AWS Lambda Extensions

AWS Lambda Extensions are a new way for tools to more easily integrate deeply into the Lambda execution environment to control and participate in Lambda’s lifecycle.

You can use extensions to integrate your Lambda functions with your preferred monitoring, observability, security, and governance tools. You can choose from a broad set of tools provided by AWS Lambda partners or you can create your own Lambda extensions.

Extensions use the Extensions API, a new HTTP interface, to register for lifecycle events and get greater control during function initialization, invocation, and shutdown. They can also use environment variables to add options and tools to the runtime, or use wrapper scripts to customize the runtime startup behavior.

For more information on using the features of Lambda extensions, see Using AWS Lambda extensions.

For more information on building Lambda extensions, see Building Extensions for AWS Lambda.

Sample extension demos and examples

In this repository you will find a number of demos and sample projects from AWS and AWS Partners to help you get started with building your own extensions.

AWS examples

Extension Demos

• AWS AppConfig: A demo showing how Lambda uses an extension with AWS AppConfig as explained in the blog post Introducing Lambda Extensions.

• Custom runtime extension: A demo showing how to learn about the Extensions API as explained in the blog post Building Extensions for AWS Lambda.

• Caching Extension: The cache demo code sample is written in Go and acts as a companion process which a Lambda function can use as both a data cache (using DynamoDB) and configuration cache (using Systems Manager Parameter Store).

Extension examples by language

• Go Extension: Sample: how to get a basic extension written in Go up and running.

• Python Extension: Sample: how to get a basic extension written in Python 3 up and running.

• Node.js Extension: Sample: how to get a basic extension written in Node.js 12 up and running.

• Java 11 Extension: Sample: how to get a basic extension written in Java 11 up and running.

• C#.NET Extension: Sample: how to get a basic extension written in C# up and running.

• Rust Extension: A library that makes it easy to write Lambda extensions in Rust. It also helps with using Lambda Logs API. See the aws-lambda-rust-runtime repository for examples.

Logs API demos and example extensions

• Go Logs API extension: How to get a basic Logs API extension written in Go up and running. This extension demonstrates registering for the INVOKE and SHUTDOWN events using the Extensions API. It then runs a local HTTP listener and subscribes to a stream of function and platform logs using the Logs API. It buffers them and sends them to S3 periodically.

• Python Logs API extension: How to get a basic Logs API extension written in Go up and running. This extension demonstrates registering for the INVOKE and SHUTDOWN events using the Extensions API. It then runs a local HTTP listener and subscribes to a stream of function and platform logs using the Logs API. It buffers them and sends them to S3 periodically.

• Python for Elasticsearch Logs API extension: How to get a basic Logs API extension for Elasticsearch written in Python 3 up and running. This extension demonstrates registering for the INVOKE and SHUTDOWN events using the Extensions API. It then runs a local HTTP listener and subscribes to a stream of function and platform logs using the Logs API. It buffers them and sends them to Elasticsearch periodically.

• Node.js Logs API extension: How to get a basic Logs API extension written in Go up and running. This extension demonstrates registering for the INVOKE and SHUTDOWN events using the Extensions API. It then runs a local HTTP listener and subscribes to a stream of function and platform logs using the Logs API. It buffers them and sends them to S3 periodically.

• Demo: Logs to Amazon S3 extension: zip archive: Demo logs extension to receive logs directly from Lambda and send them to S3, see the blog post Using AWS Lambda extensions to send logs to custom destinations. The demo is deployed using AWS SAM.

• Demo: Logs to Amazon S3 extension: container image : Demo logs extension to receive logs directly from Lambda and send them to S3. This example packages the extension and function as separate container images. The demo is deployed using AWS SAM.

• Demo: Logs to Kinesis firehose Logs API extension: How to get a basic logs API extension for Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose written in Go. The extension explains the overall approach to streamline and centralize log collection using Amazon Kinesis Data firehose. The extension runs a local HTTP listener and subscribes to a stream of function and platform logs using the Logs API. It buffers them and sends them to Amazon Kinesis Data firehose periodically, which streams logs to Amazon S3. The demo gets deployed using AWS SAM.

Other extension examples

• Adaptive Batching extension in Go: How to use the Logs API extension written in Go to adaptively batch log data to a destination (S3). The logs are batched up and stored by the extension. Three environment variables with default values dictate when the logs are send to the destination. If any of the conditions are met, the logs queued will be shipped to S3.
• ADAPTIVE_BATCHING_EXTENSION_SHIP_RATE_BYTES: Logs are shipped to S3 once log size reaches the number of bytes defined
• ADAPTIVE_BATCHING_EXTENSION_SHIP_RATE_INVOKES: Logs are shipped to S3 once the number of invokes reaches the number defined.

• ADAPTIVE_BATCHING_EXTENSION_SHIP_RATE_MILLISECONDS: Logs are shipped to S3 once the amount of time elapsed since the last time logs were shipped is exceeded.

• Inter-process communication extension in Go: A sample extension written in Go that acts as a companion process. The AWS Lambda function can communicate with the extension. This sample extension:

• Writes to a file at /tmp/test.txt that the Lambda function can read.

• Starts a local HTTP server at the provided port (default 2772) that replies to requests with "Hello from http server"

• Crash uploader extension in Go: A sample extension that looks for core dumps in the execution environment /tmp folder and uploads them to an Amazon S3 bucket for later inspection and troubleshooting.

Wrapper script extension examples by language

• Bash Wrapper script: How to to get a wrapper script written in Bash up and running.

• Python Wrapper script: How to to get a wrapper script written in Python up and running.

• Ruby Wrapper script: How to to get a wrapper script written in Ruby up and running.

AWS Lambda Ready Partner examples that are open-source

Coralogix is a machine data analytics SaaS platform that drastically improves the delivery & maintenance process for software providers. The extension provides full integration of Lambda functions with the Coraligix service	The HashiCorp Vault extension makes it easy for operators to manage secrets and make them available for developers to use within their function code, without having to make their functions Vault aware.	The Honeycomb Lambda extension allows you to send messages from your Lambda function to Honeycomb by just writing JSON to stdout. The extension receives the messages and forwards them to Honeycomb as an event.
View extension code	View extension code	View extension code

Lumigo helps identify functions that are CPU- or network-bound. This allows you to improve their performance by increasing their memory size.	An AWS Lambda extension to collect, enhance, and transport telemetry data from your AWS Lambda functions to New Relic.	The Sumo Logic extension, along with Sumo Logic's continuous intelligence platform, enables you to get instance visibility into the health and performance of your mission-critical serverless applications.
View extension	View extension	View extension

Additional examples that are open-source

• Open Policy Agent (OPA) provides policy-based control for cloud native environments. GoDaddy has open-sourced an OPA plugin for Lambda which uses manual triggers to operate OPA as a Lambda Extension. View extension code

• Runtime Extensions for AWS Lambda in Rust is a library that makes it easy to write Lambda extensions in Rust. It also helps with using Lambda Logs API. See the aws-lambda-rust-runtime repository for examples.

• Rust Lambda Extension for any Runtime to preload SSM Parameters as Secure Environment Variables.

Available AWS Lambda Ready Partner extensions

• AppDynamics: The AppDynamics AWS Lambda Extension provides automatic instrumentation of Node.js or Python Lambda functions to provide visibility and alerting on function performance in a broader business context
• Check Point CloudGuard: Check Point CloudGuard Serverless Protection is a Lambda Layer/Extension-based runtime protection solution providing zero-configuration security for Lambda Functions.
• Datadog: The Datadog extension brings comprehensive, real-time visibility to your serverless applications. Combined with Datadog’s existing AWS integration, you get metrics, traces, and logs to help you monitor, detect, and resolve issues at any scale.
• Dynatrace: The Dynatrace AWS Lambda extension delivers end-to-end visibility into traces and metrics and leverages AI for automated error detection and root cause analysis across the entire application stack.
• Epsagon: Epsagon’s extension listens to invocation events, stores traces, and sends them in parallel to Lambda function executions. This helps reduce the overhead of distributed tracing and improve performance.
• HashiCorp Vault: The HasiCorp Vault extension makes it easy for operators to manage secrets and make them available for developers to use within their function code, without having to make their functions Vault aware.
• Lumigo: Lumigo helps identify functions that are CPU- or network-bound. This allows you to improve their performance by increasing their memory size.
• New Relic: An AWS Lambda extension to collect, enhance, and transport telemetry data from your AWS Lambda functions to New Relic. This lightweight AWS Lambda Extension runs alongside your AWS Lambda