---
title: Amazon Lambda Function
metaTitle: AWS Lambda Monitoring - Serverless Function Logs and Metrics
description: "Collect AWS Lambda function logs, metrics, and performance data with the Lambda Extension, bypassing CloudWatch for cost-effective serverless monitoring."
---

# AWS Lambda Monitoring - Serverless Application Observability

Monitor AWS Lambda functions with comprehensive serverless monitoring, collecting function logs, invocation metrics, and performance data. This guide explains how to stream AWS Lambda logs directly to OpenObserve using the OpenObserve Lambda Extension for serverless application monitoring, bypassing CloudWatch to reduce costs and achieve real-time observability.

## Overview

The [OpenObserve Lambda Extension](https://github.com/openobserve/openobserve-lambda-extension) runs alongside your AWS Lambda function and forwards serverless logs directly to OpenObserve for Lambda monitoring.
This eliminates the need to store or process Lambda logs in CloudWatch, while providing centralized log analysis, serverless dashboards, and alerts in OpenObserve for serverless application monitoring.

<img src="../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/workflow.png" alt="OpenObserve Lambda Extension Workflow" style="height:300px">

## Steps to Integrate

:::accordion[Prerequisites]
- OpenObserve account ([Cloud](https://cloud.openobserve.ai/web/) or [Self-Hosted](../../../getting-started.md#self-hosted-installation))  
- AWS account with:
    - A Lambda function  
    - IAM permissions to update environment variables and layers  
- AWS CLI installed and configured
:::

:::accordion[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](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/check-architechture.png)
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 <aws_region_id> matches the region where your Lambda function is deployed, as Lambda layers are regional. Using an ARN from a different region will not work.
:::

:::accordion[Step 2: Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer]

1. In AWS Lambda console, open your target function  
![Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/adding-layer.png)
2. Go to **Layers → Add a Layer**  
![Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/edit-lambda-layers.png)
3. Choose “Specify an ARN” and Paste the ARN you got from Step 1
![Add OpenObserve Lambda Extension Layer](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/specify-arn.png)
4. Save the changes  
:::

:::accordion[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](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/add-environment-variables-in-lambda.png)

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

:::accordion[Step 4: Invoke the Function]
Invoke the function to generate some logs
```
aws lambda invoke \
--function-name <function-name>\
response.json
```
:::

:::accordion[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](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/verify-lambda-logs-in-openobserve.png)  
3. Filter out on logs where type= function using SQL query:
    ```
    SELECT * FROM "<log-stream>" where type = 'function'
    ```
    ![](../../images/aws-integrations/lambda/fucntion-logs.png)
:::



## 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`.  

:::tip[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](../../../index.md)** around function latency, memory usage, and errors  
- **Set up [alerts](../../../user-guide/analytics/alerts/index.md)** on anomalies or failures