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Architect review

Free#13 of 36 in Serverless Development Frameworks

Manifest-based AWS app development with local Lambda emulation and AWS deployment.

7.6/10Editor score
Visit Architect
Architect7.6 Visit Architect

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Architect is an open-source infrastructure-as-code framework for building database-backed web applications on AWS. Developers describe application resources in a manifest, which Architect compiles into AWS CloudFormation and deploys as an AWS SAM application. Its focus suits solo developers and small teams who want to define functions and related resources together, while still having a local development path before deployment.

The manifest covers more than HTTP endpoints: Architect supports events, queues, scheduled functions, WebSocket handlers, static assets, and DynamoDB-backed tables. Functions deploy to AWS Lambda, and per-handler dependency installation is automated. That breadth makes it relevant to teams assembling several common serverless application components in one project. The framework supports multiple runtimes, including Node.js, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Rust, Go, Java, and .NET, though support details vary by runtime; teams should check the runtime-specific documentation against their language needs.

Sandbox provides local development and testing through Lambda-like emulation, an important fit for teams that want a simulator alongside AWS deployment. Architect is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and is maintained under the OpenJS Foundation. Its clear boundary is AWS: AWS is the documented deployment target, and Kubernetes is not supported. Choose Architect if a manifest-driven AWS workflow, Lambda deployment, and local emulation align with the application. Teams seeking a framework aimed at Kubernetes or another documented deployment target should consider an alternative.

Architect pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Compiles an app manifest into AWS CloudFormation/SAM for deployment.
    • Sandbox emulates Lambda locally for development and testing.
    • Supports routes, events, queues, schedules, WebSockets, assets, and tables.
  • Where it doesn't
    • AWS is the documented deployment target.
    • No Kubernetes support.
    • Runtime support details vary by language.

Architect fact sheet, pricing and score →

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