We have prepared an example with a step-by-step guide to create a simple function and deploy it on AWS.
Additionally, in the [How To section](#how-to), you can read about different use cases,
like:
- Running a function locally.
- Working with secrets.
- Setting up CORS.
Alternatively, you can quickly [create a new project with a template](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/gitlab-basics/create-project.html#project-templates). The [`Serverless Framework/JS` template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/project-templates/serverless-framework/) already includes all parts described below.
`src` is the standard location for serverless functions, but is customizable should you desire that.
In our case, `module.exports.hello` defines the `hello` handler that will be referenced later in the `serverless.yml`
You can learn more about the AWS Lambda Node.js function handler and all its various options here: <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/nodejs-prog-model-handler.html>
The handler definition will provision the Lambda function using the source code located `src/handler.hello`.
The `events` declaration will create a AWS API Gateway `GET` endpoint to receive external requests and hand them over to the Lambda function via a service integration.
You can read more about the available properties and additional configuration possibilities of the Serverless Framework here: <https://serverless.com/framework/docs/providers/aws/guide/serverless.yml/>
In order to interact with your AWS account, the GitLab CI/CD pipelines require both `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID` and `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` to be defined in your GitLab settings under **Settings > CI/CD > Variables**.
The AWS credentials you provide must include IAM policies that provision correct access control to AWS Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFormation, and IAM resources.
In this section, we show you how to build on the basic example to:
- Run the function locally.
- Set up secret variables.
- Set up CORS.
### Running function locally
The `serverless-offline` plugin allows to run your code locally. To run your code locally:
1. Add the following to your `serverless.yml`:
```yaml
plugins:
- serverless-offline
```
1. Start the service by running the following command:
```shell
serverless offline
```
Running the following `curl` command should trigger your function.
```sh
curl http://localhost:3000/hello
```
It should output:
```json
{
"message": "Your function executed successfully!"
}
```
### Secret variables
Secrets are injected into your functions using environment variables.
By defining variables in the provider section of the `serverless.yml`, you add them to
the environment of the deployed function:
```yaml
provider:
...
environment:
A_VARIABLE: ${env:A_VARIABLE}
```
From there, you can reference them in your functions as well.
Remember to add `A_VARIABLE` to your GitLab CI variables under **Settings > CI/CD > Variables**, and it will get picked up and deployed with your function.
NOTE: **Note:**
Anyone with access to the AWS environemnt may be able to see the values of those
variables persisted in the lambda definition.
### Setting up CORS
If you want to set up a web page that makes calls to your function, like we have done in the [template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/project-templates/serverless-framework/), you need to deal with the Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).
The quick way to do that is to add the `cors: true` flag to the HTTP endpoint in your `serverless.yml`:
```yaml
functions:
hello:
handler: src/handler.hello
events:
- http: # Rewrite this part to enable CORS
path: hello
method: get
cors: true # <--CORShere
```
You also need to return CORS specific headers in your function response:
```javascript
'use strict';
module.exports.hello = async event => {
return {
statusCode: 200,
headers: {
// Uncomment the line below if you need access to cookies or authentication
// 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials': true,
'Access-Control-Allow-Origin': '*'
},
body: JSON.stringify(
{
message: 'Your function executed successfully!'
},
null,
2
),
};
};
```
For more information, see the [Your CORS and API Gateway survival guide](https://serverless.com/blog/cors-api-gateway-survival-guide/)
blog post written by the Serverless Framework team.
### Writing automated tests
The [Serverless Framework](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/project-templates/serverless-framework/)
example project shows how to use Jest, Axios, and `serverless-offline` plugin to do
automated testing of both local and deployed serverless function.