Manage AWS Lambda functions with Terraform

Name: Manage AWS Lambda functions with Terraform
Rating: 4.1 (19 reviews)

Learn the best practices for managing serverless functions with Terraform

Created byTamás Sallai

Last updated 7/2020

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Configure Lambda functions confidently
Use Terraform with Lambda
Gain a deeper understanding on how AWS Lambda works

Course content

4 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 36m total length

Terraform basics21:38
Learn how Terraform handles AWS Lambda infrastructure by defining resources, data sources, and outputs, using plan, apply, and destroy to deploy and update stacks.

Function code13:47
Explain packaging and referencing AWS Lambda function code in Terraform using the high five data source, via inline, file interpolation, or directory approaches with hashing.
Function name3:59
Learn how to name AWS Lambda functions in Terraform to avoid function name clashes across regions and modules, using the random_id resource and string interpolation for unique, descriptive deployment names.
Handler2:52
Configure the Lambda handler in Terraform by specifying the entry point inside the zip, using a file name, or defining a directory, enabling multiple functions from one package.
Runtime3:52
The runtime is the software environment for a lambda function, defining language and version. JavaScript runtimes follow a deprecation cycle with long-term support and active versions, requiring migrations before retirement.
Execution role6:55
Define the execution role to grant a Lambda function access to resources like S3 via a permissions policy and a trust (assume role) policy, using Terraform.

Log group7:12
Terraform manages the fixed log group /aws/lambda/<function> and its log streams, enabling retention configuration and avoiding the race with Lambda's automatic log group creation.
Environment variables4:18
Use the Terraform environment block to define environment variables for AWS Lambda, passing values like bucket names and resource identifiers; prefer string interpolation to reduce errors.
Memory7:07
Allocate lambda memory from 128 megabytes to over three gigabytes, defaulting to 128 megabytes, and monitor max memory usage; understand how memory affects cpu, duration, and cost.
Timeout6:52
Set AWS Lambda timeouts based on normal execution time using CloudWatch duration reports, accounting for cold starts up to 15 minutes and default 3 seconds.
Reserved concurrency6:06
Explore reserved concurrency in AWS Lambda, defining a min and max pool to control how many function instances run and prevent other functions from running out of capacity.

Requirements

An AWS account
Hands-on experience with AWS Lambda
Familiarity with the terminal to install and run commands

Description

Over the years, AWS Lambda added support for ever finer control of how the functions work. That resulted in more than 2 dozen configuration options and that makes it hard to see what is important and what is just for a specific use-case. And even for seemingly straightforward ones there are usually not-so-obvious consequences.

For example, deploying a Lambda function and removing it by default leaves all its logs stored in CloudWatch Logs forever. Or memory setting is tied to CPU so adding more RAM also makes the function run faster even if it does not use it at all.

This course is a systematic view on how to best deploy and configure Lambda functions with Terraform. You'll learn about the important arguments and the best practices for each of them and a detailed discussion of what they change.

What you'll learn in this course

We'll start with a quick introduction to Terraform and how to set it up with AWS. Then we'll look into one argument at a time and see what it does.

Install and configure Terraform for AWS
Basics of a tf file
Required arguments (code, name, handler, runtime, role)
Optional arguments (log group, environment variables, memory, timeout, reserved concurrency)
Integrate external programs with Terraform (for example, npm install)
Lambda attributes

Who this course is for:

Developers who already use AWS but want to learn the intricacies of managing Lambda functions with Terraform

Manage AWS Lambda functions with Terraform

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Terraform basics1 lecture • 22min

Required arguments5 lectures • 31min

Optional settings5 lectures • 32min

Miscellaneous2 lectures • 12min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: