Why I migrated my Laravel application to Aws Serverless (and why I could save you time and money)

This article explores the benefits of deploying a Laravel application on AWS Serverless, contrasting it with traditional EC2 hosting. The author shares their experience migrating from a resource-intensive EC2 setup to a cost-effective and scalable serverless architecture.

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Spoiler: It's not just about saving money—though my wallet isn't complaining.

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Imagine this: you've built a brilliant Laravel application—your masterpiece, a digital Swiss Army knife with features so useful they could cut butter... or user feedback. But there's a catch. Every month, you're paying for an underutilized EC2 instance. Scaling feels like parking a cruise ship in a hurricane.

Sound familiar? It did to me.

Three years ago, I did what most developers would call crazy: I deployed PHP to AWS Lambda. “PHP? On serverless? That's like putting pineapple on pizza!”, they said.

But here I am, three years later, proudly eating my pineapple pizza. Let me tell you why Laravel on serverless is the cloud upgrade you didn't know you needed.

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1. The Traditional Laravel Hosting Problem

(or: Why my EC2 instances were having an existential crisis)

Before serverless, my Laravel application resided on EC2. For the uninitiated, EC2 is Amazon's version of a virtual private server, where you rent a slice of a machine to run your code. Sounds great, right? Until reality hits harder than a rogue composer update.

a) First: The Cost of Existence

Running an EC2 instance is like owning a Tesla you leave running 24/7, just in case you want to drive. My application wasn't always busy, but that didn't stop the meter. Between EC2 instances, load balancers, and shared storage, I was spending around $110/month on a server stack that spent most of its time idle. My wallet? Sunk like the Titanic.

I know, it's not much in the grand scheme of things, but as a solo developer/entrepreneur, every dollar counts.

b) Then: Scaling Nightmares

EC2 instances are like that friend who overreacts to everything.

• Traffic spike? "I'm crashing now, thanks!"
• No traffic? "I'll still burn your money!"

Managing autoscaling felt like teaching a fish to juggle—possible, but at what cost? Manually adjusting scaling groups, configuring load balancers, and praying you don't over-provision felt like a second job I never applied for.

c) And Finally: DevOps, the Unpaid Intern

Nobody told me Laravel development came with a side of sysadmin responsibilities:

• Applying security patches.
• Debugging nginx/apache configurations at 3 AM.
• Whispering sweet nothings to sudo commands, hoping they'd work this time.

I didn't sign up for this life.

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That's when I started exploring alternatives, and serverless stood out as the perfect solution to these headaches.

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2. AWS Serverless: The Resurgence of PHP in the Cloud

Let's clarify a myth: serverless doesn't mean "no servers." It just means the servers are someone else's problem. In this case, AWS handles the heavy lifting while I focus on what I actually enjoy: coding.

a) Lambda: The Event-Driven Sorcerer

AWS Lambda is like a superhero who only shows up when you need them. It executes your code in response to events—HTTP requests, SQS messages, scheduled tasks, you name it. And when the job's done, it disappears faster than free pizza at a developer meetup.

• No idle costs: You only pay for execution time (measured in milliseconds).
• Automatic scaling magic: Got a spike of 100,000 requests? Lambda handles it without breaking a sweat (or emptying your bank account).
• Stateless by design: It's like a fresh start every time, a design that forces you to think modularly.

b) Managed Services: The Unsung Heroes

Serverless isn't just Lambda—it's an ecosystem. AWS replaces your DIY infrastructure with managed services that "just work":

• Database: Options like Aurora Serverless (MySQL/Postgres) for SQL lovers.
• S3: Store your files without worrying about running out of disk space.
• SQS: Decouple long-running jobs and process them asynchronously.

c) The PHP Paradox

I'll admit it: PHP wasn't born for serverless. It's like asking a fish to climb a tree—it'll complain, but it'll eventually do it. Laravel, traditionally reliant on PHP-FPM, needed some adjustments to thrive in Lambda's ephemeral world:

• Sessions: Move them to an external database like MySQL or Redis.
• File storage: Redirect all storage operations to S3, using Laravel's Storage facade.
• Queue management: Configure SQS as the default driver for asynchronous task execution.
• Caching: Leverage external services like Redis or DynamoDB instead of local storage.
• Boot time optimization: Minimize cold starts by trimming the fat (unused dependencies).
• Environment variables: Replace .env files with AWS Secrets Manager or Parameter Store for centralized and secure configuration management.

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Remember, serverless isn't just about replacing servers with Lambda functions. It's about rethinking your architecture—letting AWS handle the operational pain points while you focus on building.

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3. How Serverless Unlocks Laravel's Full Potential

So, does Laravel on serverless actually deliver on its promises?

Serverless isn't just a buzzword, it's a transformative shift. The beauty of Laravel on serverless lies in its ability to address the weaknesses of traditional hosting while enabling faster, more scalable, and cost-effective solutions. But the real magic happens when you delve into how these benefits combine. Let's break it down.

a) Cold Starts: Separating Myth from Reality

Cold starts happen when Lambda initializes a new instance. Think of it as PHP waking up from a nap. Critics treat them like the apocalypse, but they're manageable:

• Reality: Typical cold starts with PHP Laravel are around ~3-5 seconds.
• Solutions:
  • Laravel Octane: Keeps the application alive between requests, reducing startup times. Subsequent requests are processed in ~200ms or less.
  • Provisioned concurrency: AWS pre-warms instances for critical endpoints (costs extra, but worthwhile for key endpoints).

For most applications, sub-3-second delays during low traffic are acceptable. Most users won't notice a cold start, especially during traffic spikes when Lambda stays "warm."

b) Painless Scaling

Scaling in traditional hosting often feels like a never-ending battle. With serverless, scaling becomes effortless: no more tweaking autoscaling rules or crossing your fingers during a sudden traffic surge. AWS Lambda removes the guesswork, scaling horizontally by default.

Here's an example:

• Scenario: Your application goes viral ? yay!
• Old EC2 setup: You start experiencing latency, rush to log into AWS, manually adjust the number of instances, and pray for the best ?. Oh, and don't forget to properly balance those instances across availability zones.
• New Lambda setup: AWS automatically creates as many instances as needed, handling thousands of concurrent requests without you lifting a finger. You grab some popcorn and watch CloudWatch metrics like a Netflix series ?.

This isn't just convenience, it's peace of mind. While you focus on celebrating your application's success, Lambda does the heavy lifting. And the best part? You only pay for the compute time you use, not for the idle capacity you might need "just in case."

c) Cost Efficiency: The MVP

Serverless doesn't just save money, it's like having an all-you-can-eat buffet where you only pay for what you consume.

• My old EC2 setup: ~$110/month.
  • 4x t3.small EC2 instances: $60.00
  • 1x Load Balancer: $16.40
  • 1x EBS (shared storage between EC2 instances): $7.80
  • 1x RDS MySQL instance (db.t4g.medium): ~$26.00
• Lambda: ~$34/month (a 60% saving!).
  • Lambda, API Gateway ~2.5M requests (~500ms / 512MB memory)/month: $4.80
  • Managed services (S3, SQS, CloudWatch): ~$2.90
  • RDS MySQL instance (db.t4g.medium): ~$26.00

**Resource**	**EC2 Cost**	**Lambda Cost**
Compute	.00	.50
Networking (LB, API Gateway)	.40	.30
Storage	.80	.90
Database	.00	.00
**TOTAL**	**0.20**	**~.70**

In short, serverless not only saves money, it frees up mental bandwidth. The fewer resources I waste worrying about over-provisioning, the more I can focus on building something amazing.

At this point, I was still using a MySQL instance as my database engine. Future posts will explore migrating to DynamoDB to further reduce costs.

d) Maintenance Freedom: Say Goodbye to Operational Nightmares

Serverless freed me from the shackles of server maintenance. Here's how:

• No more manual updates: AWS handles security patches, OS updates, and runtime improvements, meaning you're always running on secure and up-to-date infrastructure.
• Simplified configurations: With services like API Gateway and S3, the complexity of managing nginx configurations and custom deployments becomes a thing of the past.
• Elastic capacity: Forget about overpaying for unused server resources or scrambling to provision more during traffic spikes. Lambda automatically scales to meet demand and stops billing when idle.
• Focus on features, not firefighting: The time I previously spent applying patches or debugging production issues is now invested in building features and improving the user experience.

Serverless doesn't just reduce maintenance, it eliminates the operational distractions that keep you from coding.

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4. But Is Laravel Serverless for Everyone?

As revolutionary as Laravel on serverless is, it's not a universal solution. For some applications, the stateless and event-driven nature of serverless might seem like a dream come true. For others, it might feel like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Before you jump on the serverless bandwagon, let's step back and assess if it's right for your project.

a) The Stateless Nature: A Double-Edged Sword

Laravel loves operations that preserve information between interactions, like storing files locally and saving sessions to the filesystem. To go serverless, you must change:

• Sessions: Use databases (MySQL/Postgres) or Redis; no more filesystem dependency.
• Files: Redirect file uploads to S3, or avoid Laravel altogether and use S3 pre-signed URLs.
• Logs: Configure Laravel to stream them to CloudWatch.
• Configuration: Move .env variables to AWS Secrets Manager or Parameter Store for centralized management.
• Queues: Migrate jobs to AWS SQS for scalable queue and message handling.

b) Vendor Lock-In Considerations

AWS services are magical, but they're also proprietary:

• Want to migrate from SQS to Redis queues? Prepare to rewrite code.
• Want to move from Lambda to Docker? Grab a coffee: it'll be a long night.

c) When Not to Choose Serverless

Serverless isn't a silver bullet for all workloads. Avoid it if:

• You need WebSockets: While achievable with services like API Gateway WebSocket APIs or third-party tools like Ably, it adds complexity.
• Your application has heavy compute loads: Tasks like AI/ML inference or video encoding might hit Lambda's 15-minute time limit.
• You depend on stateful services: Applications that assume persistent disk or server state can be costly to refactor.

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5. What's Next?

Laravel on serverless has the potential to transform how you build and deploy applications, but the real magic is in the implementation. Ready to take the leap and give your Laravel application the serverless treatment? Stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll guide you through the exact steps to bring this architecture to life.

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A question for you: What's your biggest fear about serverless? Share it below, and I'll address the top 3 in Part 2!

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