Question 422545 in Javascript Question posted in
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Javascript – How to fix Lambda function timeout when interacting with DynamoDB using AWS SDK v3 in Node.js?

I’m building a serverless API with Node.js using AWS Lambda, and my function interacts with DynamoDB to retrieve data. However, every time I try to interact with DynamoDB, the Lambda function times out before the request completes.

I have correctly configured my Lambda function’s execution role with the necessary permissions, and I’ve ensured that the AWS SDK v3 (@aws-sdk/client-dynamodb) is properly installed and initialized. Despite this, the Lambda function times out without successfully querying DynamoDB.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

  • Configured the Lambda function timeout to 30 seconds, but it still times out.

  • I verified the permissions for the Lambda role, which includes access to DynamoDB.

  • I used async/await for handling asynchronous requests.

I expect the Lambda function to complete successfully and return data from DynamoDB without any timeouts.

  • I tried increasing the Lambda function’s timeout to 30 seconds.

  • I tried adjusting the read/write capacity of the DynamoDB table, but it didn’t solve the issue.

  • I expected the Lambda function to run without hitting the timeout and successfully retrieve the data from DynamoDB.

Task timed out after 30.01 seconds

const { DynamoDBClient, GetItemCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-dynamodb");

const client = new DynamoDBClient({ region: "us-east-1" });

const params = {
  TableName: "MyTable",
  Key: { "id": { S: "123" } }
};

exports.handler = async (event) => {
  try {
    const data = await client.send(new GetItemCommand(params));
    return {
      statusCode: 200,
      body: JSON.stringify(data),
    };
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error", err);
    return {
      statusCode: 500,
      body: JSON.stringify({ error: "Could not retrieve data" }),
    };
  }
};

I’ve verified that the DynamoDB table exists and contains data for the provided id, but the Lambda function still times out.

Tags:

2

Answers


  1. 0

    The most obvious reason that your Lambda function times out when connecting to DynamoDB (or any internet endpoint) is that you configured the Lambda function to attach to a VPC.

    Unless you need access to other resources within your VPC, such as an RDS database, there’s no need to attach the Lambda function to your VPC so re-configure and re-deploy the Lambda function. The Lambda function will then use a default route to the internet provided by the Lambda service.

    If you do need to access to other resources within your VPC, then add a DynamoDB VPC Endpoint to your VPC.

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  2. 0

    The timeout issue could be caused by several factors. Here are some suggestions to resolve it:

    Increase Lambda Timeout: Ensure that your Lambda function’s timeout setting is greater than the expected execution time. It should be increased from 30 seconds to something longer if necessary (e.g., 60 seconds).

    Check Permissions: Double-check that the Lambda execution role has the correct permissions. Attach the AmazonDynamoDBFullAccess policy to the Lambda role if not already done.

    Async Handling: Make sure that your await syntax is correct and there are no blocking or synchronous operations that might be causing the function to hang.

    Check VPC Configurations: If your Lambda function is inside a VPC, ensure that it has proper access to DynamoDB, which is a public AWS service. You may need to configure the Lambda’s VPC settings to allow outbound internet access via a NAT Gateway.

    Here is a modified version of your Lambda handler with increased timeout and async invocation:

    const { DynamoDBClient, GetItemCommand } = require("@aws-sdk/client-dynamodb");

const client = new DynamoDBClient({ region: "us-east-1" });

const params = {
  TableName: "MyTable",
  Key: { "id": { S: "123" } }
};

exports.handler = async (event) => {
  try {
    const data = await client.send(new GetItemCommand(params));
    return {
      statusCode: 200,
      body: JSON.stringify(data),
    };
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error", err);
    return {
      statusCode: 500,
      body: JSON.stringify({ error: "Could not retrieve data" }),
    };
  }
};
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