What is AWS Lambda?
- AWS Lambda is a serverless computing service that runs code in response to events without managing servers.
- It supports automatic scaling and execution based on triggers like S3 uploads, DynamoDB updates, or API Gateway.
- It is widely used in microservices, event-driven applications, automation scripts, and real-time file processing.
- Developers write functions in supported languages like Python, Node.js, C#, and deploy them without provisioning servers.
- Common use cases include chatbots, data transformation, scheduled tasks, and backend logic for mobile/web apps.
Advantages of AWS Lambda
- No server management is required; focus only on writing your code and defining event triggers.
- Automatically scales based on the number of incoming requests without any manual intervention.
- Pay only for the compute time your function actually consumes, down to milliseconds.
- Supports multiple languages and integrates well with other AWS services like S3, SNS, and DynamoDB.
- Built-in fault tolerance and high availability without requiring additional configuration or effort.
Limitations of AWS Lambda
- Maximum execution timeout is 15 minutes, which limits use for long-running tasks or processes.
- Cold starts can cause delays when invoking infrequently-used or large functions.
- Limited control over the underlying infrastructure and operating system configuration.
- Cannot persist local state; must use external storage for any temporary or long-term data.
- Has resource limits on memory (up to 10GB) and temporary storage (512MB in /tmp folder).
AWS Lambda vs EC2 Comparison
Conclusion
AWS Lambda is ideal for developers building scalable, event-driven applications without the overhead of server management. Whether you're processing files, handling webhooks, or powering a chatbot, Lambda makes cloud-native development fast, efficient, and cost-effective.
Top comments (1)
growth like this is always nice to see. kinda makes me wonder - what keeps stuff going long-term? like, beyond just the early hype?
Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments.