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Runtime Developer Reference

The following page is a reference for how to create a Runtime using the available Runtime API.

A Runtime is an npm module that exposes a build function and optionally an analyze function and prepareCache function. Official Runtimes are published to npmjs.com as a package and referenced in the use property of the now.json configuration file. However, the use property will work with any npm install argument such as a git repo url which is useful for testing your Runtime.

See the Runtimes Documentation to view example usage.

Runtime Exports

version

A required exported constant that decides which version of the Runtime API to use.

The latest and suggested version is 3.

analyze

An optional exported function that returns a unique fingerprint used for the purpose of build de-duplication. If the analyze function is not supplied, a random fingerprint is assigned to each build.

export analyze({
  files: Files,
  entrypoint: String,
  workPath: String,
  config: Object
}) : String fingerprint

If you are using TypeScript, you should use the following types:

import { AnalyzeOptions } from '@now/build-utils'

export analyze(options: AnalyzeOptions) {
  return 'fingerprint goes here'
}

build

A required exported function that returns a Serverless Function.

What's a Serverless Function? Read about Serverless Functions to learn more.

build({
  files: Files,
  entrypoint: String,
  workPath: String,
  config: Object,
  meta?: {
    isDev?: Boolean,
    requestPath?: String,
    filesChanged?: Array<String>,
    filesRemoved?: Array<String>
  }
}) : {
  watch?: Array<String>,
  output: Lambda,
  routes?: Object
}

If you are using TypeScript, you should use the following types:

import { BuildOptions } from '@now/build-utils'

export build(options: BuildOptions) {
  // Build the code here

  return {
    output: {
      'path-to-file': File,
      'path-to-lambda': Lambda
    },
    watch: [],
    routes: {}
  }
}

prepareCache

An optional exported function that is equivalent to build, but it executes the instructions necessary to prepare a cache for the next run.

prepareCache({
  files: Files,
  entrypoint: String,
  workPath: String,
  cachePath: String,
  config: Object
}) : Files cacheOutput

If you are using TypeScript, you can import the types for each of these functions by using the following:

import { PrepareCacheOptions } from '@now/build-utils'

export prepareCache(options: PrepareCacheOptions) {
  return { 'path-to-file': File }
}

shouldServe

An optional exported function that is only used by now dev in Now CLI and indicates whether a Runtime wants to be responsible for building a certain request path.

shouldServe({
  entrypoint: String,
  files: Files,
  config: Object,
  requestPath: String,
  workPath: String
}) : Boolean

If you are using TypeScript, you can import the types for each of these functions by using the following:

import { ShouldServeOptions } from '@now/build-utils'

export shouldServe(options: ShouldServeOptions) {
  return Boolean
}

If this method is not defined, Now CLI will default to this function.

Runtime Options

The exported functions analyze, build, and prepareCache receive one argument with the following properties.

Properties:

  • files: All source files of the project as a Files data structure.
  • entrypoint: Name of entrypoint file for this particular build job. Value files[entrypoint] is guaranteed to exist and be a valid File reference. entrypoint is always a discrete file and never a glob, since globs are expanded into separate builds at deployment time.
  • workPath: A writable temporary directory where you are encouraged to perform your build process. This directory will be populated with the restored cache from the previous run (if any) for analyze and build.
  • cachePath: A writable temporary directory where you can build a cache for the next run. This is only passed to prepareCache.
  • config: An arbitrary object passed from by the user in the Build definition in now.json.

Examples

Check out our Node.js Runtime, Go Runtime, Python Runtime or Ruby Runtime for examples of how to build one.

Technical Details

Execution Context

A Serverless Function is created where the Runtime logic is executed. The lambda is run using the Node.js 8 runtime. A brand new sandbox is created for each deployment, for security reasons. The sandbox is cleaned up between executions to ensure no lingering temporary files are shared from build to build.

All the APIs you export (analyze, build and prepareCache) are not guaranteed to be run in the same process, but the filesystem we expose (e.g.: workPath and the results of calling getWriteableDirectory ) is retained.

If you need to share state between those steps, use the filesystem.

Directory and Cache Lifecycle

When a new build is created, we pre-populate the workPath supplied to analyze with the results of the prepareCache step of the previous build.

The analyze step can modify that directory, and it will not be re-created when it's supplied to build and prepareCache.

Accessing Environment and Secrets

The env and secrets specified by the user as build.env are passed to the Runtime process. This means you can access user env via process.env in Node.js.

Utilities as peerDependencies

When you publish your Runtime to npm, make sure to not specify @now/build-utils (as seen below in the API definitions) as a dependency, but rather as part of peerDependencies.

Types

Files

import { File } from '@now/build-utils';
type Files = { [filePath: string]: File };

This is an abstract type that is implemented as a plain JavaScript Object. It's helpful to think of it as a virtual filesystem representation.

When used as an input, the Files object will only contain FileRefs. When Files is an output, it may consist of Lambda (Serverless Functions) types as well as FileRefs.

An example of a valid output Files object is:

{
  "index.html": FileRef,
  "api/index.js": Lambda
}

File

This is an abstract type that can be imported if you are using TypeScript.

import { File } from '@now/build-utils';

Valid File types include:

FileRef

import { FileRef } from '@now/build-utils';

This is a JavaScript class that represents an abstract file instance stored in our platform, based on the file identifier string (its checksum). When a Files object is passed as an input to analyze or build, all its values will be instances of FileRef.

Properties:

  • mode : Number file mode
  • digest : String a checksum that represents the file

Methods:

  • toStream() : Stream creates a Stream of the file body

FileFsRef

import { FileFsRef } from '@now/build-utils';

This is a JavaScript class that represents an abstract instance of a file present in the filesystem that the build process is executing in.

Properties:

  • mode : Number file mode
  • fsPath : String the absolute path of the file in file system

Methods:

  • static async fromStream({ mode : Number, stream : Stream, fsPath : String }) : FileFsRef creates an instance of a FileFsRef from Stream, placing file at fsPath with mode
  • toStream() : Stream creates a Stream of the file body

FileBlob

import { FileBlob } from '@now/build-utils';

This is a JavaScript class that represents an abstract instance of a file present in memory.

Properties:

  • mode : Number file mode
  • data : String | Buffer the body of the file

Methods:

  • static async fromStream({ mode : Number, stream : Stream }) :FileBlob creates an instance of a FileBlob from Stream with mode
  • toStream() : Stream creates a Stream of the file body

Lambda

import { Lambda } from '@now/build-utils';

This is a JavaScript class, called a Serverless Function, that can be created by supplying files, handler, runtime, and environment as an object to the createLambda helper. The instances of this class should not be created directly. Instead, invoke the createLambda helper function.

Properties:

  • files : Files the internal filesystem of the lambda
  • handler : String path to handler file and (optionally) a function name it exports
  • runtime : LambdaRuntime the name of the lambda runtime
  • environment : Object key-value map of handler-related (aside of those passed by user) environment variables

LambdaRuntime

This is an abstract enumeration type that is implemented by one of the following possible String values:

  • nodejs12.x
  • nodejs10.x
  • go1.x
  • java11
  • python3.8
  • python3.6
  • dotnetcore2.1
  • ruby2.5
  • provided

JavaScript API

The following is exposed by @now/build-utils to simplify the process of writing Runtimes, manipulating the file system, using the above types, etc.

createLambda

Signature: createLambda(Object spec) : Lambda

import { createLambda } from '@now/build-utils';

Constructor for the Lambda type.

const { createLambda, FileBlob } = require('@now/build-utils');
await createLambda({
  runtime: 'nodejs8.10',
  handler: 'index.main',
  files: {
    'index.js': new FileBlob({ data: 'exports.main = () => {}' }),
  },
});

download

Signature: download() : Files

import { download } from '@now/build-utils';

This utility allows you to download the contents of a Files data structure, therefore creating the filesystem represented in it.

Since Files is an abstract way of representing files, you can think of download as a way of making that virtual filesystem real.

If the optional meta property is passed (the argument for build), only the files that have changed are downloaded. This is decided using filesRemoved and filesChanged inside that object.

await download(files, workPath, meta);

glob

Signature: glob() : Files

import { glob } from '@now/build-utils';

This utility allows you to scan the filesystem and return a Files representation of the matched glob search string. It can be thought of as the reverse of download.

The following trivial example downloads everything to the filesystem, only to return it back (therefore just re-creating the passed-in Files):

const { glob, download } = require('@now/build-utils')

exports.build = ({ files, workPath }) => {
  await download(files, workPath)
  return glob('**', workPath)
}

getWriteableDirectory

Signature: getWriteableDirectory() : String

import { getWriteableDirectory } from '@now/build-utils';

In some occasions, you might want to write to a temporary directory.

rename

Signature: rename(Files) : Files

import { rename } from '@now/build-utils';

Renames the keys of the Files object, which represent the paths. For example, to remove the *.go suffix you can use:

const rename = require('@now/build-utils')
const originalFiles = { 'one.go': fileFsRef1, 'two.go': fileFsRef2 }
const renamedFiles = rename(originalFiles, path => path.replace(/\.go$/, '')