I recently implemented a Python script to trigger AWS Lambdas conditionally as part of a Microservices app we built at Qxf2 . I experienced multiple invocations of the lambda issue, which made me go in circles. Hence, I decided to share the thinking behind and the fix. Spoiler: The culprit happened to be a default timeout setting in the boto3 […]
Multiple invocations of lambda – The issue and the fix
Integrating CloudWatch Alarms with Skype
At Qxf2, our AWS environment hosts a multitude of applications, so monitoring the AWS services in real time is crucial for maintaining system reliability and performance. We’ve been using CloudWatch alarms to help us watch over our resources, these alarms used to send us emails whenever something went wrong. The problem was, it is often easy to miss these alerts […]
Testing AWS Lambda locally using LocalStack and pytest
Testing loosely coupled microservices requires the use of diverse testing tools. Unlike monoliths, it is challenging to have a complete copy of the production system (System Under Test) for integration testing. Often, developers are hesitant to make changes in the pipeline due to uncertainty about potential downstream impacts. In such cases, it is valuable for developers to test integration components […]
Testing AWS Lambda Functions with Batch Messages
We find most testers just run the most basic tests on Lambdas. One technique that has helped us discover more bugs when testing Lambdas at Qxf2 is to send batch messages to the SQS that triggers the Lambda. Often times, when you (the tester) send batch messages and “something goes wrong”, you need to be able to triage the cause […]
Decode an SQS message within a lambda using Rust
I recently wrote a lambda in Rust that needed me to decode an SQS message and use it within the lambda. This post will help fellow Rust newbies that are trying to decode an SQS message and use it within a lambda. The heart of this post is simply converting a string to a JSON – so please skip this […]
Automation newsletter generation in Mailchimp
Why this post? At Qxf2, we use Mailchimp to send out our weekly newsletter. We have been following pairing activity every week to fill up our newsletter template in Mailchimp and schedule the newsletter. To fill the template, the paired-up team had to look at various resources to come up with articles for various sections, which is tedious so we […]
Work Anniversary Image – Skype Bot using AWS Lambda
At Qxf2 services, we get to pick and work on any problem area (eg: Onboarding, Training, etc.) based on our interest. The one I take care of is ‘Employee Engagement. As a part of this initiative, I started congratulating employees on their work anniversary in the form of a Work Anniversary Image. Why Work Anniversary Image Skype Bot using AWS […]
Writing end to end test for microservices based architecture used for posting skype messages
Recently, I have attempted to test microservices based architecture where the AWS Lambda function consumes messages from a microservices endpoint and posts them to the skype channel. I have made an attempt to add most of the validations for the flow. I have included this end-to-end test in the below blog. Background: The above architecture explains, microservices based architecture which […]
Holiday Reminder Skype Bot
Qxf2 services provides testing services for startups, a majority of our client base is offshore so as to keep them informed about the days Qxf2 is going to be on PTO (public and optional holidays) we follow a practice of notifying them 3 to 7 days in advance. This helps in proper planning and estimating the work. Every year, Qxf2 […]