faas-cli

This experimental CLI can be used to and deploy functions to FaaS or to build Node.js or Python functions from a templates meaning you just write a handler file (handler.py/handler.js). Read on for examples and usage.

Functions as a Service is a serverless framework for Docker: Read more on docs.get-faas.com

Installing the tool

The easiest way to install the faas-cli is by doing:

$ curl -sSL https://cli.openfaas.com | sudo sh

Note that the tool is also available on brew. The last section also documents how to build it from source.

Running the tool

The tool can be used to create a Docker image to be deployed on FaaS through a template meaning you only have to write a single handler file. The templates currently supported are: node and python, however you can create a FaaS function out of any process.

YAML files for ease of use

You can define individual functions or a set of of them within a YAML file. This makes the CLI easier to use and means you can use this file to deploy to your FaaS instance.

Here is an example file using the samples.yml file included in the repository.

provider:
  name: faas
  gateway: http://localhost:8080

functions:
  url-ping:
    lang: python
    handler: ./sample/url_ping
    image: alexellis2/faas-urlping

This url_ping function is defined in the samples/url__ping folder makes use of Python. All we had to do was to write a handler.py file and then to list off any Python modules in requirements.txt.

• Build the files in the .yml file:

$ ./faas-cli -action build -f ./samples.yml

-f specifies the file or URL to download your YAML file from. The long version of the -f flag is: -yaml.

You can also download over HTTP/s:

$ ./faas-cli -action build -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alexellis/faas-cli/master/samples.yml

Docker along with a Python template will be used to build an image named alexellis2/faas-urlping.

• Deploy your function

Now you can use the following command to deploy your function(s):

$ ./faas-cli -action deploy -f ./samples.yml

• Possible entries for functions are documented below:

functions:
  deployed_function_name:
    lang: node or python (optional)
    handler: ./path/to/handler (optional)
    image: docker-image-name
    environment:
      env1: value1
      env2: "value2"

Use environmental variables for setting tokens and configuration.

Accessing the function with curl

You can initiate a HTTP POST via curl:

• with the -d flag i.e. -d "my data here"
• or with --data-binary @filename.txt to send a whole file including newlines
• if you want to pass input from STDIN then use --data-binary @-

$ curl -d '{"hello": "world"}' http://localhost:8080/function/nodejs-echo
{ nodeVersion: 'v6.9.1', input: '{"hello": "world"}' }

$ curl --data-binary @README.md http://localhost:8080/function/nodejs-echo

$ uname -a | curl http://localhost:8080/function/nodejs-echo--data-binary @-

For further instructions on the manual CLI flags (without using a YAML file) read manual_cli.md

FaaS-CLI Developers / Contributors

Updating the brew formula

The brew formula for the faas-cli is part of the official homebrew-core repo on Github. It needs to be updated for each subsequent release.

Simple version bumps

If the only change required is a version bump, ie no new tests, or changes to existing tested functionality or build steps, the brew bump-formula-pr command can be used to do everything (i.e. forking, committing, pushing) required to bump the version.

For example (supplying both the new version tag and its associated Git sha-256).

brew bump-formula-pr --strict faas-cli --tag=<version> --revision=<sha-256>

Changes requiring new/update tests/build steps

If a new release alters behaviour tested in the Brew Formula, adds new testable behaviors or alters the build steps then you will need to manually raise a PR with an updated Formula, the guidelines for updating brew describe the process in more detail:

https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md

After brew edit run the build and test the results:

$ brew uninstall --force faas-cli ; \
  brew install --build-from-source faas-cli ; \
  brew test faas-cli ; \
  brew audit --strict faas-cli

Updating the utility-script

Please raise a PR for the get.sh file held in this repository. It's used when people install via curl and cli.openfaas.com. The updated file then has to be redeployed to the hosting server.

Installation / pre-requirements

• Docker

Install Docker because it is used to build Docker images if you create new functions.

• FaaS - deployed and live

This CLI can build and deploy templated functions, so it's best if you have FaaS started up on your laptop. Head over to http://docs.get-faas.com/ and get up and running with a sample stack in 60 seconds.

• Golang

Here's how to install Go in 60 seconds.

• Grab Go 1.7.x from https://golang.org/dl/

Then after installing run this command or place it in your $HOME/.bash_profile

export GOPATH=$HOME/go

• Now clone / build faas-cli:

$ mkdir -p $GOPATH/src/github.com/alexellis/
$ cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/alexellis/
$ git clone https://github.com/alexellis/faas-cli
$ cd faas-cli
$ go get -d -v
$ go build

License and contributing

This project is part of the FaaS project licensed under the MIT License.

For more details see the Contributing guide.