AWS Lambda plugin | Kong Docs

Invoke an AWS Lambda function from Kong. It can be used in combination with other request plugins to secure, manage or extend the function.

Note: The functionality of this plugin as bundled with versions of Kong prior to 0.14.0 and Kong Gateway prior to 0.34 differs from what is documented herein. Refer to the CHANGELOG for details.

Configuration Reference

Example plugin configuration

Enable on a service

Enable on a route

Enable on a consumer

Enable globally

The following examples provide some typical configurations for enabling the aws-lambda plugin on a service.

Admin API

Kubernetes

Declarative (YAML)

Konnect Cloud

Kong Manager

Make the following request:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/services/SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID/plugins \
    --data "name=aws-lambda"  \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_key=AWS_KEY" \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_secret=AWS_SECRET" \
    --data "config.aws_region=AWS_REGION" \
    --data "config.function_name=LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME"

Replace SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID with the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: aws-lambda-example
config: 
  aws_key: AWS_KEY
  aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
  aws_region: AWS_REGION
  function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
plugin: aws-lambda

Next, apply the KongPlugin resource to a service by annotating the service as follows:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID
  labels:
    app: SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID
  annotations:
    konghq.com/plugins: aws-lambda-example
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 80
    protocol: TCP
    name: SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID
  selector:
    app: SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID

Replace SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID with the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any service, consumer, or route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

Add this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: aws-lambda
  service: SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID
  config: 
    aws_key: AWS_KEY
    aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
    aws_region: AWS_REGION
    function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME

Replace SERVICE_NAME|SERVICE_ID with the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

You can configure this plugin through the Konnect UI.

From the Service Hub, select a service version, then set up the plugin:

In the Plugins section, click Add Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

You can configure this plugin through the Kong Manager UI.

In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
From the Services section, click View for the service row.
From the plugin section, click Add Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
If the option is available, select Scoped.
Add the service name and ID to the Service field if it is not already pre-filled.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

The following examples provide some typical configurations for enabling the aws-lambda plugin on a route.

Admin API

Kubernetes

Declarative (YAML)

Konnect Cloud

Kong Manager

Make the following request:

$ curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/routes/ROUTE_NAME|ROUTE_ID/plugins \
    --data "name=aws-lambda"  \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_key=AWS_KEY" \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_secret=AWS_SECRET" \
    --data "config.aws_region=AWS_REGION" \
    --data "config.function_name=LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME"

Replace ROUTE_NAME|ROUTE_ID with the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: aws-lambda-example
config: 
  aws_key: AWS_KEY
  aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
  aws_region: AWS_REGION
  function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
plugin: aws-lambda

Then, apply it to an ingress (route or routes) by annotating the ingress as follows:

apiVersion: networking/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: ROUTE_NAME|ROUTE_ID
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
    konghq.com/plugins: aws-lambda-example
spec:
  rules:
  - host: examplehostname.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /bar
        backend:
          serviceName: echo
          servicePort: 80

Replace ROUTE_NAME|ROUTE_ID with the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any service, consumer, or route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

Add this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: aws-lambda
  route: ROUTE_NAME
  config: 
    aws_key: AWS_KEY
    aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
    aws_region: AWS_REGION
    function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME

Replace ROUTE_NAME|ROUTE_ID with the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

You can configure this plugin through the Konnect UI.

From the Service Hub, select a service version, then set up the plugin:

Select a route.
In the Plugins section, click Add Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

You can configure this plugin through the Kong Manager UI.

In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
Open Routes from the menu, then click View for the route row.
From the plugin section, click Add Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
If the option is available, select Scoped.
Add the route ID if it is not already prefilled.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

The following examples provide some typical configurations for enabling the aws-lambda plugin on a consumer.

Admin API

Kubernetes

Declarative (YAML)

Kong Manager

Make the following request:

$ curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/consumers/CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID/plugins \
    --data "name=aws-lambda"  \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_key=AWS_KEY" \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_secret=AWS_SECRET" \
    --data "config.aws_region=AWS_REGION" \
    --data "config.function_name=LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME"

Replace CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID with the id or name of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

You can combine consumer.id, service.id, or route.id in the same request, to further narrow the scope of the plugin.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: aws-lambda-example
config: 
  aws_key: AWS_KEY
  aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
  aws_region: AWS_REGION
  function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
plugin: aws-lambda

Then, apply it to a consumer by annotating the KongConsumer resource as follows:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongConsumer
metadata:
  name: CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID
  annotations:
    konghq.com/plugins: aws-lambda-example
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong

Replace CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID with the id or name of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any service, consumer, or route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

Add this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: aws-lambda
  consumer: CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID
  config: 
    aws_key: AWS_KEY
    aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
    aws_region: AWS_REGION
    function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME

Replace CONSUMER_NAME|CONSUMER_ID with the id or name of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

You can configure this plugin through the Kong Manager UI.

In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
From the Consumers section, click View for the consumer row.
Select the Plugins tab, then click Add Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
If the option is available, select Scoped.
Add the consumer ID if it is not already prefilled.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

A plugin which is not associated to any service, route, or consumer is considered global, and will be run on every request. Read the Plugin Reference and the Plugin Precedence sections for more information.

The following examples provide some typical configurations for enabling the aws-lambda plugin globally.

Admin API

Kubernetes

Declarative (YAML)

Kong Manager

Make the following request:

$ curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/plugins/ \
    --data "name=aws-lambda"  \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_key=AWS_KEY" \
    --data-urlencode "config.aws_secret=AWS_SECRET" \
    --data "config.aws_region=AWS_REGION" \
    --data "config.function_name=LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME"

Create a KongClusterPlugin resource and label it as global:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongClusterPlugin
metadata:
  name: <global-aws-lambda>
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
  labels:
    global: \"true\"
config: 
  aws_key: AWS_KEY
  aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
  aws_region: AWS_REGION
  function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
plugin: aws-lambda

Add a plugins entry in the declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: aws-lambda
  config: 
    aws_key: AWS_KEY
    aws_secret: AWS_SECRET
    aws_region: AWS_REGION
    function_name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME

You can configure this plugin through the Kong Manager UI.

In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
Open Plugins from the menu, then click New Plugin.
Find and select the AWS Lambda plugin.
If the option is available, set the plugin scope to Global.
Configure the plugin’s parameters.

You can test out the plugin with the following sample configuration:
- Config.Aws Key: AWS_KEY
- Config.Aws Secret: AWS_SECRET
- Config.Aws Region: AWS_REGION
- Config.Function Name: LAMBDA_FUNCTION_NAME
Click Create.

Parameters

Here's a list of all the parameters which can be used in this plugin's configuration:

Form Parameter	Description
`name` required Type: string	The name of the plugin, in this case `aws-lambda`.
`service.name` or `service.id` Type: string	The name or ID of the service the plugin targets. Set one of these parameters if adding the plugin to a service through the top-level `/plugins` endpoint. Not required if using `/services/SERVICE_NAME\|SERVICE_ID/plugins`.
`route.name` or `route.id` Type: string	The name or ID of the route the plugin targets. Set one of these parameters if adding the plugin to a route through the top-level `/plugins` endpoint. Not required if using `/routes/ROUTE_NAME\|ROUTE_ID/plugins`.
`consumer.name` or `consumer.id` Type: string	The name or ID of the consumer the plugin targets. Set one of these parameters if adding the plugin to a consumer through the top-level `/plugins` endpoint. Not required if using `/consumers/CONSUMER_NAME\|CONSUMER_ID/plugins`.
`enabled` Type: boolean Default value: `true`	Whether this plugin will be applied.
`api_id` Type: string	The ID of the API the plugin targets. Note: The API Entity is deprecated in favor of Services since CE 0.13.0 and EE 0.32.
`config.aws_key` required	The AWS key credential to be used when invoking the function
`config.aws_secret` required	The AWS secret credential to be used when invoking the function
`config.aws_region` required	The AWS region where the Lambda function is located. Regions supported are: `us-east-1`, `us-east-2`, `ap-northeast-1`, `ap-northeast-2`, `ap-southeast-1`, `ap-southeast-2`, `eu-central-1`, `eu-west-1`
`config.function_name` required	The AWS Lambda function name to invoke
`config.qualifier` optional	The `Qualifier` to use when invoking the function.
`config.invocation_type` optional Default value: `RequestResponse`	The `InvocationType` to use when invoking the function. Available types are `RequestResponse`, `Event`, `DryRun`
`config.log_type` optional Default value: `Tail`	The `LogType` to use when invoking the function. By default `None` and `Tail` are supported
`config.timeout` optional Default value: `60000`	An optional timeout in milliseconds when invoking the function
`config.keepalive` optional Default value: `60000`	An optional value in milliseconds that defines how long an idle connection will live before being closed
`config.unhandled_status` optional Default value: `200, 202 or 204`	The response status code to use (instead of the default `200`, `202`, or `204`) in the case of an `Unhandled` Function Error
`config.forward_request_body` optional Default value: `false`	An optional value that defines whether the request body is to be sent in the `request_body` field of the JSON-encoded request. If the body arguments can be parsed, they will be sent in the separate `request_body_args` field of the request. The body arguments can be parsed for `application/json`, `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`, and `multipart/form-data` content types.
`config.forward_request_headers` optional Default value: `false`	An optional value that defines whether the original HTTP request headers are to be sent as a map in the `request_headers` field of the JSON-encoded request.
`config.forward_request_method` optional Default value: `false`	An optional value that defines whether the original HTTP request method verb is to be sent in the `request_method` field of the JSON-encoded request.
`config.forward_request_uri` optional Default value: `false`	An optional value that defines whether the original HTTP request URI is to be sent in the `request_uri` field of the JSON-encoded request. Request URI arguments (if any) will be sent in the separate `request_uri_args` field of the JSON body.

Reminder: curl by default sends payloads with an application/x-www-form-urlencoded MIME type, which will naturally be URL- decoded by Kong. To ensure special characters that are likely to appear in your AWS key or secret (like +) are correctly decoded, you must URL-encode them, hence use --data-urlencode if you are using curl. Alternatives to this approach would be to send your payload with a different MIME type (like application/json), or to use a different HTTP client.

Sending parameters

Any form parameter sent along with the request, will be also sent as an argument to the AWS Lambda function.

Known Issues

Use a fake upstream service

When using the AWS Lambda plugin, the response will be returned by the plugin itself without proxying the request to any upstream service. This means that a Service’s host, port, path properties will be ignored, but must still be specified for the entity to be validated by Kong. The host property in particular must either be an IP address, or a hostname that gets resolved by your nameserver.

When the plugin is added to an API entity (which is deprecated as of 0.13.0), it is the upsream_url property which must be specified and resolvable as well (but ignored).

Response plugins

There is a known limitation in the system that prevents some response plugins from being executed. We are planning to remove this limitation in the future.

Step By Step Guide

The Steps

Access to AWS Console as user allowed to operate with lambda functions and create user and roles.
Create an Execution role in AWS
Create an user which will be invoke the function via Kong, test it.
Create an API in Kong, add the aws-lambda plugin linked to our aws function and execute it.

Configure

First, let’s create an execution role called LambdaExecutor for our lambda function.

In IAM Console create a new Role choosing the AWS Lambda service, there will be no policies as our function in this example will simply execute itself giving us back an hardcoded JSON as response without accessing other AWS resources.
Now let’s create a user named KongInvoker, used by our Kong API gateway to invoke the function.

In IAM Console create a new user, must be provided to it programmatic access via Access and Secret keys; then will attach existing policies directly particularly the AWSLambdaRole predefined. Once the user creation is confirmed, store Access Key and Secret Key in a safe place.
Now we need to create the lambda function itself, will do so in N.Virginia Region (code us-east-1).

In Lambda Management, create a new function Mylambda, there will be no blueprint as we are going to paste the code below; for the execution role let’s choose an existing role specifically LambdaExecutor created previously

Use the inline code below to have a simple JSON response in return, note this is code for Python 3.6 interpreter.
```
 import json
 def lambda_handler(event, context):
     jsonbody='''{"response": "yes"}'''
     return json.loads(jsonbody)
```
Test the lambda function from the AWS console and make sure the execution succeeds.

Finally we setup the api in Kong and link it to the function just created.

The api that we are going to create doesn’t really need a real upstream_url since we are not going to have an HTTP call to upstream but rather a response generated by our function.

 curl -i -X POST http://{kong_hostname}:8001/apis \
 --data 'name=lambda1' \
 --data 'upstream_url=http://localhost:8000' \
 --data 'uris=/lambda1'

Add the plugin:

 curl -i -X POST http://{kong_hostname}:8001/apis/lambda1/plugins \
 --data 'name=aws-lambda' \
 --data-urlencode 'config.aws_key={KongInvoker user key}' \
 --data-urlencode 'config.aws_secret={KongInvoker user secret}' \
 --data 'config.aws_region=us-east-1' \
 --data 'config.function_name=MyLambda'

Call the Api and verify the correct invocation, execution and response:

 curl http://{kong_hostname}:8000/lambda1

Additional headers:

 x-amzn-Remapped-Content-Length, X-Amzn-Trace-Id, x-amzn-RequestId

JSON response:

 {"response": "yes"}

Have fun leveraging the power of AWS Lambda in Kong!

About this Plugin
Plugin Version	0.1-x
Made by	Kong Inc.
Categories	Serverless
Konnect Cloud compatible?	See latest plugin version
Compatible protocols	`http` `https`
Version Compatibility
Kong Gateway 0.34-x 0.33-x 0.32-x 0.31-x Kong Gateway (OSS) 0.14.x 0.13.x