Deploying Large Binary Files with AWS Lambda Functions: A Step-by-Step Guide

8 August 2024

Handling Large File Uploads in AWS Lambda Functions

When it comes to deploying large binary files with AWS Lambda Functions, things can get tricky. The issue is that Lambda’s storage limitations for uploaded files are quite restrictive, and uploading large files directly to your function’s storage space can lead to performance issues.

Problem with Direct Uploading

If you try to upload a large file (over 10MB) directly to your Lambda function’s storage space, it will fail due to the maximum size limit imposed by AWS Lambda. This makes direct file uploads from clients (like web apps or mobile devices) almost impossible for files larger than 10MB.

Solution: Using S3 Bucket

One solution is to use Amazon S3 as a temporary storage space for your uploaded files. Here’s how:

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

First, create an S3 bucket where you’ll temporarily store the uploaded file. Make sure it’s not public and has proper permissions set.

# Using AWS CLI to create an S3 bucket.
aws s3 mb s3://your-bucket-name

Step 2: Upload File to S3

You can then use Lambda functions that have access to your S3 bucket to upload files there. If you’re using API Gateway, you can add a step in the API flow that first uploads the file to S3 before sending it to Lambda.

import boto3
from botocore.exceptions import NoCredentialsError
s3 = boto3.client('s3')
def lambda_handler(event, context):
    try:
        s3.upload_file(
            Bucket='your-bucket-name',
            Key='path/to/your/file',
            Filename='path/on/client/device/to/uploaded/file'
        )
    except NoCredentialsError:
        print("Got no credentials!")

Step 3: Process the File in Lambda

Once uploaded to S3, your Lambda function can process it. This is where you would write code that does whatever needs doing with that file.

import os
import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3')
def lambda_handler(event, context):
    bucket_name = 'your-bucket-name'
    key = 'path/to/your/file'
    s3_object = s3.get_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key=key)
    file_content = s3_object['Body'].read()
    
    # Process the file content...

Conclusion

Deploying large binary files with AWS Lambda Functions involves a few steps. By using S3 as an intermediate storage space and properly handling uploads there, you can achieve your goals without running into maximum size limits. Remember to adjust permissions on your bucket accordingly.
This guide should give you a good starting point for figuring out how to deploy large binary files in AWS Lambda. If further questions arise, feel free to ask them.

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