Building Serverless Python Apps on AWS

Most serverless guides assume you already know where to start. This one doesn't.

The biggest thing standing between a developer and a serverless architecture is rarely the technology. It is knowing where to begin. This book exists to remove that roadblock and give you a clear, practical path onto Amazon Web Services.

It is a step-by-step guide that takes you from an empty project to a fully deployed, production-minded API. You will build a real book collection management API with FastAPI and GraphQL, schedule background jobs, containerize the app with Docker, and deploy it to AWS Fargate using the AWS CDK. From there, you will secure the API, test it with Pytest, add a linter for consistent code, and stand up a complete CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions.

The approach is deliberately hands-on. Rather than cataloging every possible option, it walks one real project from start to finish so the pieces actually connect.

This second edition adds an entirely new chapter on the Model Context Protocol. You will turn that same API into an MCP server so AI agents like Claude and Cursor can call it directly, with no extra infrastructure to manage. The project tooling has also been modernized around uv and a current release of Python, so what you learn reflects how Python services are built today.

It is written for Python developers who want a real on-ramp to serverless, whether you are putting together a proof of concept for your team, shipping a side project, or helping a small team get to market without breaking the bank.

Every chapter closes with a quiz and critical thinking questions to lock in what you have learned. You also get cheat sheets, appendices, and full access to the source code for both the starter project and the finished API.

Stop wondering where to begin. Start building.