Dynamic data in your Gatsby Serverless Functions
How do you get data into a serverless function?
There are three common approaches:
1. Using URL Queries
Demo
Documentation
- Gatsby Documentation on Data formats (including URL Queries)
- Wikipedia article on Query Strings
Serverless Function Code
// File: /api/time-travel-query
// Usage: /api/time-travel-query?city=oslo&year=1624
export default function handler(req, res) {
const { city, year } = req.query;
res.send(`You time-travelled to ${city}, in year ${year}`);
}2. Using Param Routes
Demo
Documentation
- Gatsby Documentation on Dynamic routing (including Param Routes)
Serverless Function Code
// File: /api/time-travel-params/[city]/[year].js
// Usage: /api/time-travel-params/oslo/1624
export default function handler(req, res) {
const { city, year } = req.params;
res.send(`You time-travelled to ${city}, in year ${year}`);
}3. Using Http Request Body
Demo
Documentation
- Gatsby Documentation on Data formats (including body params)
Serverless Function Code
// File: /api/time-travel-body.js
// Usage: {city: "Oslo", year: "2026"} added to request body
export default function handler(req, res) {
const { city, year } = req.body;
res.send(`You time-travelled to ${city}, in year ${year}`);
}Check out the full demo code on GitHub or take it for a spin using CodeSandbox.
All the best,
Queen Raae
PS: Yesterday was May 17th, a special day in Norway. Check out the reason and the fam in our finest on Twitter.