Building Dynamic Websites using AWS Lambdas

1h 57mIntermediate2020-03-05

Authors

Brett McLaughlin

Chief Technology Officer at Volusion

Course details

While static websites are both easy on AWS and important for many businesses, some degree of interactivity is now an expected part of the web. Whether it's a shopping cart, sign-up form, or just a bit of interaction that goes beyond a simple link or button click, you need to be able to make your websites dynamic. AWS Lambda helps developers of all stripes—even those with little knowledge of back-end development—revolutionize their projects by leveraging a serverless approach to dynamic websites.

In this course, instructor Brett McLaughlin shows you how to use AWS tools—plus the technology you already know, such as JavaScript and HTML—to build a complete dynamic serverless website. Learn how to write a Lambda function that takes in a request from a web server and returns an HTML response with some interaction; send an email from a Lambda function; convert a Lambda function to avoid cross-domain and security issues; and more.

Skills covered

Responsive Web DesignCloud DevelopmentWeb DesignFull-Stack Web DevelopmentAmazon Web Services (AWS)AmazonProjectCloud PlatformsWeb DevelopmentCloud Computing

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Serverless technology is for full-stack developers
02 - Getting your website set up for the course

1. The Role of Serverless in a Dynamic Environment

03 - Static websites are a starting point
04 - Websites are really browser-based APIs
05 - Serverless websites from 10,000 feet
06 - Challenge - Diagram a multiple-step request flow
07 - Solution - Diagram a multiple-step request flow

2. From a Request to Lambda

08 - Setting up an API gateway
09 - Routing requests to Lambda
10 - Hello Lambda
11 - Deploy your API gateway
12 - Enable Lambda proxy integration
13 - Challenge - Write a simple responder for a web request
14 - Solution - Write a simple responder for a web request

3. From a Lambda Back to HTML

15 - Submit to an API with JavaScript
16 - Test your new JavaScript submission
17 - Deal with the dreaded CORS problem
18 - Challenge - Update your HTML with the Lambda response
19 - Solution - Update your HTML with the Lambda response
20 - Get SES ready for sending email
21 - Give your Lambda function permissions to use SES
22 - Send an email from your Lambda function
23 - Convert your Lambda to run synchronously
24 - Challenge - Add in the information from the feedback form to your Lambda function
25 - Solution - Add in the information from the feedback form to your Lambda function

4. How Far Can Serverless Dynamic Websites Go

26 - The tipping point of a dynamic website
27 - AWS provides managed services for nearly everything

Conclusion

28 - Next steps