Next.js and Django Microservices Lambda Deployments

An AWS code pipeline is created for each application. This pipeline is responsible for deploying the infrastructure and the application code. The pipeline is triggered when a new commit is pushed to the specified branch of the application's repository.

Architecture

Next.js and Django Microservice Lambdas with Database

Static Files

Static files of the Next.js application are deployed to an S3 bucket. The deployed bucket is private and all static files are served using CloudFront.

Image Optimization

An image optimization lambda handles image optimization for the Next.js application. Optimization requests are made when the Next.js <Image /> component is used. The lambda uses the sharp library to optimize images.

Lambda Servers

Lambda servers handle server-side rendering, API requests, and other server-side logic for the Next.js and Django services. When the application is deployed with a database, the lambda servers are placed in a private subnet and are not directly accessible from the internet. When the application is deployed without a database, the lambda servers are not deployed in a VPC, but the URL used to trigger the lambda function requires IAM authentication.

Lambda Warmers

A lambda warmer function is used to call the server lambda functions. This is done to reduce the cold start time of the lambda functions. The lambda warmer function is triggered by an EventBridge event and is scheduled to run every 5 minutes. The dashboard allows you to configure the number of servers to keep warm.

Secrets

Secrets are stored in AWS Secrets Manager and are exposed to the lambda servers as environment variables. The Zonké dashboard allows you to add, update, and delete secrets for the Next.js and Django services. Secrets are only stored in your AWS account and are encrypted at rest and in transit. The Next.js application can access these secrets using the process.env object and directly from Secrets Manager.

Database

The Django application is deployed with a database. The database is deployed using RDS and is accessible from the lambda servers. Database credentials are stored in AWS Secrets Manager and, just like other service secrets, they are exposed to the lambda servers as secrets. The database is placed in an isolated subnet and is only accessible from the lambda servers.

Database Migrations

Django applications run database migrations during deployment. A migration lambda function is created and triggered by the pipeline during application deployment. You do not need to configure anything in your codebase to run migrations.