A Decade of AWS Lambda and ECS: My Journey of Growth and Gratitude

Hello Devs,

As we approach the 10th anniversary of AWS Lambda and Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) on 14th November 2024, I find myself reflecting on how these two revolutionary services have not only transformed cloud computing but have also profoundly shaped my career and passion for sharing knowledge. This milestone feels like the perfect moment to express my gratitude for the journey these services have enabled me to embark on, evolving from curious exploration to becoming an advocate within the AWS community.

Discovering AWS Lambda: From Curiosity to Clarity

It all began in 2016 when I arrived in Bangalore, excited but unsure of where my tech journey would lead. Coming from a traditional background of managing servers with EC2, the concept of Serverless was completely new. Then came Lambda—a name I initially associated with math, not with revolutionising my approach to development.

Lambda was introduced to me as "the way forward" for an upcoming project in one of project meeting when I was in KNAB finance. I remember feeling puzzled—how could we run code without managing servers? But as I dove into Lambda, my confusion turned to clarity. Lambda’s ability to handle massive traffic loads, scale automatically, and only charge for what was used completely changed the way I viewed application development. Suddenly, infrastructure was no longer a limiting factor; instead, it was an enabler, allowing me to focus solely on creating, experimenting, and scaling.

Lambda didn’t just simplify architecture; it shifted my perspective on innovation. This new approach empowered me to experiment with microservices, scaling applications effortlessly. I found myself fascinated by its flexibility and cost-efficiency, and soon enough, I became a regular speaker on Lambda, sharing this newfound knowledge with other developers via blogs. Each session deepened my connection with the AWS community and inspired me to continue exploring what Serverless could do. So Lambda become become my go to service for any research.

Embracing ECS and the Power of Containers

While Lambda laid the foundation for Serverless architecture, my journey with containers began in 2021 with ECS When I joined Eagleview. ECS introduced me to container orchestration and allowed me to deploy applications with more control and customisation. Through Fargate, AWS made it possible to run containers without managing servers, aligning with my passion for Serverless solutions.

I began experimenting with ECS for real-world applications, diving deep into concepts like debugging, hosting WordPress, and lazy-loading container images. These experiences led to articles like Debugging AWS ECS Task Containers, Hosting WordPress on ECS Fargate, and OCI Lazy Loading with ECS and Fargate. These pieces connected with readers worldwide, and my YouTube video on WordPress on ECS Fargate reached nearly 4,000 views, reinforcing the power of ECS to solve complex challenges simply and effectively.

One of my most memorable sessions at Serverless Days Bengaluru 2024, Serverless Sherlock, showcased ECS Fargate’s Serverless capabilities, allowing me to discuss advanced debugging techniques and troubleshooting strategies with the community. Building on this experience, I am eager to explore further innovations and share more insights on how these technologies can be leveraged to solve complex challenges efficiently.

Building, Sharing, and Giving Back to the Community

As my knowledge of Lambda and ECS expanded, so did my commitment to share it. In 2021, I became an AWS Community Builder, a role that has allowed me to share my expertise more widely and connect with other developers and learners. From blogs to Stack Overflow answers, talks, and webinars, I’ve tried to make these technologies more accessible and relatable. My blog post on using AWS Secrets Manager with Lambda gathered over 65,000+ views.

AWS has not only been a set of services—it’s been a supportive community, a source of endless learning, and a platform for growth. The journey has been inspiring, and every new feature or capability AWS releases is an opportunity to learn, share, and give back. With the community's encouragement, my writing took off, and articles like Navigating Docker Container Deployment on AWS resonated with developers looking to simplify their AWS journeys.

A Heartfelt Thanks to Lambda, ECS, and AWS

To AWS Lambda and ECS: thank you. You have not only simplified complex challenges but have also opened the doors to innovation, allowing me to think bigger and build smarter. Your flexibility, scalability, and the freedom you offer have been instrumental in shaping my career and my commitment to the AWS community.

Here’s to Lambda, ECS, and the endless possibilities they represent. Thank you for being a vital part of my journey and for inspiring countless developers to build, innovate, and share. Here's to the next decade of AWS—and the transformative power it brings to us all.

Your Turn to Share

As we celebrate a decade of AWS Lambda and ECS, I invite you to reflect on your own journey with these transformative technologies. Here are a few questions to ponder:

• How has AWS Lambda or ECS impacted your development process?

• What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?

• What features do you find most beneficial, and why?

I would like to know from you too. I encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below or on social media using the hashtag #MyAWSJourney. Your insights could inspire others and contribute to our growing community of AWS enthusiasts.

What next ?

Looking ahead, what do you think the future holds for serverless computing and container orchestration? Share your predictions and let's discuss how these technologies might evolve in the next decade.

References :

• https://aws.amazon.com/serverless/10th-anniversary/