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Integration with AWS Lambda Extension

This guide explains how to stream AWS Lambda logs directly to OpenObserve using the OpenObserve Lambda Extension.
With this integration, you can bypass CloudWatch, reduce costs, and achieve real-time observability for serverless workloads.

Overview

The OpenObserve Lambda Extension runs alongside your Lambda function and forwards logs directly to OpenObserve.
This eliminates the need to store or process logs in CloudWatch, while still giving you centralized log analysis, dashboards, and alerts in OpenObserve.

OpenObserve Lambda Extension Workflow

Steps to Integrate

Prerequisites
  • OpenObserve account (Cloud or Self-Hosted)
  • AWS account with:
    • A Lambda function
    • IAM permissions to update environment variables and layers
  • AWS CLI installed and configured
Step 1: Check Your Lambda Architecture

You can check your Lambda architecture using the command:

aws lambda get-function-configuration --function-name <function_name> --query 'Architectures'
Check Your Lambda Architecture Based on the returned architecture (x86_64 or arm64), copy the compatible ARN values for the OpenObserve Lambda Extension layer.

  • For x86_64: arn:aws:lambda:<aws_region_id>:325553860333:layer:openobserve-extension-x86_64:1
  • For arm64: arn:aws:lambda:<aws_region_id>:325553860333:layer:openobserve-extension-arm64:1

Note: Make sure matches the region where your Lambda function is deployed, as Lambda layers are regional. Using an ARN from a different region will not work.

Step 2: Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer
  1. In AWS Lambda console, open your target function
    Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer
  2. Go to Layers → Add a Layer
    Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer
  3. Choose “Specify an ARN” and Paste the ARN you got from Step 1 Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer
  4. Save the changes
Step 3: Configure Environment Variables
  1. Go to your Lambda function → Configuration tab → Environment variables
  2. Add the following environment variables in your Lambda function:
Key Value Example
O2_ENDPOINT https://<your-domain>:5080
O2_AUTHORIZATION_HEADER Basic <your-api-key>
O2_ORGANIZATION_ID <your-org-id>
O2_STREAM <stream_name>

Note: You can fetch these credentials from OpenObserve UI, Go to Data Sources -> Logs -> OTEL Collector

Configure Environment Variables

Security Note: Use AWS Secrets Manager to store credentials like O2_AUTHORIZATION_HEADER securely.

Step 4: Invoke the Function

Invoke the function to generate some logs 

aws lambda invoke \
--function-name <function-name>\
response.json

Step 5: Verify Logs in OpenObserve
  1. Go to Logs in OpenObserve -> Select your log stream.
  2. Set a recent time range and click Run Query
    Verify Logs in OpenObserve
  3. Filter out on logs where type= function using SQL query: 
    SELECT * FROM "<log-stream>" where type = 'function'

Troubleshooting

Not seeing logs in OpenObserve?

  • Stream mismatch
    Ensure the O2_STREAM environment variable matches the stream configured in OpenObserve.

  • Missing/incorrect environment variables
    Double-check O2_ENDPOINT, O2_AUTHORIZATION_HEADER, and O2_ORGANIZATION_ID.

  • Architecture mismatch
    Function runs but extension does not load if the wrong layer architecture is used. Verify with aws lambda get-function-configuration.

Bypass CloudWatch Logging

To ensure logs only flow to OpenObserve, remove these IAM permissions from the Lambda role:

  • logs:CreateLogGroup
  • logs:CreateLogStream
  • logs:PutLogEvents

Next Steps

Once logs are flowing into OpenObserve, you can:

  • Build dashboards around function latency, memory usage, and errors
  • Set up alerts on anomalies or failures