Step 1: Set up your AWS CDK project Step 2: Use AWS CDK to create a state machine Step 3: Start a state machine execution Step 4: Clean Up Next steps

Creating a Lambda state machine for Step Functions using AWS CDK

This tutorial shows how to create an AWS Step Functions state machine that contains an AWS Lambda function using the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK). The AWS CDK is an Infrastructure as Code (IAC) framework that lets you define AWS infrastructure using a full-fledged programming language. You can write an app in one of the CDK's supported languages containing one or more stacks. Then, you can synthesize it to an AWS CloudFormation template and deploy it to your AWS account. We'll use this method to define a Step Functions state machine containing a a Lambda function, then use the AWS Management Console to run the state machine.

Before you begin this tutorial, you must set up your AWS CDK development environment as described in Getting Started With the AWS CDK - Prerequisites in the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) Developer Guide. Then, install the AWS CDK with the following command at the AWS CLI:


npm install -g aws-cdk

This tutorial produces the same result as Creating a Lambda state machine for Step Functions using AWS CloudFormation. However, in this tutorial, the AWS CDK doesn't require you to create any IAM roles; the AWS CDK does it for you. The AWS CDK version also includes a Succeed step to illustrate how to add additional steps to your state machine.

Tip

To deploy a sample serverless application that starts a Step Functions workflow using AWS CDK with TypeScript to your AWS account, see Module 10 - Deploy with AWS CDK of The AWS Step Functions Workshop.

Topics

Step 1: Set up your AWS CDK project
Step 2: Use AWS CDK to create a state machine
Step 3: Start a state machine execution
Step 4: Clean Up
Next steps

Step 1: Set up your AWS CDK project

In your home directory, or another directory if you prefer, run the following command to create a directory for your new AWS CDK app.

Important
Be sure to name the directory step. The AWS CDK application template uses the name of the directory to generate names for source files and classes. If you use a different name, your app will not match this tutorial.
TypeScript
```
mkdir step && cd step
```
JavaScript
```
mkdir step && cd step
```
Python
```
mkdir step && cd step
```
Java
```
mkdir step && cd step
```
C#
Make sure you've installed .NET version 6.0 or higher. For information, see Supported versions.
```
mkdir step && cd step
```
Initialize the app by using the cdk init command. Specify the desired template ("app") and programming language as shown in the following examples.
TypeScript
```
cdk init --language typescript
```
JavaScript
```
cdk init --language javascript
```
Python
```
cdk init --language python
```
After the project is initialized, activate the project's virtual environment and install the AWS CDK's baseline dependencies.
```
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
```
Java
```
cdk init --language java
```
C#
```
cdk init --language csharp
```

Step 2: Use AWS CDK to create a state machine

First, we'll present the individual pieces of code that define the Lambda function and the Step Functions state machine. Then, we'll explain how to put them together in your AWS CDK app. Finally, you'll see how to synthesize and deploy these resources.

To create a Lambda function

The following AWS CDK code defines the Lambda function, providing its source code inline.

TypeScript


const helloFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyLambdaFunction', {
    code: lambda.Code.fromInline(`
          exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
              callback(null, "Hello World!");
          };
      `),
    runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
    handler: "index.handler",
    timeout: cdk.Duration.seconds(3)
});

JavaScript


const helloFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyLambdaFunction', {
    code: lambda.Code.fromInline(`
          exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
              callback(null, "Hello World!");
          };
      `),
    runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
    handler: "index.handler",
    timeout: cdk.Duration.seconds(3)
});

Python


hello_function = lambda_.Function(
            self, "MyLambdaFunction",
            code=lambda_.Code.from_inline("""
            exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
                callback(null, "Hello World!");
                }"""),
                runtime=lambda_.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
                handler="index.handler",
                timeout=Duration.seconds(25))

Java


final Function helloFunction = Function.Builder.create(this, "MyLambdaFunction")
        .code(Code.fromInline(
                "exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => { callback(null, 'Hello World!' );}"))
        .runtime(Runtime.NODEJS_18_X)
        .handler("index.handler")
        .timeout(Duration.seconds(25))
        .build();

C#


var helloFunction = new Function(this, "MyLambdaFunction", new FunctionProps
{
    Code = Code.FromInline(@"`
      exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
        callback(null, 'Hello World!');
      }"),
    Runtime = Runtime.NODEJS_12_X,
    Handler = "index.handler",
    Timeout = Duration.Seconds(25)
});

You can see in this short example code:

The function's logical name, MyLambdaFunction.
The source code for the function, embedded as a string in the source code of the AWS CDK app.
Other function attributes, such as the runtime to be used (Node 18.x), the function's entry point, and a timeout.

To create a state machine

Our state machine has two states: a Lambda function task, and a Succeed state. The function requires that we create a Step Functions Task that invokes our function. This Task state is used as the first step in the state machine. The success state is added to the state machine using the Task state's next() method. The following code first invokes the function named MyLambdaTask, then uses the next() method to define a success state named GreetedWorld.

To build and deploy the AWS CDK app

In your newly created AWS CDK project, edit the file that contains the stack's definition to look like the following example code. You'll recognize the definitions of the Lambda function and the Step Functions state machine from previous sections.

Update the stack as shown in the following examples.

TypeScript

Update lib/step-stack.ts with the following code.


import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';
import * as sfn from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions';
import * as tasks from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions-tasks';

export class StepStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(app: cdk.App, id: string) {
    super(app, id);

    const helloFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyLambdaFunction', {
      code: lambda.Code.fromInline(`
          exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
              callback(null, "Hello World!");
          };
      `),
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
      handler: "index.handler",
      timeout: cdk.Duration.seconds(3)
    });

    const stateMachine = new sfn.StateMachine(this, 'MyStateMachine', {
      definition: new tasks.LambdaInvoke(this, "MyLambdaTask", {
        lambdaFunction: helloFunction
      }).next(new sfn.Succeed(this, "GreetedWorld"))
    });
  }
}

JavaScript

Update lib/step-stack.js with the following code.


import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';
import * as sfn from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions';
import * as tasks from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-stepfunctions-tasks';

export class StepStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(app, id) {
    super(app, id);

    const helloFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyLambdaFunction', {
      code: lambda.Code.fromInline(`
          exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
              callback(null, "Hello World!");
          };
      `),
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
      handler: "index.handler",
      timeout: cdk.Duration.seconds(3)
    });

    const stateMachine = new sfn.StateMachine(this, 'MyStateMachine', {
      definition: new tasks.LambdaInvoke(this, "MyLambdaTask", {
        lambdaFunction: helloFunction
      }).next(new sfn.Succeed(this, "GreetedWorld"))
    });
  }
}

Python

Update step/step_stack.py with the following code.


from aws_cdk import (
    Duration,
    Stack,
    aws_stepfunctions as sfn,
    aws_stepfunctions_tasks as tasks,
    aws_lambda as lambda_
)
class StepStack(Stack):

    def __init__(self, scope: Construct, construct_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
        super().__init__(scope, construct_id, **kwargs)

        hello_function = lambda_.Function(
            self, "MyLambdaFunction",
            code=lambda_.Code.from_inline("""
            exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
                callback(null, "Hello World!");
                }"""),
                runtime=lambda_.Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
                handler="index.handler",
                timeout=Duration.seconds(25))

        state_machine = sfn.StateMachine(
            self, "MyStateMachine",
            definition=tasks.LambdaInvoke(
            self, "MyLambdaTask",
            lambda_function=hello_function)
            .next(sfn.Succeed(self, "GreetedWorld")))

Java

Update src/main/java/com.myorg/StepStack.java with the following code.


package com.myorg;

import software.constructs.Construct;
import software.amazon.awscdk.Stack;
import software.amazon.awscdk.StackProps;
import software.amazon.awscdk.Duration;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.lambda.Code;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.lambda.Function;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.lambda.Runtime;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.stepfunctions.StateMachine;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.stepfunctions.Succeed;
import software.amazon.awscdk.services.stepfunctions.tasks.LambdaInvoke;

public class StepStack extends Stack {
    public StepStack(final Construct scope, final String id) {
        this(scope, id, null);
    }

    public StepStack(final Construct scope, final String id, final StackProps props) {
        super(scope, id, props);

        final Function helloFunction = Function.Builder.create(this, "MyLambdaFunction")
                .code(Code.fromInline(
                        "exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => { callback(null, 'Hello World!' );}"))
                .runtime(Runtime.NODEJS_18_X)
                .handler("index.handler")
                .timeout(Duration.seconds(25))
                .build();

        final StateMachine stateMachine = StateMachine.Builder.create(this, "MyStateMachine")
                .definition(LambdaInvoke.Builder.create(this, "MyLambdaTask")
                        .lambdaFunction(helloFunction)
                        .build()
                        .next(new Succeed(this, "GreetedWorld")))
                .build();
    }
}

C#

Update scr/Step/StepStack.cs with the following code.


using Amazon.CDK;
using Constructs;
using Amazon.CDK.AWS.Lambda;
using Amazon.CDK.AWS.StepFunctions;
using Amazon.CDK.AWS.StepFunctions.Tasks;

namespace Step
{
    public class StepStack : Stack
    {
        internal StepStack(Construct scope, string id, IStackProps props = null) : base(scope, id, props)
        {
            var helloFunction = new Function(this, "MyLambdaFunction", new FunctionProps
            {
                Code = Code.FromInline(@"exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
                    callback(null, 'Hello World!');
                }"),
                Runtime = Runtime.NODEJS_18_X,
                Handler = "index.handler",
                Timeout = Duration.Seconds(25)
            });

            var stateMachine = new StateMachine(this, "MyStateMachine", new StateMachineProps
            {
                DefinitionBody = DefinitionBody.FromChainable(new LambdaInvoke(this, "MyLambdaTask", new LambdaInvokeProps
                {
                    LambdaFunction = helloFunction
                })
                .Next(new Succeed(this, "GreetedWorld")))
            });
        }
    }
}

Save the source file, and then run the cdk synth command in the app's main directory.

AWS CDK runs the app and synthesizes an AWS CloudFormation template from it. AWS CDK then displays the template.
Note
If you used TypeScript to create your AWS CDK project, running the cdk synth command may return the following error.
```
TSError: ⨯ Unable to compile TypeScript:
bin/step.ts:7:33 - error TS2554: Expected 2 arguments, but got 3.
```
Modify the bin/step.ts file as shown in the following example to resolve this error.
```
#!/usr/bin/env node
import 'source-map-support/register';
import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import { StepStack } from '../lib/step-stack';

const app = new cdk.App();
new StepStack(app, 'StepStack');
app.synth();
```
To deploy the Lambda function and the Step Functions state machine to your AWS account, issue cdk deploy. You'll be asked to approve the IAM policies the AWS CDK has generated.

Step 3: Start a state machine execution

After you create your state machine, you can start its execution.

To start the state machine execution

Open the Step Functions console and choose the name of the state machine that you created using AWS CDK.
On the state machine page, choose Start execution.

The Start execution dialog box is displayed.
(Optional) To identify your execution, you can specify a name for it in the Name box. By default, Step Functions generates a unique execution name automatically.

Note
Step Functions allows you to create names for state machines, executions, and activities, and labels that contain non-ASCII characters. These non-ASCII names don't work with Amazon CloudWatch. To ensure that you can track CloudWatch metrics, choose a name that uses only ASCII characters.
Choose Start Execution.

Your state machine's execution starts, and a new page showing your running execution is displayed.
The Step Functions console directs you to a page that's titled with your execution ID. This page is known as the Execution Details page. On this page, you can review the execution results as the execution progresses or after it's complete.

To review the execution results, choose individual states on the Graph view, and then choose the individual tabs on the Step details pane to view each state's details including input, output, and definition respectively. For details about the execution information you can view on the Execution Details page, see Execution Details page – Interface overview.

Step 4: Clean Up

After you've tested your state machine, we recommend that you remove both your state machine and the related Lambda function to free up resources in your AWS account. Run the cdk destroy command in your app's main directory to remove your state machine.

Next steps

To learn more about developing AWS infrastructure using AWS CDK, see the AWS CDK Developer Guide.

For information about writing AWS CDK apps in your language of choice, see:

For more information about the AWS Construct Library modules used in this tutorial, see the following AWS CDK API Reference overviews:

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Document Conventions

Creating a Lambda State Machine Using AWS CloudFormation

Creating an API Gateway REST API with Synchronous Express State Machine Using the AWS CDK