Serverless Handbookfor frontend engineers
Dive into modern backend. Understand any backendGet your free chapter!
Wanna see whatβs in Serverless Handbook, but not ready to buy the full book? Start with a free chapter.
Chapter Previews
- Getting Started
- Serverless Pros & Cons
- Choosing Providers
- Create Good serverless DX
- Architecture principles
- Lambdas, queues, etc
- Robust backend design
- Where to store data
- Creating a REST API
- Using GraphQL
- Lambda pipelines
- Monitoring
- Dev, QA, and prod
- Serverless performance
- Using Chrome puppeteer
- Handling secrets
- Dealing with authentication
- Glossary
- Appendix: More databases
Hello! π
Are you a frontend engineer diving into backend? Do you have just that one bit of code that can't run in the browser? Something that deals with secrets and APIs?
That's what cloud functions are for my friend. You take a JavaScript function, run it on serverless, get a URL, and voila.
But that's easy mode. Any tutorial can teach you that.
What happens when you wanna build a real backend? When you want to understand what's going on? Have opinions on REST vs GraphQL, NoSQL vs. SQL, databases, queues, talk about performance, cost, data processing, deployment strategies, developer experience?
π€―
Get your free chapter!
Access to this chapter immediately, extra free chapter and Serverless crash course in your email βοΈ
Dive into modern backend. Understand any backend
Serverless Handbook shows you how with 360 pages for people like you getting into backend programming.
With digital + paperback content Serverless Handbook has been more than 1 year in development. Lessons learned from 14 years of building production grade websites and webapps.
If you want to understand backends, grok serverless, or just get a feel for modern backend development, this is the book for you.
Serverless Handbook full of color illustrations, code you can try, and insights you can learn. But it's not a cookbook and it's not a tutorial.
Yes, there's a couple tutorials to get you started, to show you how it fits together, but the focus is on high-level concepts.
Ideas, tactics, and mindsets that you need. Because every project is different.
The Serverless Handbook takes you from your very first cloud function to modern backend mastery. In the words of an early reader:
If you can JavaScript, you can backend.
Plus it looks great on your bookshelf π
Cheers,
~Swizec
- Get started with Serverless backend technologies
- Build your first backends, or your 10th in a new way ;)
- Designed for frontend engineers diving into backend tech for the first time
- Learn all about lambdas and queues and databases
- Build server-side technologies with JavaScript and TypeScript
- Support your apps with functions in the cloud
- A reference handbook that stands by your side as you work
- Pick and choose, read the chapters you need right now
- Access yours forever
- Live digital version with your Kindle or Paperback
- Available wherever Amazon sends books
What's in Serverless Handbook?
360 pages, 19 chapters, 6 full projects, hand-drawn diagrams, beautiful chapter art, best-looking cover in tech. βοΈ
Watch the walkthrough or keep reading.
Getting Started walks you through the history of servers and why serverless exists.
Serverless Pros & Cons helps you make informed decisions. Does serverless fit your project?
AWS, Azure, Vercel, Netlify, or Firebase?β talks about choosing a provider and their tradeoffs.
Good serverless DX is about developer experience and how serverless helps you improve yours.
Architecture principles talks about distributed architectures and what you'll want to think about.
Lambdas, queues, etc explains the core building blocks of serverless backends and how you can use them.
Robust backend design continues with ideas on resilience and reliability.
Where to store data is all about different databases, their tradeoffs, and how they work. A core aspect of backend.
Creating a REST API explains what is REST and what it isn't, how to design a good API, and walks you through a tutorial with working code.
Using GraphQL shows you the benefits of GraphQL, when you should use it, and shares a tutorial where you deploy a serverless GraphQL API.
Lambda pipelines talks about distributed data processing at scale and how you might use serverless for the task. Great dive into robust architecture design.
Monitoring serverless apps gives you ideas on observability and how to ensure you'll know something's funky before users start yelling.
Dev, QA, and prod shares common strategies for scaling as a team, avoiding mishaps, and when you should use which.
Serverless performance touches cost optimization and focuses on how to keep your system fast and performant.
Serverless Chrome puppeteer was hard to fit in the book, but it's such a darling I couldn't let go. Shows you how to run Serverless Chrome for browser automation.
Handling secrets is an important topic on how to make sure your system doesn't get hacked. Leaking API keys is a common oopsie.
Dealing with authentication talks about authentication, why it's hard, and shows you how to roll your own or use a 3rd party provider.
Glossary defines commonly used words so you can look them up as you work.
Appendix: More databases is everything you ever wanted to know about different databases and how to use them.
Plus, Serverless Handbook really looks great on your desk π
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Amazon?
She's a good book Friend and she deserves to hit the bestseller list.
oh hey look who's a #1 bestseller on Amazonhttps://t.co/YCPn2xZGzt pic.twitter.com/jl5a1lMAgU
β Swizec Teller published ServerlessHandbook.dev (@Swizec) March 31, 2021
Oh damn, #6 in the general Computer Programming category πhttps://t.co/YCPn2xI5HV
β Swizec Teller published ServerlessHandbook.dev (@Swizec) April 1, 2021
Paperback is #22 π€ pic.twitter.com/FsYbt2pbw6
π€
$9.99 for Kindle are you sure? Your book is worth more.
Not a fake question, I promise.
Amazon decided that kindle books should be $9.99. You get a 70% margin. Choose higher and your margin falls to 30%.
That means a $22 and a $9.99 book make the same revenue for the author. In that case making Serverless Handbook more accessible is the better choice π
$49 for the paperback does it read itself??
Also not a fake question π
The physical version is 50USD! Does it read itself ?
β diego (@dxvgx) March 31, 2021
You know how most books you buy aren't color and look like they were printed on toilet paper? This week I learned why.
That's right, it costs $26 to print each copy of Serverless Handbook. Add distribution costs and Amazon overhead ...
I didn't want you to read toilet paper.
Amazon doesn't show your book in my country
Sorry that's out of my hands π I clicked all the buttons and flipped all the checkboxes and said "Widest distribution possible please!"
You can try buying from Amazon's US store directly
I don't like Amazon, don't have Kindle, and killing trees is bad. How can I read Serverless Handbook?
You can buy the live digital version on Gumroad. Otherwise included with kindle/paperback purchase :)
Serverless Handbook in the wild
I bought the excellent book Serverless Handbook from @Swizec
β Oscar Pagani (@opagani) April 17, 2021
I highly recommend it! pic.twitter.com/J839kYt3zr
That's easy just send me a signed copy. Btw, now I understand why it originally was ~50USD pic.twitter.com/FOcgebeBqD
β diego (@dxvgx) April 17, 2021
Thanks @Swizec! Reading the earlier versions of this online a couple years ago was super helpful! pic.twitter.com/cSbQo1Ce5z
β Brandon π Blitz.jsβ‘οΈ (@flybayer) April 16, 2021
I want a signed copy! pic.twitter.com/jvczaIqM42
β JuanGiraldo (@juanggiraldo) April 15, 2021
It has arrived π#ServerlessHandbook @Swizec pic.twitter.com/LVjHVbAuV2
β Kevin Γsterkilde π©π° (@Kosai106) April 12, 2021
@Swizec kids these days and their pesky serverless development! pic.twitter.com/ufkwZyTVGf
β Chase (@chagwood) April 11, 2021
Cracked open my physical copy tonight @Swizec ππ» I will learn aws and use it for evil pic.twitter.com/snDo22m9hp
β Ryan Magoon (@Ryan_Magoon) April 11, 2021
@Swizec this is my stack of handbooks that I keep handy. pic.twitter.com/6pVfYZ4ATs
β Cody Averett (@code_e_averett) April 9, 2021
What has two thumbs and just got @Swizecβs new book? pic.twitter.com/slocl14mbX
β Adam Rackis (@AdamRackis) April 5, 2021
@Swizec #serverlesshandbook This is the first physical comp sci text book Iβve brought in over twenty years. I find that most of them are out of date the moment theyβre printed but Swizec has done an amazing job and the content will be relevant for a good few years to come. pic.twitter.com/BdAAecEVjA
β Jon Howard (@TheAppyWriter) April 4, 2021
Following the trend π
β π€ ππππ ππ ( LukyVj ) πΆ π π (@LukyVJ) April 21, 2021
Trying to up my game lately π¨βπ» pic.twitter.com/GV9zryhYNw
@Swizec got the serverless handbook! It looks great. Itβs a lot thicker than I wouldβve thought reading it online
β Michael (@mikedubcurry) April 30, 2021
My man @Swizec went and sent me a signed first edition of this soon to be classic π pic.twitter.com/Gw8cTIY7pH
β Adam Rackis (@AdamRackis) April 30, 2021
Looking forward to reading this! Thanks @Swizec!! pic.twitter.com/2A9L94okV1
β Liz Lam (@grepliz) May 4, 2021
I just got my copy of Serverless Handbook from @Swizec . First few chapters are great and I'm excited to go through the rest. pic.twitter.com/1Y4Re4i7a3
β Roy Anger (@royanger) May 5, 2021
I just got my signed copy of Serverless Handbook from @Swizec, I know what Iβm gonna do this weekend π pic.twitter.com/MAhADMegOW
β Mate Nemeth (@__MateN) May 6, 2021
Learning about #serverless from @swizec's new Serverless Handbook and ... https://t.co/zvZSs1iMas pic.twitter.com/DOHA80SYLu
β scisteffan (@scisteffan) May 10, 2021