Lambda orchestration example - Amazon Step Functions
Create the State Machine and Provision ResourcesStart a New ExecutionExample State Machine CodeIAM Example
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Lambda orchestration example

This sample project demonstrates how to integrate Amazon Lambda functions in Step Functions state machines. This sample project creates the following:

  • Five Lambda functions

  • An Amazon Simple Queue Service queue

  • An Amazon Simple Notification Service topic

  • Related Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles

In this project, Step Functions uses Lambda functions to check a stock price and determine a buy or sell trading recommendation. The user is then provided this recommendation and can choose whether to buy or sell the stock. The result of the trade is returned using an SNS topic.

For more information about Step Functions service integrations, see the following:

Note

This sample project may incur charges.

For new Amazon users, a free usage tier is available. On this tier, services are free below a certain level of usage. For more information about Amazon costs and the free tier, see Pricing.

Create the State Machine and Provision Resources

  1. Open the Step Functions console and choose Create state machine.

  2. On the Choose authoring method page, choose Run a sample project.

  3. Choose Orchestrate Lambda functions.

    The state machine Definition and Visual Workflow are displayed.

    Training model workflow.

  4. Choose Next.

    The Deploy resources page is displayed, listing the resources that will be created. For this sample project, the resources include:

    • A state machine

    • An Amazon SQS queue

    • Five Lambda functions

    • An Amazon SNS topic

    • Related IAM roles

  5. Choose Deploy Resources.

    Note

    It can take up to 10 minutes for these resources and related IAM permissions to be created. While the Deploy resources page is displayed, you can open the Stack ID link to see which resources are being provisioned.

Start a New Execution

After all the resources are provisioned and deployed, the Start execution dialog box is displayed.

  1. (Optional) To identify your execution, you can specify a name for it in the Name box. By default, Step Functions generates a unique execution name automatically.

    Note

    Step Functions allows you to create state machine, execution, and activity names that contain non-ASCII characters. These non-ASCII names don't work with Amazon CloudWatch. To ensure that you can track CloudWatch metrics, choose a name that uses only ASCII characters.

  2. Choose Start execution.

  3. (Optional) After the execution is complete, choose individual states on the Graph inspector, and then choose the Step input and Step output tabs to view each state's input and output respectively.

Example State Machine Code

The state machine in this sample project integrates with Amazon Lambda by passing parameters directly to those resources, uses an Amazon SQS queue to manage the request for human approval, and uses an Amazon SNS topic to return the results of the query.

Browse through this example state machine to see how Step Functions controls Lambda and Amazon SQS.

For more information about how Amazon Step Functions can control other Amazon services, see Using Amazon Step Functions with other services.

{
    "StartAt": "Check Stock Price",
    "States": {
        "Check Stock Price": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLam-CheckStockPriceLambda-444455556666",
            "Next": "Generate Buy/Sell recommendation"
        },
        "Generate Buy/Sell recommendation": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-Hello-GenerateBuySellRecommend-123456789012",
            "ResultPath": "$.recommended_type",
            "Next": "Request Human Approval"
        },
        "Request Human Approval": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:states:::sqs:sendMessage.waitForTaskToken",
            "Parameters": {
                "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/111122223333/StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda4444-5555-6666-RequestHumanApprovalSqs-777788889999",
                "MessageBody": {
                    "Input.$": "$",
                    "TaskToken.$": "$$.Task.Token"
                }
            },
            "ResultPath": null,
            "Next": "Buy or Sell?"
        },
        "Buy or Sell?": {
            "Type": "Choice",
            "Choices": [
                {
                    "Variable": "$.recommended_type",
                    "StringEquals": "buy",
                    "Next": "Buy Stock"
                },
                {
                    "Variable": "$.recommended_type",
                    "StringEquals": "sell",
                    "Next": "Sell Stock"
                }
            ]
        },
        "Buy Stock": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda-BuyStockLambda-000000000000",
            "Next": "Report Result"
        },
        "Sell Stock": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda-SellStockLambda-111111111111",
            "Next": "Report Result"
        },
        "Report Result": {
            "Type": "Task",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:states:::sns:publish",
            "Parameters": {
                "TopicArn": "arn:aws:sns:us-west-1:111122223333:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda1111-2222-3333-ReportResultSnsTopic-222222222222",
                "Message": {
                    "Input.$": "$"
                }
            },
            "End": true
        }
    }
}

For information about how to configure IAM when using Step Functions with other Amazon services, see IAM Policies for integrated services.

IAM Example

These example Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies generated by the sample project include the least privilege necessary to execute the state machine and related resources. We recommend that you include only those permissions that are necessary in your IAM policies. 

{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "lambda:InvokeFunction"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLam-CheckStockPriceLambda-444455556666",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}
{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "lambda:InvokeFunction"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-Hello-GenerateBuySellRecommend-123456789012",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}
{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "lambda:InvokeFunction"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda-BuyStockLambda-777788889999",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}
{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "lambda:InvokeFunction"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-west-1:111122223333:function:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda-SellStockLambda-000000000000",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}
{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "sqs:SendMessage*"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:sqs:us-west-1:111122223333:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda4444-5555-6666-RequestHumanApprovalSqs-111111111111",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}
{
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": [
                "sns:Publish"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:sns:us-west-1:111122223333:StepFunctionsSample-HelloLambda1111-2222-3333-ReportResultSnsTopic-222222222222",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}

For information about how to configure IAM when using Step Functions with other Amazon services, see IAM Policies for integrated services.