Unlock the Power of Serverless Functions

What Are Serverless Functions?

Serverless functions are pieces of code that run on cloud servers without the need for a dedicated backend. They’re executed on demand and rely on cloud platforms to manage the complexities of server maintenance. These functions can be used for a variety of tasks, such as:

• sending emails
• performing database queries
• handling user authentication
• and more

Why Choose a Cloud Platform for Serverless Functions?

A top-notch cloud platform for static frontends and serverless functions offers a seamless experience for developers, with a minimal learning curve and a single package.json file to rule them all. It enables you to host websites and web applications that deploy instantly and scale automatically.

Deploying Serverless Functions

Deploying serverless functions is a breeze. Simply create an /api directory in the root of your project, add your functions as files with corresponding extensions (e.g.,.js,.ts), and the cloud platform will automatically execute them as serverless functions and expose them as HTTP endpoints.

mkdir api
touch api/hello.js

Accessing Serverless Functions Through Path Segments

To make things even simpler, serverless functions can be dynamically named and accessed through path segments. This is achieved by wrapping the filename in square brackets (e.g., /api/user/[id].js).

// api/user/[id].js
export default async function handler(req, res) {
  const id = req.params.id;
  //...
}

The request and response arguments of your serverless function are instances of http.incomingMessage and http.ServerResponse, respectively.

Local Development

The cloud platform caters to your local development needs by replicating the production environment on your localhost using the CLI. This allows you to work with your serverless functions without redeploying each time a change is made.

vercel dev

Configuring Environmental Variables

You can configure environmental variables directly from your project’s settings on the cloud platform’s dashboard or through the CLI. This involves adding variables, specifying their type (plaintext, secret, system-provided), and defining the environment(s) in which they’ll be available.

Caveats and Technical Details

While the cloud platform provides a solid foundation for serverless functions, there are some caveats and technical details to be aware of. These include:

• supported languages (Node.js, Go, Python, Ruby)
• execution timeouts
• reserved environmental variables
• limits (e.g., serverless function payload size limit)

Sending Emails with Nodemailer and Mailtrap

To demonstrate the power of serverless functions, let’s explore how to send emails using Nodemailer and Mailtrap. This involves creating a serverless function file, installing Nodemailer, and configuring environmental variables for Mailtrap.

// api/send-email.js
import nodemailer from 'nodemailer';

export default async function handler(req, res) {
  const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
    host: 'mtp.mailtrap.io',
    port: 2525,
    auth: {
      user: process.env.MAILTRAP_USERNAME,
      pass: process.env.MAILTRAP_PASSWORD,
    },
  });

  const mailOptions = {
    from: '[email protected]',
    to: '[email protected]',
    subject: 'Hello from Serverless!',
    text: 'This email was sent using a serverless function.',
  };

  transporter.sendMail(mailOptions, (error, info) => {
    if (error) {
      return res.status(500).send(error);
    }
    res.send(`Email sent: ${info.response}`);
  });
}

Start exploring the world of serverless functions today and discover how they can help you achieve your goals!