79. How do you do Functionless APIs?

05/04/23 • 10 min

In this exciting episode of the AWS Bites podcast, we're diving into the fascinating world of functionless applications. Yes, you heard it right! We'll be exploring how reducing the number of lambda functions can simplify your applications, resulting in lower latency, no cold starts, and cheaper costs.

But don't worry, we still love lambda! We'll be explaining the pros and cons of this approach, taking you through a step-by-step guide on how to use service proxies and manipulate the input for the target service using VTL.

And that's not all! We also share some helpful resources for those interested in learning more about this approach, including blog posts from some of the brightest minds in the field like Alex DeBrie, Sheen Brisals, and Paul Swail.

So, tune in and learn how to simplify your applications, reduce costs, and take your AWS game to the next level with functionless applications!

💰 SPONSORS 💰

AWS Bites is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fourTheorem⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an AWS Consulting Partner offering training, cloud migration, and modern application architecture.

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Blog post from Alex DeBrie on API Gateway Service Proxy: https://www.alexdebrie.com/posts/aws-api-gateway-service-proxy/
Another blog post on Service Proxy by Sheen Brisals: https://sbrisals.medium.com/dont-wait-for-functionless-write-less-functions-instead-8f2c331cd651
"Some code is more equal than others" by Paul Swail https://serverlessfirst.com/some-code-more-equal/

You can listen to AWS Bites wherever you get your podcasts:

So, tune in and learn how to simplify your applications, reduce costs, and take your AWS game to the next level with functionless applications!

💰 SPONSORS 💰

AWS Bites is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fourTheorem⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an AWS Consulting Partner offering training, cloud migration, and modern application architecture.

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Blog post from Alex DeBrie on API Gateway Service Proxy: https://www.alexdebrie.com/posts/aws-api-gateway-service-proxy/
Another blog post on Service Proxy by Sheen Brisals: https://sbrisals.medium.com/dont-wait-for-functionless-write-less-functions-instead-8f2c331cd651
"Some code is more equal than others" by Paul Swail https://serverlessfirst.com/some-code-more-equal/

You can listen to AWS Bites wherever you get your podcasts:

Previous Episode

78. When do you need a bastion host?

Harken, good sir! Art thou aware of the arcane art of safeguarding thy AWS instances from malevolent threats whilst keeping them accessible for thy travels? There exists a mighty tool for such purpose, and it is hight the "bastion host." In this pamphlet, we shalt unravel the mysteries of the bastion host and showeth thee how to useth it to safeguard thy web space. We shall commence by presenting a shadowy example architecture and introducing thee to the definition of a bastion host. We shalt then delve into the question of whether bastion hosts could be a security liability and explore the enigmatic concept of port-knocking. We shalt also take thee on a valiant journey of how to provision a bastion host on AWS, and explaineth the cryptic basics of SSH and tunnels. Thou shalt discover the dark side of managing SSH keys and auditing SSH connections, and we shall reveal the secrets of AWS EC2 Instance Connect and AWS Session Manager (SSM) as solutions. Thou shalt learn how to accept connections without exposing a port on the public internet, and we shall introduce thee to a mysterious tool called "basti" that can make it easier to provision SSM-based bastion hosts and connect to thy databases. We shalt wrap up by revealing alternative security measures to the mysterious bastion host and provide thee with cryptic closing notes to summarize the key takeaways from this video. Heed our call to this intriguing guide to securing thy web space, and may the forces of the internet be in thy favor! 🛡️ SPONSORS 🛡️ Harken, good folk! We would like to offer our deepest gratitude to our noble sponsor, fourTheorem (https://fourtheorem.com), an AWS Consulting Partner that doth offer training, cloud migration, and modern application architecture. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to continue on our journey of imparting wisdom and knowledge regarding AWS.

Verily, in this episode, we hath made mention of the following resources:

⁠⁠⁠An open-source implementation of the port-knocking technique
Thee official guide to set up EC2 Instance Connect
A list of AWS IPs
Thee official docs on how to set up SSM
SSM agent code on GitHub
Thee inlets project on GitHub
Basti on GitHub
Tailscale
Wireguard

Hear ye, hear ye! AWS Bites is at thy disposal wherever thou mayest listen to thy podcasts:

Next Episode

80. Can you do private static websites on AWS?

In this episode of the AWS Bites podcast, we discuss the challenges of hosting private static websites on AWS. We explore why it's important to host internal corporate applications and line of business applications only for internal consumption, and the requirements for doing so. We also evaluate different options for hosting private static websites, including S3 with CloudFront, containers on ECS/Fargate with ALB, API Gateway, and AppRunner. Finally, we summarize the pros and cons of each option and provide a rating for each. If you're looking to host a private static website on AWS, this episode is a must-listen!

💰 SPONSORS 💰

AWS Bites is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fourTheorem⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an AWS Consulting Partner offering training, cloud migration, and modern application architecture.

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Our previous episode "How do you deploy a static website in AWS?": https://awsbites.com/3-how-do-you-deploy-a-static-website-on-aws/
Our previous episode "How do you use Lambda response streaming": https://awsbites.com/77-how-do-you-use-lambda-response-streaming
Our previous episode "How do you do Functionless APIs?": https://awsbites.com/79-how-do-you-do-functionless-apis
Open issue on GitHub for private hosted zones support for App Runner: https://github.com/aws/apprunner-roadmap/issues/183

You can listen to AWS Bites wherever you get your podcasts: