Serverless Development with AWS CDK and Serverless Framework: Which One to Choose? published 3/11/2023 | 4 min read

Introduction:

Serverless computing has become increasingly popular in recent years, and the market is flooded with different frameworks that simplify the process of deploying serverless applications. Two of the most popular frameworks are Amazon CDK and Serverless Framework. In this blog post, we will compare these two frameworks in terms of features, pros, and cons.

What is Amazon CDK?

The AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is an open-source software development framework used to define cloud infrastructure in code and provision it through AWS CloudFormation. The CDK allows developers to write code in TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, and Kotlin, which it then synthesizes into AWS CloudFormation templates. It provides a high-level object-oriented abstraction over AWS services and resources, making it easier to manage complex cloud infrastructures.

What is Serverless Framework?

The Serverless Framework is another popular open-source framework for building serverless applications. It supports multiple cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and provides a simple, intuitive, and streamlined approach to deploying serverless functions, events, and infrastructure. It supports multiple programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, Java, and Ruby.

Features:

Amazon CDK and Serverless Framework have many features in common, including:

• Support for multiple cloud providers
• Integration with source control systems like Git
• Automatic scaling and resource management
• Event-driven architecture
• Integrated testing frameworks
• Support for multiple programming languages
• Integration with third-party services
• However, there are some differences between the two frameworks.

Amazon CDK:

• Provides a higher-level object-oriented abstraction over AWS services and resources
• Supports multiple programming languages, including TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, and Kotlin
• Generates AWS CloudFormation templates
• Offers a CLI for deployment and testing
• Supports building and deploying stacks with multiple environments

Serverless Framework:

• Provides a simple, intuitive, and streamlined approach to deploying serverless functions, events, and infrastructure
• Supports multiple programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, Java, and Ruby
• Generates AWS CloudFormation templates, but also supports other deployment options
• Offers a CLI for deployment and testing
• Supports building and deploying stacks with multiple stages

Pros and Cons:

Amazon CDK:

Pros:

• High-level object-oriented abstraction makes it easier to manage complex cloud infrastructures
• Supports multiple programming languages
• Generates AWS CloudFormation templates, which is useful for versioning and disaster recovery
• Offers a CLI for deployment and testing
• Provides strong typing and object-oriented programming concepts

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with object-oriented programming concepts
• Limited support for non-AWS services
• Lack of third-party plugins and integrations

Serverless Framework:

Pros:

• Simple and streamlined approach to deploying serverless applications
• Supports multiple programming languages
• Offers a CLI for deployment and testing
• Supports multiple cloud providers
• Large community with many third-party plugins and integrations

Cons:

• Limited abstraction over cloud services and resources
• Limited support for non-AWS services
• Lack of strong typing and object-oriented programming concepts

Code Examples:

To illustrate the differences between the two tools, here's an example of how to create an AWS Lambda function with an API Gateway trigger using both Amazon CDK and Serverless Framework.

Serverless framework

  
service: my-service
provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs14.x
  region: us-east-1
functions:
  hello:
    handler: handler.hello
    events:
      - http:
          path: hello
          method: get

  
import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';
import * as apigateway from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-apigateway';

export class MyStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: cdk.App, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    const handler = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyFunction', {
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_14_X,
      code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('path/to/lambda/code'),
      handler: 'handler.hello',
    });

    const api = new apigateway.RestApi(this, 'MyApi', {
      restApiName: 'My API',
    });

    const hello = api.root.addResource('hello');
    hello.addMethod('GET', new apigateway.LambdaIntegration(handler));
  }
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, both the Serverless Framework and AWS CDK provide valuable tools for deploying and managing serverless applications on AWS. While the Serverless Framework is more mature and provides a simpler development experience, AWS CDK offers a more powerful and flexible infrastructure-as-code approach that enables developers to use familiar programming languages. Ultimately, the choice between the two frameworks depends on the specific needs of your project and your team's preferences and skillsets. Regardless of which framework you choose, both are excellent options for building and deploying serverless applications on AWS.