Getting started with Lambda

To get started with Lambda, use the Lambda console to create a function. In a few minutes, you can create a function, invoke it, and then view logs, metrics, and trace data.

Note

To use Lambda and other AWS services, you need an AWS account. If you don't have an account, visit aws.amazon.com and choose Create an AWS Account. For instructions, see How do I create and activate a new AWS account?

As a best practice, create an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) user with administrator permissions, and then use that IAM user for all work that does not require root credentials. Create a password for console access, and create access keys to use command line tools. For instructions, see Creating your first IAM admin user and group in the IAM User Guide.

You can author functions in the Lambda console, or with an IDE toolkit, command line tools, or the AWS SDKs. The Lambda console provides a code editor for non-compiled languages that lets you modify and test code quickly. The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) gives you direct access to the Lambda API for advanced configuration and automation use cases.

You deploy your function code to Lambda using a deployment package. Lambda supports two types of deployment packages:

• A .zip file archive that contains your function code and its dependencies. For an example tutorial, see Using AWS Lambda with the AWS Command Line Interface.

• A container image that is compatible with the Open Container Initiative (OCI) specification. For an example tutorial, see Create a function defined as a container image.

Topics

• Create a Lambda function with the console
• Creating functions using the AWS Lambda console editor
• Using AWS Lambda with the AWS Command Line Interface
• Lambda concepts
• Lambda features
• Lambda deployment packages
• Lambda quotas