Deploy Lambda durable functions with Infrastructure as Code

You can deploy Lambda durable functions using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, or AWS Serverless Application Model. These tools let you define your function, execution role, and permissions in code, making deployments repeatable and version-controlled.

All three tools require you to:

• Enable durable execution on the function

• Grant checkpoint permissions to the execution role

• Publish a version or create an alias (durable functions require qualified ARNs)

AWS CloudFormation

Use CloudFormation to define your durable function in a template. The following example creates a durable function with the required permissions.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Description: Lambda durable function example

Resources:
  DurableFunctionRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: '2012-10-17'		 	 	 
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: lambda.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole
      ManagedPolicyArns:
        - arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole
      Policies:
        - PolicyName: DurableExecutionPolicy
          PolicyDocument:
            Version: '2012-10-17'		 	 	 
            Statement:
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - lambda:CheckpointDurableExecutions
                  - lambda:GetDurableExecutionState
                Resource: !GetAtt DurableFunction.Arn

  DurableFunction:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: myDurableFunction
      Runtime: nodejs22.x
      Handler: index.handler
      Role: !GetAtt DurableFunctionRole.Arn
      Code:
        ZipFile: |
          // Your durable function code here
          export const handler = async (event, context) => {
            return { statusCode: 200 };
          };
      DurableConfig:
        ExecutionTimeout: 10
        RetentionPeriodInDays: 1

  DurableFunctionVersion:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Version
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Ref DurableFunction
      Description: Initial version

  DurableFunctionAlias:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Alias
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Ref DurableFunction
      FunctionVersion: !GetAtt DurableFunctionVersion.Version
      Name: prod

Outputs:
  FunctionArn:
    Description: Durable function ARN
    Value: !GetAtt DurableFunction.Arn
  AliasArn:
    Description: Function alias ARN (use this for invocations)
    Value: !Ref DurableFunctionAlias

To deploy the template

aws cloudformation deploy \
  --template-file template.yaml \
  --stack-name my-durable-function-stack \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM

AWS CDK

AWS CDK lets you define infrastructure using programming languages. The following examples show how to create a durable function using TypeScript and Python.

TypeScript

import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';
import * as iam from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-iam';
import { Construct } from 'constructs';

export class DurableFunctionStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    // Create the durable function
    const durableFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'DurableFunction', {
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_22_X,
      handler: 'index.handler',
      code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda'),
      functionName: 'myDurableFunction',
      durableConfig: { executionTimeout: Duration.hours(1), retentionPeriod: Duration.days(30) },
    });

    // Add checkpoint permissions
    durableFunction.addToRolePolicy(new iam.PolicyStatement({
      actions: [
        'lambda:CheckpointDurableExecutions',
        'lambda:GetDurableExecutionState',
      ],
      resources: [durableFunction.functionArn],
    }));

    // Create version and alias
    const version = durableFunction.currentVersion;
    const alias = new lambda.Alias(this, 'ProdAlias', {
      aliasName: 'prod',
      version: version,
    });

    // Output the alias ARN
    new cdk.CfnOutput(this, 'FunctionAliasArn', {
      value: alias.functionArn,
      description: 'Use this ARN to invoke the durable function',
    });
  }
}

Python

from aws_cdk import (
    Stack,
    aws_lambda as lambda_,
    aws_iam as iam,
    CfnOutput,
)
from constructs import Construct

class DurableFunctionStack(Stack):
    def __init__(self, scope: Construct, id: str, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(scope, id, **kwargs)

        # Create the durable function
        durable_function = lambda_.Function(
            self, 'DurableFunction',
            runtime=lambda_.Runtime.NODEJS_22_X,
            handler='index.handler',
            code=lambda_.Code.from_asset('lambda'),
            function_name='myDurableFunction',
            durable_execution={execution_timeout: Duration.hours(1), retention_period: Duration.days(30)}
        )

        # Add checkpoint permissions
        durable_function.add_to_role_policy(iam.PolicyStatement(
            actions=[
                'lambda:CheckpointDurableExecutions',
                'lambda:GetDurableExecutionState',
            ],
            resources=[durable_function.function_arn]
        ))

        # Create version and alias
        version = durable_function.current_version
        alias = lambda_.Alias(
            self, 'ProdAlias',
            alias_name='prod',
            version=version
        )

        # Output the alias ARN
        CfnOutput(
            self, 'FunctionAliasArn',
            value=alias.function_arn,
            description='Use this ARN to invoke the durable function'
        )

To deploy the CDK stack

cdk deploy

AWS Serverless Application Model

AWS SAM simplifies CloudFormation templates for serverless applications. The following template creates a durable function with AWS SAM.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: Lambda durable function with SAM

Resources:
  DurableFunction:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: myDurableFunction
      Runtime: nodejs22.x
      Handler: index.handler
      CodeUri: ./src
      DurableConfig:
        ExecutionTimeout: 10
        RetentionPeriodInDays: 1
      Policies:
        - Version: '2012-10-17'		 	 	 
          Statement:
            - Effect: Allow
              Action:
                - lambda:CheckpointDurableExecutions
                - lambda:GetDurableExecutionState
              Resource: !Sub 'arn:aws:lambda:${AWS::Region}:${AWS::AccountId}:function:${DurableFunction}'
      AutoPublishAlias: prod

Outputs:
  FunctionArn:
    Description: Durable function ARN
    Value: !GetAtt DurableFunction.Arn
  AliasArn:
    Description: Function alias ARN (use this for invocations)
    Value: !Ref DurableFunction.Alias

To deploy the SAM template

sam build
sam deploy --guided

Common configuration patterns

Regardless of which IaC tool you use, follow these patterns for durable functions:

Enable durable execution

Set the DurableExecution.Enabled property to true. This property is only available when creating the function—you cannot enable durable execution on existing functions.

Grant checkpoint permissions

Add lambda:CheckpointDurableExecutions and lambda:GetDurableExecutionState to the execution role. Scope these permissions to the specific function ARN.

Use qualified ARNs

Create a version or alias for your function. Durable functions require qualified ARNs (with version or alias) for invocation. Use AutoPublishAlias in AWS SAM or create explicit versions in CloudFormation and AWS CDK.

Package dependencies

Include the durable execution SDK in your deployment package. For Node.js, install @aws/durable-execution-sdk-js. For Python, install aws-durable-execution-sdk-python.

Next steps

After deploying your durable function:

• Test your function using the qualified ARN (version or alias)

• Monitor execution progress in the Lambda console under the Durable executions tab

• View checkpoint operations in AWS CloudTrail data events

• Review CloudWatch Logs for function output and replay behavior

For more information about deploying Lambda functions with IaC tools, see:

• CloudFormation AWS::Lambda::Function reference

• AWS CDK Lambda module documentation

• AWS SAM Developer Guide