Serverless Angular Applications

Serverless architecture allows you to build and run applications without managing the server infrastructure. This guide covers the basics of deploying Angular applications using serverless services, focusing on AWS and Firebase.

Deploying to AWS with Serverless Framework

The Serverless Framework simplifies the deployment of applications to serverless environments. To deploy an Angular application to AWS using the Serverless Framework, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install the Serverless Framework

npm install -g serverless

Step 2: Create a Serverless Configuration File

Create a serverless.yml file in the root of your Angular project:

# serverless.yml
service: angular-app

provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs14.x
  region: us-east-1

functions:
  app:
    handler: handler.app
    events:
      - http:
          path: /
          method: get
      - http:
          path: /{proxy+}
          method: any

plugins:
  - serverless-apigw-binary
  - serverless-offline

custom:
  apigwBinary:
    types:
      - '*/*'

resources:
  Resources:
    GatewayResponseDefault4XX:
      Type: 'AWS::ApiGateway::GatewayResponse'
      Properties:
        ResponseType: DEFAULT_4XX
        ResponseParameters:
          gatewayresponse.header.Access-Control-Allow-Origin: "'*'"
          gatewayresponse.header.Access-Control-Allow-Headers: "'*'"
          gatewayresponse.header.Access-Control-Allow-Methods: "'*'"

Step 3: Create a Handler File

Create a handler.js file to handle the serverless functions:

// handler.js
const serverless = require('serverless-http');
const express = require('express');
const path = require('path');

const app = express();

app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'dist/your-angular-app')));

app.get('/*', function (req, res) {
  res.sendFile(path.join(__dirname, 'dist/your-angular-app', 'index.html'));
});

module.exports.app = serverless(app);

Step 4: Build Your Angular Application

ng build --prod

Step 5: Deploy Your Application

serverless deploy

Deploying to Firebase

Firebase provides hosting services that are easy to set up for Angular applications:

Step 1: Install Firebase Tools

npm install -g firebase-tools

Step 2: Initialize Firebase in Your Project

firebase init

Follow the prompts to configure your project. Select Hosting and choose the dist/your-angular-app directory when asked for the public directory.

Step 3: Build Your Angular Application

ng build --prod

Step 4: Deploy to Firebase

firebase deploy

Using AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify provides a simplified way to deploy and manage web applications:

Step 1: Install AWS Amplify CLI

npm install -g @aws-amplify/cli

Step 2: Configure AWS Amplify

amplify configure

Step 3: Initialize AWS Amplify in Your Project

amplify init

Follow the prompts to configure your project.

Step 4: Add Hosting

amplify add hosting

Select Hosting with Amplify Console and follow the prompts.

Step 5: Deploy Your Application

amplify publish

Key Points

Conclusion

Using serverless architecture for your Angular applications simplifies deployment and scaling. By leveraging services like AWS, Firebase, and AWS Amplify, you can efficiently manage your applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Happy coding!