aws-serverless-express

What is aws-serverless-express?

The aws-serverless-express package allows you to easily run Node.js web applications, such as those built with Express, on AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. It simplifies the process of creating serverless applications by handling the integration between Lambda and API Gateway, allowing you to focus on your application logic.

What are aws-serverless-express's main functionalities?

Create a Serverless Express Application

This feature allows you to create a serverless Express application that can be deployed on AWS Lambda. The code sample demonstrates how to set up a simple Express app with a single route and export a Lambda handler that uses aws-serverless-express to handle incoming requests.

const awsServerlessExpress = require('aws-serverless-express');
const app = require('express')();
const server = awsServerlessExpress.createServer(app);

app.get('/hello', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello, world!');
});

exports.handler = (event, context) => awsServerlessExpress.proxy(server, event, context);

Custom Lambda Proxy Integration

This feature allows you to customize the Lambda proxy integration, such as specifying custom binary MIME types. The code sample shows how to create a server with custom binary MIME types and handle requests with a custom route.

const awsServerlessExpress = require('aws-serverless-express');
const app = require('express')();
const server = awsServerlessExpress.createServer(app, null, ['*/*']);

app.get('/custom', (req, res) => {
  res.json({ message: 'Custom integration' });
});

exports.handler = (event, context) => awsServerlessExpress.proxy(server, event, context);

Middleware Support

This feature demonstrates how to use middleware in your serverless Express application. The code sample shows how to log incoming requests using middleware and handle a route that responds with a message.

const awsServerlessExpress = require('aws-serverless-express');
const app = require('express')();
const server = awsServerlessExpress.createServer(app);

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  console.log('Request received');
  next();
});

app.get('/middleware', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Middleware example');
});

exports.handler = (event, context) => awsServerlessExpress.proxy(server, event, context);

Other packages similar to aws-serverless-express

serverless-http

The serverless-http package is a similar tool that allows you to run web applications on AWS Lambda. It supports various frameworks like Express, Koa, and Hapi. Compared to aws-serverless-express, serverless-http offers broader framework support and a simpler API for converting your web application into a Lambda-compatible handler.

lambda-api

The lambda-api package is a lightweight web framework designed specifically for AWS Lambda. It provides a similar experience to Express but is optimized for serverless environments. Compared to aws-serverless-express, lambda-api is more lightweight and tailored for Lambda, offering better performance and lower cold start times.

express

While not a direct competitor, the express package is the core framework that aws-serverless-express is designed to work with. Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications. aws-serverless-express leverages Express to create serverless applications, whereas Express itself is not inherently serverless.

README

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