# SST — Full-Stack Framework for Building on AWS

> An open-source framework for building full-stack applications on AWS with infrastructure as code, live Lambda debugging, and first-class support for Next.js, Remix, Astro, and more.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# SST — Full-Stack Framework for Building on AWS

## Quick Use
```bash
npx sst@latest init
npx sst dev
```

## Introduction
SST is an open-source framework that makes it straightforward to build full-stack applications on AWS. It provides high-level constructs for common patterns like APIs, databases, cron jobs, and frontends, while using infrastructure-as-code under the hood so you own every resource in your AWS account.

## What SST Does
- Deploys full-stack apps to your own AWS account using infrastructure as code
- Supports Next.js, Remix, Astro, SvelteKit, and other frontend frameworks out of the box
- Provides a live development mode that connects your local machine to real cloud resources
- Manages secrets, environment variables, and resource linking across services
- Generates type-safe bindings so your code can reference infrastructure resources directly

## Architecture Overview
SST uses Pulumi under the hood (as of SST v3) to provision AWS resources. When you run `sst dev`, it starts a local development environment that proxies Lambda invocations to your machine so you can set breakpoints and iterate without redeploying. A multiplexer process manages these connections. For production, `sst deploy` creates a standard CloudFormation-backed deployment through Pulumi.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install the SST CLI via npm and run `sst init` to scaffold a project with `sst.config.ts`
- Configure AWS credentials via environment variables or the AWS CLI profile
- Define infrastructure in TypeScript using SST components like `Api`, `Cron`, `Bucket`, and `Nextjs`
- Set secrets with `sst secret set KEY value` which stores them encrypted in AWS SSM Parameter Store
- Deploy to multiple stages (dev, staging, prod) using `sst deploy --stage <name>`

## Key Features
- Live Lambda: debug cloud functions locally with real AWS event sources
- Resource linking: type-safe references between infrastructure and application code
- Multi-framework: drop-in support for Next.js, Remix, Astro, SolidStart, and static sites
- Console: a web dashboard for managing deploys, logs, and issues across stages
- Composable components: extend or create custom infrastructure components in TypeScript

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Serverless Framework** — YAML-based config with plugin ecosystem; SST is TypeScript-native with live debugging
- **AWS CDK** — lower-level IaC library; SST adds full-stack conventions, live dev, and frontend integration
- **Pulumi** — general-purpose IaC; SST wraps Pulumi with opinionated full-stack patterns
- **Vercel** — managed hosting platform; SST deploys to your own AWS account for full control
- **Nitric** — cloud-portable framework; SST is AWS-focused with deeper AWS service integration

## FAQ
**Q: Does SST only work with AWS?**
A: SST v3 is designed for AWS. If you need multi-cloud, you can use the underlying Pulumi providers, but SST's high-level components target AWS services specifically.

**Q: How does live development work?**
A: `sst dev` deploys a thin stub to AWS Lambda that forwards invocations to your local machine over a WebSocket connection. Your local code runs with real cloud events, real databases, and real queues.

**Q: Can I use SST with an existing AWS project?**
A: Yes. You can adopt SST incrementally by importing existing resources or by adding SST components alongside resources managed by other tools.

**Q: Is SST free?**
A: The framework is open source and free. You pay only for the AWS resources your application consumes. SST Console has a free tier and paid plans for teams.

## Sources
- https://github.com/sst/sst
- https://sst.dev/docs

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-a2b0e93c
Author: SST