Java Lambda Runner

Table of Contents

• Description
• Sneak-Peek
• Getting Started
• Contributing
• What I Learned
• Questions?

Description

A serverless application designed to execute Java code within a Node.js environment on AWS Lambda. This project demonstrates a powerful hybrid architecture using TypeScript, Java, and Docker.

This application allows users to send Java code via an API, which is then compiled and executed on the fly. It features:

• Serverless Architecture: Leverages AWS Lambda to run code without provisioning servers.
• Hybrid Runtime: A unique combination of a Node.js handler spawning child processes to compile (javac) and run (java) Java code.
• Containerization: A custom Docker image ensuring consistent runtime environments with both Node.js and Java 8 installed.
• API Integration: Exposed via API Gateway to handle POST requests with raw Java code.

Sneak-Peek

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+)
• Docker (for local testing and building)
• AWS CLI (for deployment)

1. Build the Docker Image

Navigate to the project directory and build the container image:

docker build -t java-lambda-runner .

This creates a local image with both Node.js and Java runtime environments.

2. Run Locally (Optional)

You can test the function locally using the Docker container:

docker run -p 9000:8080 java-lambda-runner

Then send a POST request to http://localhost:9000/2015-03-31/functions/function/invocations.

3. Deploy to AWS

Tag and push the image to AWS ECR, then update your Lambda function to use this new image.

# Example push commands
aws ecr get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin <aws_account_id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
docker tag java-lambda-runner:latest <aws_account_id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/java-lambda-runner:latest
docker push <aws_account_id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/java-lambda-runner:latest

Contributing

Contributions are always accepted.

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What I Learned

Creating this project provided valuable hands-on experience in:

• Serverless Hybrid Runtimes: orchestrating interactions between Node.js and Java within a single Lambda environment.
• System Processes: Using Node.js spawnSync to manage file input/output, compilation (javac), and execution (java) safely.
• Docker Containerization: Building custom multi-language runtime images for AWS Lambda.
• API Design: Handling dynamic code execution requests and formatting standard output/error responses for the client.
• Security Awareness: Understanding the implications of remote code execution and the need for sandboxing (container isolation).

Questions?

For any questions, please contact me with the information below:

Email: <Midouinmakendy@gmail.com>