Using GitHub Actions to deploy Lambda functions

You can use GitHub Actions to automatically deploy Lambda functions when you push code or configuration changes to your repository. The Deploy Lambda Function action provides a declarative, simple YAML interface that eliminates the complexity of manual deployment steps.

Example workflow

To configure automated Lambda function deployment, create a workflow file in your repository's .github/workflows/ directory:

name: Deploy AWS Lambda

on:
  push:
    branches: 
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      id-token: write # Required for OIDC authentication
      contents: read  # Required to check out the repository
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Configure AWS credentials
        uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
        with:
          role-to-assume: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/GitHubActionRole
          aws-region: us-east-1
      
      - name: Deploy Lambda Function
        uses: aws-actions/aws-lambda-deploy@v1
        with:
          function-name: my-lambda-function
          code-artifacts-dir: ./dist

This workflow runs when you push changes to the main branch. It checks out your repository, configures AWS credentials using OpenID Connect (OIDC), and deploys your function using the code in the ./dist directory.

For additional examples including updating function configuration, deploying via S3 buckets, and dry run validation, see the Deploy Lambda Function README.

Additional resources