How to Build a Cheap Website with Serverless on AWS Free Tier

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2025-02-15

Building a cost-effective website using serverless architecture on AWS Free Tier is a great way to leverage cloud resources without incurring significant costs. Below is a step-by-step guide with practical commands and code snippets to help you get started.

Step 1: Set Up AWS Cognito for User Management
AWS Cognito allows you to manage up to 50,000 active users for free. Use the following AWS CLI command to create a user pool:

aws cognito-idp create-user-pool --pool-name MyUserPool

Step 2: Configure Amazon S3 for Static Website Hosting
Amazon S3 offers 5GB of free storage. Use this command to create an S3 bucket and enable static website hosting:

aws s3 mb s3://my-website-bucket
aws s3 website s3://my-website-bucket --index-document index.html

Step 3: Set Up AWS CloudFront for Content Delivery
AWS CloudFront provides 1TB of free data transfer. Create a CloudFront distribution linked to your S3 bucket:

aws cloudfront create-distribution --origin-domain-name my-website-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com

Step 4: Deploy API Gateway and Lambda Functions

AWS API Gateway allows 1 million API calls per month for free. Use this command to create a new API:

aws apigateway create-rest-api --name 'MyServerlessAPI'

For Lambda, which offers 1 million free requests per month, deploy a simple function:

aws lambda create-function --function-name MyFunction --runtime nodejs14.x --handler index.handler --zip-file fileb://function.zip

Step 5: Integrate DynamoDB for Database Needs

DynamoDB provides 25GB of free storage. Create a table with this command:

aws dynamodb create-table --table-name MyTable --attribute-definitions AttributeName=ID,AttributeType=S --key-schema AttributeName=ID,KeyType=HASH --provisioned-throughput ReadCapacityUnits=5,WriteCapacityUnits=5

What Undercode Say

Building a serverless website on AWS Free Tier is an excellent way to explore cloud technologies without financial commitment. By utilizing services like Cognito, S3, CloudFront, API Gateway, Lambda, and DynamoDB, you can create a fully functional website. Here are some additional commands and tips to enhance your setup:

  1. Automate Deployment with AWS SAM: Use the AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) to streamline your deployments.
    sam deploy --guided

  2. Monitor with CloudWatch: Set up alarms and monitor your resources.

    aws cloudwatch put-metric-alarm --alarm-name MyAlarm --metric-name MyMetric --namespace AWS/Lambda --statistic Average --period 300 --threshold 100 --comparison-operator GreaterThanOrEqualToThreshold --evaluation-periods 2

  3. Secure Your API: Implement API key usage and throttling.

    aws apigateway create-usage-plan --name MyUsagePlan --throttle burstLimit=100,rateLimit=50

  4. Optimize Lambda Functions: Use layers and environment variables for better management.

    aws lambda publish-layer-version --layer-name MyLayer --content S3Bucket=my-bucket,S3Key=layer.zip

  5. Backup and Restore DynamoDB: Regularly backup your DynamoDB tables.

    aws dynamodb create-backup --table-name MyTable --backup-name MyBackup

By following these steps and utilizing the provided commands, you can build a robust, scalable, and cost-effective serverless website on AWS. For further reading, refer to the official AWS documentation and explore more advanced configurations to tailor the setup to your specific needs.

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