AWS lambda resource created through Terraform
Hello Readers, I am Arpit, working as a lead engineer at Luxoft. I am a tech-lover. In this article, I would like to share with you some of my knowledge and learnings on creating AWS Lambda through Terraform.
By using AWS Lambda, you can execute code sans having to provision or manage servers. Paired with Terraform, an Infrastructure as Code program, you have the means to define and supervise infrastructure through coding. Using both technologies, you can declaratively and economically administer your AWS Lambda functions. This tutorial will guide you through creating AWS Lambda services using Terraform, beginning with a breakdown of the essentials of AWS Lambda and Terraform, followed by the installation and setup of Terraform and the AWS CLI. With utmost excitement, our journey into AWS Lambda functions begins as we’ll dig deep and uncover various processes. From defining the functions to deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting, we’ll go the extra mile in implementing IAM roles and policies. Plus, we’ll also touch base on the best practises for managing AWS Lambda functions using Terraform.
1. Introduction to AWS Lambda and Terraform
What is AWS Lambda?
Provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWS Lambda is an avant-garde counterpart to typical server technology by enabling you to execute code without the tireless process of server setup and management. It proficiently proportions your application in reaction to incoming requests solely billing you for the amount of computing time employed.
What is Terraform?
Efficiently and securely create and version infrastructure with Terraform — a tool that uses declarative syntax to maintain your infrastructure as code. Like any other programming, this innovative solution declares the infrastructure in a unique format.
Why use Terraform with AWS Lambda?
Terraform enables you to repeatably and consistently define, plan, and deploy your AWS Lambda services. It also allows you to manage the dependencies and configurations of your AWS resources, which makes managing and scaling your application easier.
2. Setting up Terraform and AWS CLI
Prerequisites
You’ll need an AWS account and access to the AWS Management Console to get started. You will also need to have the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) installed on your PC.
Installing Terraform
To install Terraform, follow these steps:
1. Download the appropriate Terraform package for your operating system from the official website.
2. Extract the Terraform binary from the package.
3. Move the Terraform binary to a directory in your system PATH.
Configuring AWS CLI
To configure the AWS CLI, follow these steps:
1. Open a terminal window.
2. Run the command “aws configure”.
3. Enter your AWS access key ID, secret access key, default region name, and default output format when prompted.
3. Defining AWS Lambda Functions with Terraform
Creating a Function
To create an AWS Lambda function with Terraform, you need to define a resource block in your Terraform configuration file. The resource block includes the function name, runtime, and handler.
Configuring Function Properties
In the resource block, you can change the memory size, timeout, and environment variables of your AWS Lambda function. You can also specify event sources for the function, such as S3 buckets or API Gateway URLs as follow.
Defining Function Code
You can either upload a ZIP file containing your code or refer to a code repository to deploy the function code to AWS Lambda. The “filename” and “source_code_hash” elements in the resource block can be used to specify the code location as follow.
4. Creating AWS IAM Roles and Policies with Terraform
Understanding Roles and Policies
Get Singh_Ar’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles enable you to grant permissions to your AWS resources while avoiding the need to share long-term access credentials. Permissions granted to roles are defined by IAM policies as follow.
Creating an IAM Role
You must construct a resource block that includes the role name, assume role policy, and attached policies to create an IAM role with Terraform. The assume role policy specifies which services or accounts are permitted to take on the role.
Attaching Policies to a Role
In your Terraform configuration file, define a “aws_iam_role_policy_attachment” resource block to attach policies to IAM roles. The role name and policy to attach are included in the resource block. Numerous policies can be attached to a role by creating numerous resource blocks.
5. Deploying your AWS Lambda Functions with Terraform
AWS Lambda is a serverless computing solution that lets you run code without the need for server provisioning or management. After creating your Lambda function, you must deploy it to AWS. Here’s how to set it up with Terraform.
Preparing for Deployment
Before you can begin deploying your Lambda function, you must first configure your Terraform environment. You’ll need to generate a Terraform configuration file, often known as main.tf’. Within this file, you can define your Lambda function by defining its name, runtime, code location, and other essential parameters.
Creating a Deployment Package
To use Terraform to deploy your Lambda function, first construct a deployment package. This package must include both the function code and any dependencies that it may have. AWS Lambda accepts ZIP archives as deployment packages. You can make this archive using any archiving tool, such as gzip, tar, or zip.
Deploying your Function with Terraform
You can use Terraform to deploy your Lambda function after the deployment package is complete. To upload the deployment package and construct the function, use the ‘terraform apply’ command. Terraform will create all of the relevant resources, such as the Lambda function, the execution role, and any other AWS resources.
6. Monitoring and Debugging AWS Lambda Functions with Terraform
Following the deployment of your Lambda function, you must monitor and debug it to ensure that it is operating appropriately and effectively. Here’s how to accomplish it with Terraform.
Viewing Lambda Function Logs
All function invocations and faults are automatically logged to CloudWatch Logs by AWS Lambda. You can use Terraform to inspect these logs and monitor the performance of your function. To accomplish this, create a CloudWatch Logs resource in your Terraform setup file. The records can then be retrieved and analyzed using the ‘aws_cloudwatch_log_group’ data source.
Debugging Lambda Functions
You can use the ‘aws_lambda_invocation’ resource to invoke your Lambda function with test data to debug it. You may then debug any issues using the logs created by the function. You can also utilize the AWS X-Ray service to monitor and analyze the performance of your function.
7. Best Practices for Managing AWS Lambda Functions with Terraform
Using Terraform to manage AWS Lambda functions can be difficult, especially when working with different environments or complicated designs. Here are some recommended practices you can do to make things easier.
Organizing your Terraform Code
It is critical to organize your Terraform code in order for it to be maintainable and scalable. Terraform modules can help you divide your code into smaller, reusable components. Terraform workspaces can also be used to manage several environments, such as development, staging, and production.
Applying Security Best Practices
When working with AWS Lambda services, security is critical. You should follow the idea of least privilege, which implies giving your Lambda function only the rights it requires. You can use Terraform to set an execution role for your function and specifically provide the permissions required.
Using Terraform Workspaces for Multiple Environments
Using Terraform workspaces to handle different environments, such as development, staging, and production, can be quite beneficial. Each workspace has its own state file, making it easy to manage and apply changes to various contexts. The ‘terraform workspace select’ function allows you to swap between workspaces. Finally, managing AWS Lambda functions using Terraform provides a powerful and efficient approach to managing your infrastructure as code. You may speed up the deployment and maintenance of your AWS Lambda functions, improve security, and simplify debugging by following the procedures suggested in this article. Terraform and AWS Lambda are strong technologies that can help you deliver your solutions efficiently and effectively, whether you are deploying a small function or a huge application.
I will also share how to write and create other services through Terraform in my next article.
Thanks for Reading !!
