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Cloud Functions Introduction

Welcome to CocoBase Cloud Functions - a powerful serverless platform for building backend logic without managing servers.

What are Cloud Functions?​

Cloud Functions are serverless Python functions that run in response to HTTP requests. They provide a simple way to build APIs, webhooks, scheduled tasks, and dynamic web pages without setting up and maintaining servers.

Key Features​

🐍 Python 3.10 Runtime​

  • Full Python standard library
  • Rich ecosystem support
  • Familiar syntax
  • Easy to learn and use

🗄️ Powerful Database API​

  • MongoDB-like query interface
  • Advanced filtering with 12+ operators
  • Automatic relationship detection
  • Deep population of related data
  • User relationship management

🎨 Template Rendering​

  • Jinja2 template engine
  • Static file serving
  • Dynamic HTML pages
  • Component-based layouts

🔐 Built-in Authentication​

  • User authentication support
  • Request headers and tokens
  • Role-based access control
  • Secure by default

📧 Email Integration​

  • Send emails with CocoMailer
  • Template-based emails
  • Transactional emails
  • Notifications

How It Works​

Write Your Function​

def main():
    # Get data from request
    name = request.get('name', 'Guest')

    # Query your database
    posts = db.query("posts",
        status="published",
        populate=["author"],
        limit=10
    )

    # Return response
    return {
        "message": f"Hello, {name}!",
        "posts": posts["data"]
    }

Execute Your Function​

To call your cloud function, get the execution URL from the Cloud Functions tab in your CocoBase dashboard. Each function has a unique execution URL that looks like:

https://your-domain.com/functions/{function_id}/execute

Call it with GET or POST requests:

# GET request
curl "https://your-domain.com/functions/{function_id}/execute?name=John"

# POST request
curl -X POST https://your-domain.com/functions/{function_id}/execute \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "John", "action": "get_profile"}'

Available Objects​

request - Request Data​

Access incoming request data:

# Get from payload or query params
name = request.get('name')

# Get all data
data = request.json()

# Access headers
auth = request.headers.get('authorization')

# Current user
user = request.user

# HTTP method
method = request.method  # 'GET' or 'POST'

db - Database Service​

Query and manage your data:

# Query documents
posts = db.query("posts", status="published", limit=10)

# Get single document
post = db.find_one("posts", id="post-123")

# Query users
users = db.query_users(role="premium", limit=50)

# User relationships
followers = db.get_user_relationships("user-123", "followers")

render - Template Renderer​

Render HTML responses:

# Render HTML
html = '''
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>{{ title }}</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>{{ heading }}</h1>
</body>
</html>
'''

return render.render_html(html, {
    'title': 'My Page',
    'heading': 'Welcome!'
})

env - Environment Info​

Access environment variables:

project_id = env.project_id
runtime = env.runtime
static_url = env.static_base_url

Common Use Cases​

🛒 E-Commerce​

  • Product search and filtering
  • Shopping cart management
  • Order processing
  • Inventory tracking

📱 Social Media​

  • User feeds and timelines
  • Follow/unfollow systems
  • Like and comment systems
  • User profiles

📝 Content Management​

  • Blog posts and articles
  • Content search
  • Comment systems
  • Related content

📊 Analytics​

  • User activity tracking
  • Popular content
  • Dashboard data
  • Reports generation

🔔 Webhooks​

  • Payment notifications
  • Third-party integrations
  • Event handlers
  • Real-time updates

🌐 Dynamic Websites​

  • Server-side rendering
  • SEO-friendly pages
  • Form handling
  • User authentication

Response Types​

JSON Response (Default)​

def main():
    return {
        "success": True,
        "data": {"id": "123", "name": "John"}
    }

HTML Response​

def main():
    return render.render_html('<h1>Hello World!</h1>')

String Response​

def main():
    return "Hello World!"

With Status Code​

def main():
    user = request.user

    if not user:
        return {"error": "Unauthorized"}, 401

    return {"user": user}, 200

Security​

Authentication​

def main():
    # Check if user is authenticated
    user = request.user

    if not user:
        return {"error": "Authentication required"}, 401

    # Check user role
    if 'admin' not in user.roles:
        return {"error": "Forbidden"}, 403

    # Process request
    return {"message": "Success"}

Input Validation​

def main():
    email = request.get('email', '').strip()

    if not email:
        return {"error": "Email is required"}, 400

    if '@' not in email:
        return {"error": "Invalid email format"}, 400

    # Process valid input
    return {"success": True}

Performance Tips​

1. Use Pagination​

Always limit query results:

posts = db.query("posts", limit=20)

2. Selective Population​

Only populate needed relationships:

posts = db.query("posts",
    populate=["author"],  # Only what you need
    select=["id", "title", "author"]
)

3. Cache Results​

Store frequently accessed data:

cache_key = f"stats_{date.today()}"
cached = db.find_one("cache", key=cache_key)

if cached:
    return cached['data']

# Calculate and cache
stats = calculate_stats()
db.create_document("cache", {
    "key": cache_key,
    "data": stats
})

return stats

4. Index Your Data​

Create indexes on frequently queried fields for better performance.

Error Handling​

def main():
    try:
        result = db.query("posts", limit=10)
        return {"posts": result["data"]}

    except ValueError as e:
        return {"error": str(e)}, 400

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {str(e)}")
        return {"error": "Internal server error"}, 500

Next Steps​

Now that you understand the basics, dive deeper:

  1. Database API - Learn advanced querying
  2. Cloud Function Environment - Master request/response handling
  3. Quick Reference - Quick syntax lookup
  4. Examples - Real-world use cases

Need Help?​

Ready to build? Let's get started! 🚀