I just built my first Lambda initializer from scratch. Simple requirement (or so I thought):
- Read a folder name from a Step Function.
- Go to an S3 bucket and retrieve a list of IDs from that folder.
- Use those IDs to fetch details from a different API.
- All within one sprint (10 business days).
- Oh, and I needed 85% unit test coverage too.
Day 0 – Overconfidence is a Trap
I walked into this like a newborn deer—wide-eyed, full of energy, ready to code. But my past debugging and LeetCode grind had taught me one thing: coding is just thinking.
So, I took a step back and just stared—at my screen, my ceiling, my fate. This was something my manager drilled into me:
Look at the problem in real-world terms before diving into code.
After contemplating life and software, I wrote my first line of code.
Day 5 – Unplanned Chaos
Before I could start on my task, a completely unrelated, impossible problem landed on my plate. I took it anyway. Why? No clue. But I did it in 5 days, which meant working weekends, evenings, and probably in my sleep.
That feeling of pulling off the impossible? Incredible.
But also stupid and counterproductive (more on that later).
Now, I had only 6 days left to actually build the Lambda initializer. Cool.
Breaking Down the Task
To stay sane, I broke my task into four parts:
Configure environment variables.
Connect to the S3 bucket.
Read & list the IDs.
Call the API, retrieve details, and return output.
Time for a Proof of Concept (POC). Did I ask for help? Nope. Why? Because sometimes, you need to walk into the fire to know how fireproof you are.
Maybe there’s a peaceful way. But me? I like to die first.
Day 6 – The Illusion of Progress
I configured the S3 settings using Dependency Injection.
Did I fully understand how or why it worked? Nope.
Did it work? Yes.
Did I celebrate? Absolutely.
Configured the Terraform file to set environment variables → Read them in my main program → Printed them → LFG.
Next step: Read the bucket, grab the folder list (IDs), store them in a list.
Boom. Done. Feeling good.
Day 7 – API Configuration Purgatory
The entire day was lost trying to configure the API URL and inject it into the main program.
For some reason, Dependency Injection hated me.
Or maybe I just sucked.
Days left - 2 entire nights, 3 early mornings, 3 business days.
At one point, I genuinely thought about quitting tech and becoming a farmer. Just me, some cows, and a simpler life.
But that’s for another day.
To Be Continued…
Coming up in Part 2:
- The API Saga.
- Unit tests and regret.
- Lessons learned (probably). Until then, let me know if you’ve ever wanted to throw your laptop out the window. 🚀
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