boxlang-runtime-google-cloud-functions

name	boxlang-runtime-google-cloud-functions
description	Use this skill when building, testing, or deploying BoxLang applications on Google Cloud Functions Gen 2, including handler structure, FunctionRunner entry point, URI routing, environment variables, local development with the GCF invoker, and debugging.

BoxLang on Google Cloud Functions

Overview

BoxLang runs on Google Cloud Functions Gen 2 via the Java 21 runtime. The FunctionRunner bridge handles HTTP request mapping, handler routing, class caching, and response serialization — so you focus on writing BoxLang handler files.

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Architecture

HTTP Request
    → GCF Gen 2 (java21 runtime)
    → FunctionRunner (HttpFunction)
    → RequestMapper (HttpRequest → BoxLang event struct)
    → Route resolution (first URI segment → PascalCase → .bx file)
    → Handler compilation + class cache (warm invocations)
    → Method dispatch (run() or x-bx-function header)
    → BoxLang handler execution
    → ResponseMapper (response struct → HttpResponse)

Runtime entry point:

ortus.boxlang.runtime.gcp.FunctionRunner

---

Starter Project

git clone https://github.com/ortus-boxlang/boxlang-starter-google-functions.git
cd boxlang-starter-google-functions

# Verify environment
./gradlew clean test

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Handler File Convention

Handlers live in src/main/bx/. The URI path maps to a PascalCase .bx file:

Request URI	Resolved handler
GET /	src/main/bx/Index.bx
GET /orders	src/main/bx/Orders.bx
POST /users	src/main/bx/Users.bx

Each handler file is a BoxLang class with a run() method:

// src/main/bx/Orders.bx
class {

    /**
     * Main GCF handler.
     *
     * @param event    HTTP event struct: { method, path, headers, body, queryString }
     * @param context  GCF context info
     * @param response Response struct to populate: { statusCode, body, headers }
     */
    function run( event, context, response ){
        response.statusCode = 200
        response.headers    = { "Content-Type": "application/json" }
        response.body       = jsonSerialize({
            orders:  orderService.list(),
            total:   orderService.count()
        })
    }

}

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Calling Specific Methods (Header Routing)

Use the x-bx-function header to call a specific method on a handler class:

# Calls Orders.bx run() (default)
curl http://localhost:9099/orders

# Calls Orders.bx createOrder()
curl -H "x-bx-function: createOrder" -X POST http://localhost:9099/orders \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"productId": 1, "qty": 2}'

In the handler:

class {
    function run( event, context, response ){
        // Default — list orders
    }

    function createOrder( event, context, response ){
        var data = jsonDeserialize( event.body )
        var order = orderService.create( data )
        response.statusCode = 201
        response.body = jsonSerialize( order )
    }
}

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Event Struct

The incoming HTTP request is mapped to an event struct:

// event properties
event.method       // "GET", "POST", "PUT", etc.
event.path         // "/orders/42"
event.headers      // Struct of HTTP headers
event.queryString  // Struct of parsed query parameters
event.body         // Raw request body string
event.json         // Parsed JSON body (if Content-Type: application/json)

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
BOXLANG_GCP_ROOT	Root directory for handler .bx files. Default: src/main/bx
BOXLANG_GCP_DEBUGMODE	Disable class caching for hot reload during development
BOXLANG_GCP_CONFIG	Path to a custom boxlang.json configuration

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Local Development

# Start local GCF server (port 9099)
./gradlew runFunction

# Custom port
./gradlew runFunction -PtestPort=8080

# Enable debug mode (disables class cache for hot reload)
./gradlew runFunction -PdebugMode=true

# Custom function root
./gradlew runFunction -PfunctionRoot=/absolute/path/to/bx

Expected startup banner:

================================================================
 BoxLang GCF Function Invoker
 Listening on  : http://localhost:9099
 Function root : .../src/main/bx
 Debug mode    : false
 Press Ctrl+C to stop.
================================================================

---

Testing Locally

# Simple GET
curl http://localhost:9099/

# POST with JSON payload
curl -X POST http://localhost:9099/orders \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"productId": 1, "qty": 2}'

# Header-routed method
curl -H "x-bx-function: anotherMethod" http://localhost:9099/

# From a sample event file
curl -X POST http://localhost:9099/ \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d @workbench/sampleRequests/event-local.json

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Cold Start, Warm Start, Debug Mode

Mode	Behavior
Cold start	Runtime initializes; first request is slower
Warm invocation	Compiled handler class reused — fast
Debug mode ON	Class cache disabled; edits picked up immediately
Debug mode OFF (production)	Maximum performance via class caching

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Deploying to GCP

# Authenticate
gcloud auth login
gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

# Build the deployment ZIP
./gradlew buildZip

# Deploy via gcloud
gcloud functions deploy myBoxLangFunction \
    --gen2 \
    --runtime java21 \
    --region us-central1 \
    --entry-point ortus.boxlang.runtime.gcp.FunctionRunner \
    --source build/distributions/function.zip \
    --trigger-http \
    --allow-unauthenticated \
    --memory 512MB \
    --min-instances 0 \
    --max-instances 10

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Portability with AWS Lambda

Handler patterns are intentionally compatible between BoxLang GCF and AWS Lambda:

Feature	GCF	AWS Lambda
Handler class	FunctionRunner	LambdaRunner
Handler method	run()	run()
Method routing header	x-bx-function	x-bx-function
Event struct	Same structure	Same structure
Debug mode env var	BOXLANG_GCP_DEBUGMODE	BOXLANG_LAMBDA_DEBUGMODE

Many handlers can be shared between GCF and Lambda with minimal changes.

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Production Checklist

• BOXLANG_GCP_DEBUGMODE=false in production
• Handler files under src/main/bx/ named in PascalCase matching URI segments
• Secrets injected as environment variables (not in code)
• Memory: 512MB minimum; 1GB+ for database-heavy functions
• Min-instances configured for latency-sensitive paths
• Integration tests passing: ./gradlew clean test
• Deployment ZIP built fresh before each deploy: ./gradlew buildZip