.html
• handle low latency requests: The spin up time makes it not suitable for low traffic, low latency requirements.
• gzip responses:
  no support and cannot return binary data from lambda - so no workaround available https://forums.aws.amazon.com/thread.jspa?threadID=192948
• 30 second timeout:
  This is a hardcoded limit of AWS API Gateway and cannot be increased. http://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/limits.html
• Vendor lock-in:
  You will

The missing gzip support seems like a real blocker.