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Shreyans Padmani
Shreyans Padmani

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AWS Lambda

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.

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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

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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)

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nevodavid profile image
Nevo David

growth like this is always nice to see. kinda makes me wonder - what keeps stuff going long-term? like, beyond just the early hype?

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