SLAppForge Sigma Review

Sigma is completely browser-based, so all you need is a web browser (which you already have).

No AWS account? No problem. Just click 'Request Demo Account Information' and get hold of demo AWS account credentials to get started.

Sigma needs just an AWS account (for deploying your serverless app) and GitHub account (for saving your code and generated configurations). But even if you don't have either or both of them, you can still get started with a free demo account or one of the ready-made samples.

Even if you don't have a GitHub account, or are still too skeptical to authorize Sigma to access your account, you can still deploy one from the range of ready-made samples right away without having to log in with GitHub.

Sigma already fully supports NodeJS 8.10, introduced for Lambda functions by AWS very recently (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/node-js-8-10-runtime-now-available-in-aws-lambda/), in addition to the earlier 6.10.

Sigma fully automates the definition of entities, their associations (such as function triggers) and the related permissions (e.g. AWS IAM), so all you need to do is to drag them in and write your code.

With Sigma, you can define your entities - buckets, databases, queues, APIs, etc. - as and when you encounter them in your code (reusing the previously defined ones when necessary). This ensures a seamless development experience, without any jump-arounds among multiple dashboards, documentation pages and configuration files.

Sigma itself is based on serverless principles; everything runs in your web browser, and all services and application logic are deployed into your own serverless provider account (say AWS). There is no backend, and hence no outages.

Builds and deployments are fully automated in Sigma, using serverless technologies; just click a button, and everything is airborne within minutes.

Sigma seamlessly integrates with your GitHub account, so you can save and reload your projects from GitHub at any time. Sigma can also load public projects from any GitHub URL or profile, so sharing your latest adventure with your colleagues is just a matter of sharing your GitHub URL.

With Sigma, you can stick to your familiar dev cycle (develop one feature, deploy it, streamline it, redeploy, move on to the next, and so on). Sigma will keep track of all changes and ensure that nothing gets left out, right up to the final deployment.

Sigma recently introduced a testing feature which is way faster than the testing options offered by the native AWS Lambda console.

While the signup is just two hassle-free steps, Sigma also offers a demo mode where you can experience most of its features with zero overhead.

Sigma already supports a wide range of serverless-friendly AWS services - including S3, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS, SQS, and so on - with much more coming up in the near future.