Amazon re:Invent Day 3: Lamba Layers, Lambda Runtime API and other exciting announcements!

The second last day of Amazon re:Invent 2018 ended on a high note. AWS announced two new features, Lambda Layers, and Lambda Runtime API, that claim to “make serverless development even easier”. In addition to this, they have also announced that Application Load Balancers will now invoke Lambda functions to serve HTTP(S) requests and Ruby Language support for Lambda.

#1 Lambda Layers

Lambda Layers allow developers to centrally manage code and data which is shared across multiple functions. Instead of packaging and deploying this shared code together with all the functions using it, developers can put common components in a ZIP file and upload it as a Lambda Layer. These Layers can be used within an AWS account, shared between accounts, or shared publicly within the developer community.

AWS is also publishing a public layer which includes NumPy and SciPy. This layer is prebuilt and optimized to help users to carry out data processing and machine learning applications quickly.

Developers can include additional files or data for their functions including binaries such as FFmpeg or ImageMagick, or dependencies, such as NumPy for Python. These layers are added to your function’s zip file when published.

Layers can also be versioned to manage updates, which will make each version immutable. When a version is deleted or its permissions are revoked, a developer won’t be able to create new functions; however, functions that used it previously will continue to work.

Lamba layers helps in making the function code smaller and more focused on what the application has to build. In addition to faster deployments, because less code must be packaged and uploaded, code dependencies can be reused.

#2 Lambda Runtime API

This is a simple interface to use any programming language, or a specific language version, for developing functions. Here, runtimes can be shared as layers, which allows developers to work with a programming language of their choice when authoring Lambda functions. Developers using the Runtime API will have to bundle the same with their application artifact or as a Lambda layer that the application uses.

When creating or updating a function, users can select a custom runtime. The function must include (in its code or in a layer) an executable file called bootstrap, that will be responsible for the communication between code and the Lambda environment.

As of now, AWS has made the C++ and Rust open source runtimes available. The other open source runtimes that will possibly be available soon include:

Erlang (Alert Logic)

Elixir (Alert Logic)

Cobol (Blu Age)

Node.js (NodeSource N|Solid)

PHP (Stackery)

The Runtime API will depict how AWS will support new languages in Lambda. A notable feature of the C++ runtime is its simplicity and expressiveness of interpreted languages while maintaining a good performance and low memory footprint. The Rust runtime makes it easy to write highly performant Lambda functions in Rust.

#3 Application Load Balancers to invoke Lambda functions to serve HTTP(S) requests

This new functionality will enable users to access serverless applications from any HTTP client, including web browsers. Users can also route requests to different Lambda functions based on the requested content. Application Load Balancer will be used as a common HTTP endpoint to both simplify operations and monitor applications that use servers and serverless computing.

#4 Ruby is now a supported language for AWS Lambda

Developers can use Lambda functions as idiomatic Ruby code, and run them on AWS. The AWS SDK for Ruby is included in the Lambda execution environment by default making it easy and quick for functions to directly interact with the AWS resources directly. Ruby on Lambda can be used either through the AWS Management Console or the AWS SAM CLI. This will ensure developers benefit from the reduced operational overhead, scalability, availability, and pay-per-use pricing of Lambda.

Head over to What’s new with AWS to stay updated on upcoming AWS announcements.

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