Serverless Next.js Hosting with AWS Lambda

Serverless changed how I deploy Next.js. Instead of paying for an always-on server, each request runs in an AWS Lambda function that scales to zero when nobody is using it. For most projects that means a smaller bill and far less infrastructure to babysit.

How it works

The Next.js server is bundled into a Lambda function behind API Gateway or a Lambda function URL, with static assets and images served from S3 and CloudFront. SSR and API routes run on demand; the CDN handles everything cacheable at the edge.

Taming cold starts

Cold starts are the classic serverless worry. Keep the bundle small, trim heavy dependencies, and use provisioned concurrency on the routes that matter for users. In practice, aggressive edge caching means most visitors never hit a cold function at all.

Pay only for what you use

Lambda bills per request and per millisecond of compute. Low-traffic sites can cost almost nothing, and traffic spikes scale automatically without you provisioning capacity in advance. Set budgets and alarms so a runaway loop never becomes a runaway invoice.

When to choose serverless

Serverless is ideal for spiky or unpredictable traffic and lean teams. If you need long-running processes, websockets at scale or very steady high throughput, a container or always-on server can be cheaper. Match the model to the workload rather than following a trend.