This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane
"Want to send emails from your website without running a server? You’re 15 minutes away from magic."
Serverless architecture is a game-changer — especially for simple, powerful features like contact forms. No more PHP mailers or backend servers. Just a few AWS services and you're good to go!
In this guide, we’ll create a fully functional serverless contact form using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, and SES (Simple Email Service).
Let’s dive in and get your inbox buzzing. 💌
🧱 What We'll Build
A user submits a contact form on your static website. Here’s what happens:
- API Gateway receives the request (HTTP POST)
- Lambda processes the form data
- SES sends the email to your inbox
Like a digital postman that never sleeps.
🛠️ Prerequisites
- AWS account with SES verified email
- Basic knowledge of JavaScript and AWS Console
- A static site (e.g., React, HTML, etc.) hosted on S3 or anywhere else
🚀 Step 1: Verify Email in AWS SES
- Go to SES Console → Email Addresses
- Click Verify a New Email Address
- Enter your receiving email (e.g.
yourname@gmail.com) - Click verification link in the email
Done! SES can now send emails to (and from) that address.
🧠 Step 2: Create Lambda Function
Go to Lambda Console → Create function → Author from scratch
- Name:
sendContactForm - Runtime: Node.js 18.x
Paste this sample code:
const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const SES = new AWS.SES();
exports.handler = async (event) => {
const { name, email, message } = JSON.parse(event.body);
const params = {
Destination: {
ToAddresses: ['yourname@gmail.com'],
},
Message: {
Body: {
Text: { Data: `Name: ${name}\nEmail: ${email}\nMessage: ${message}` },
},
Subject: { Data: 'New Contact Form Submission' },
},
Source: 'yourname@gmail.com',
};
await SES.sendEmail(params).promise();
return {
statusCode: 200,
body: JSON.stringify({ message: 'Email sent successfully' }),
};
};
✅ Don't forget to update the ToAddresses and Source to your verified SES email.
🔁 Step 3: Connect Lambda to API Gateway
- Go to API Gateway Console → Create API
- Choose HTTP API
- Add integration: Lambda function →
sendContactForm - Add route:
- Method: POST
- Path:
/contact- Deploy and copy the Invoke URL
🌐 Step 4: Connect Frontend to API
Example fetch call from your React or HTML form:
fetch('https://your-api-id.execute-api.region.amazonaws.com/contact', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({
name: 'John Doe',
email: 'john@example.com',
message: 'Hey there, this is awesome!'
})
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => console.log(data));
⚠️ For public APIs, consider adding a CAPTCHA or throttling to prevent abuse.
🧰 Extras (Optional but Cool)
- Add CORS support in API Gateway settings
- Enable logging in CloudWatch for debugging
- Use environment variables to store email addresses
- Validate input fields on frontend AND backend
🎉 You're Live!
You now have a production-grade, serverless contact form that:
- Costs next to nothing
- Scales automatically
- Sends messages in seconds
And all this without managing a server. 🌈
💬 What Will You Use It For?
- Your personal portfolio?
- A client landing page?
- A side project MVP?
👇 Drop your use cases or questions in the comments!
Smash that ❤️ if this helped you go serverless, and share it with someone who needs it.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane
Yash Sonawane | Sciencx (2025-08-21T03:06:00+00:00) Build a Serverless Contact Form with Lambda + API Gateway + SES 📩. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/08/21/build-a-serverless-contact-form-with-lambda-api-gateway-ses-%f0%9f%93%a9/
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