How to Create a GCP Function using Node.js and Deploy to GCP

How to Create a GCP Function using Node.js and Deploy to GCP

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a robust serverless computing service called Cloud Functions, which allows developers to create and deploy small, single-purpose functions that respond to events and execute in a scalable and efficient manner. In this article, we will walk through the process of creating a GCP Function using Node.js and deploying it to the GCP environment.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the implementation, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. A GCP account with appropriate access and permissions.

2. The Google Cloud SDK installed on your local machine.

3. Basic knowledge of Node.js and JavaScript.

Step 1: Set Up the Development Environment

To begin, ensure that you have Node.js installed on your local machine. You can download it from the official Node.js website. Once installed, open a terminal and verify that Node.js is correctly installed by running the following command:

node --version

Step 2: Create a New GCP Project

Next, navigate to the Google Cloud Console (https://console.cloud.google.com/) and create a new project by clicking on the project dropdown and selecting "New Project". Give your project a meaningful name and click "Create".

Step 3: Enable Cloud Functions API

In the Cloud Console, navigate to the "APIs & Services" section and select "Library". Search for "Cloud Functions API" and enable it for your project.

Step 4: Set Up Authentication

To authenticate your local machine with GCP, you need to generate a service account key. In the Cloud Console, navigate to "IAM & Admin" and select "Service Accounts". Create a new service account, grant it the necessary permissions (e.g., Cloud Functions Developer), and generate a JSON key file.

Save the JSON key file to a secure location on your local machine.

Step 5: Install and Initialize the Google Cloud SDK

On your local machine, install the Google Cloud SDK by following the instructions provided in the official documentation (https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install). Once installed, open a terminal and run the following command to initialize the SDK and authenticate with GCP:

gcloud init

Step 6: Set the Project and Region

Specify your GCP project and region by running the following commands in the terminal:

                            gcloud config set project <your-project-id>
                            gcloud config set functions/region <your-preferred-region>
                          

Step 7: Create a New Function

Now, it's time to create a new GCP function. In your terminal, navigate to the directory where you want to store your function's code. Run the following command to initialize a new function:

                            gcloud functions deploy <function-name> --runtime nodejs14 --trigger-http
                        

Replace with the desired name for your function.

Step 8: Write the Function's Code

Using your preferred code editor, create a new JavaScript file with the following code:

                            exports.<function-name> = (req, res) => {
                                res.send('Hello, World!');
                              };
                          

or
Create a function that will be called when any file we be uploaded in the DEMO_BUCKET

                    
                    exports.onProcessFile = (event, context) => {
                        const file = event;
                        console.log(`New file created: ${file.name}`);
                        
                        const bucketName = file.bucket;
                        const fileName = file.name;
                        const { Storage } = require('@google-cloud/storage');
                        const storage = new Storage();
                        
                        const bucket = storage.bucket(bucketName);
                        const fileObj = bucket.file(fileName);
                        
                        fileObj.download((err, contents) => {
                          if (err) {
                            console.error('Error downloading file:', err);
                            return;
                          }
                          const fileContents = contents.toString();
                          console.log('File contents:', fileContents);
                        });
                      };
                    

Replace with the name you provided in Step 7.

Step 9: Deploy the Function

To deploy the function to GCP, run the following command in the terminal:

                            gcloud functions deploy <function-name> --runtime nodejs14 --trigger-http
                          

or
Deploye the function, this function will be called when any file will be uploaded in the DEMO_BUCKET

                        gcloud functions deploy FUNCTION_NAME --runtime nodejs14 --trigger-resource DEMO_BUCKET --trigger-event google.storage.object.finalize --allow-unauthenticated --project PROJECT_ID
                      

Ensure that you are in the same directory where your function's code is located.

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Conclusion:

In this article, we walked through the process of creating a GCP Function using Node.js and deploying it to the GCP environment. We covered the setup of the

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