Import an Existing Lambda Function in AWS CDK

Importing an Existing Lambda Function in AWS CDK #

In order to import an existing lambda function in CDK, we have to use the static fromFunctionArn method on the Function class.

Let's look at a simple example where we import a lambda function and use it in an API Gateway resource:

import * as apigateway from '@aws-cdk/aws-apigateway';
import * as lambda from '@aws-cdk/aws-lambda';
import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';

export class CdkStarterStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: cdk.App, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    // 👇 import existing Lambda by ARN
    const importedLambdaFromArn = lambda.Function.fromFunctionArn(
      this,
      'external-lambda-from-arn',
      `arn:aws:lambda:${cdk.Stack.of(this).region}:${
        cdk.Stack.of(this).account
      }:function:YOUR_FUNCTION_NAME`,
    );

    console.log('functionArn 👉', importedLambdaFromArn.functionArn);
    console.log('functionName 👉', importedLambdaFromArn.functionName);

    // 👇 create API
    const api = new apigateway.RestApi(this, 'api');

    // 👇 add a /test route on the API
    const test = api.root.addResource('test');

    // 👇 integrate imported Lambda at GET /test on the API
    test.addMethod(
      'GET',
      new apigateway.LambdaIntegration(importedLambdaFromArn),
    );
  }
}

Let's go over what we did in the code snippet.

1. we imported an existing lambda function in our CDK stack, using the static fromFunctionArn method. The method takes 3 parameters:
   • scope - the construct scope
   • id - an identifier for the resource, must be unique within the scope
   • functionArn - the ARN of the function we want to import
2. we created an API Gateway and integrated the imported lambda function to serve requests for http GET at the /test route

If the function you're trying to import is in the same environment (account and region) as the CDK stack, you can use the stack values to create most of the function ARN, all you need to add is the function name.

arn:aws:lambda:LAMBDA_REGION:LAMBDA_ACCOUNT:function:LAMBDA_NAME

If I deploy the CDK stack with the npx cdk deploy command, I can see that the imported Lambda has been integrated with the API at the /test route:

Further Reading #

• Write TypeScript Lambda functions in AWS CDK - Complete Guide
• AWS CDK Tutorial for Beginners - Step-by-Step Guide
• What is a Token in AWS CDK
• CDK Constructs - Complete Guide
• What is an identifier (id) in AWS CDK
• How to use Context in AWS CDK
• How to use Parameters in AWS CDK