Announcing migration of the Java 8 runtime in AWS Lambda to Amazon Corretto

Post Syndicated from James Beswick original https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/announcing-migration-of-the-java-8-runtime-in-aws-lambda-to-amazon-corretto/

This post is written by Jonathan Tuliani, Principal Product Manager, AWS Lambda.

What is happening?

Beginning July 19, 2021, the Java 8 managed runtime in AWS Lambda will migrate from the current Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK) implementation to the latest Amazon Corretto implementation.

To reflect this change, the AWS Management Console will change how Java 8 runtimes are displayed. The display name for runtimes using the ‘java8’ identifier will change from ‘Java 8’ to ‘Java 8 on Amazon Linux 1’. The display name for runtimes using the ‘java8.al2’ identifier will change from ‘Java 8 (Corretto)’ to ‘Java 8 on Amazon Linux 2’. The ‘java8’ and ‘java8.al2’ identifiers themselves, as used by tools such as the AWS CLI, CloudFormation, and AWS SAM, will not change.

Why are you making this change?

This change enables customers to benefit from the latest innovations and extended support of the Amazon Corretto JDK distribution. Amazon Corretto is a no-cost, multiplatform, production-ready distribution of the OpenJDK. Corretto is certified as compatible with the Java SE standard and used internally at Amazon for many production services.

Trending
Bail Reform: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Amazon is committed to Corretto, and provides regular updates that include security fixes and performance enhancements. With this change, these benefits are available to all Lambda customers. For more information on improvements provided by Amazon Corretto 8, see Amazon Corretto 8 change logs.

How does this affect existing Java 8 functions?

Amazon Corretto 8 is designed as a drop-in replacement for OpenJDK 8. Most functions benefit seamlessly from the enhancements in this update without any action from you.

In rare cases, switching to Amazon Corretto 8 introduces compatibility issues. See below for known issues and guidance on how to verify compatibility in advance of this change.

When will this happen?

This migration to Amazon Corretto takes place in several stages:

  • June 15, 2021: Availability of Lambda layers for testing the compatibility of functions with the Amazon Corretto runtime. Start of AWS Management Console changes to java8 and java8.al2 display names.
  • July 19, 2021: Any new functions using the java8 runtime will use Amazon Corretto. If you update an existing function, it will transition to Amazon Corretto automatically. The public.ecr.aws/lambda/java:8 container base image is updated to use Amazon Corretto.
  • August 16, 2021: For functions that have not been updated since June 28, AWS will begin an automatic transition to the new Corretto runtime.
  • September 10, 2021: Migration completed.

These changes are only applied to functions not using the arn:aws:lambda:::awslayer:Java8Corretto or arn:aws:lambda:::awslayer:Java8OpenJDK layers described below.

Which of my Lambda functions are affected?

Lambda supports two versions of the Java 8 managed runtime: the java8 runtime, which runs on Amazon Linux 1, and the java8.al2 runtime, which runs on Amazon Linux 2. This change only affects functions using the java8 runtime. Functions the java8.al2 runtime are already using the Amazon Corretto implementation of Java 8 and are not affected.

The following command shows how to use the AWS CLI to list all functions in a specific Region using the java8 runtime. To find all such functions in your account, repeat this command for each Region:

aws lambda list-functions --function-version ALL --region us-east-1 --output text --query "Functions[?Runtime=='java8'].FunctionArn"

What do I need to do?

If you are using the java8 runtime, your functions will be updated automatically. For production workloads, we recommend that you test functions in advance for compatibility with Amazon Corretto 8.

For Lambda functions using container images, the existing public.ecr.aws/lambda/java:8 container base image will be updated to use the Amazon Corretto Java implementation. You must manually update your functions to use the updated container base image.

How can I test for compatibility with Amazon Corretto 8?

If you are using the java8 managed runtime, you can test functions with the new version of the runtime by adding the layer reference arn:aws:lambda:::awslayer:Java8Corretto to the function configuration. This layer instructs the Lambda service to use the Amazon Corretto implementation of Java 8. It does not contain any data or code.

If you are using container images, update the JVM in your image to Amazon Corretto for testing. Here is an example Dockerfile:

FROM public.ecr.aws/lambda/java:8

# Update the JVM to the latest Corretto version
## Import the Corretto public key
rpm --import https://yum.corretto.aws/corretto.key

## Add the Corretto yum repository to the system list
curl -L -o /etc/yum.repos.d/corretto.repo https://yum.corretto.aws/corretto.repo

## Install the latest version of Corretto 8
yum install -y java-1.8.0-amazon-corretto-devel

# Copy function code and runtime dependencies from Gradle layout
COPY build/classes/java/main ${LAMBDA_TASK_ROOT}
COPY build/dependency/* ${LAMBDA_TASK_ROOT}/lib/

# Set the CMD to your handler
CMD [ "com.example.LambdaHandler::handleRequest" ]

Can I continue to use the OpenJDK version of Java 8?

You can continue to use the OpenJDK version of Java 8 by adding the layer reference arn:aws:lambda:::awslayer:Java8OpenJDK to the function configuration. This layer tells the Lambda service to use the OpenJDK implementation of Java 8. It does not contain any data or code.

This option gives you more time to address any code incompatibilities with Amazon Corretto 8. We do not recommend that you use this option to continue to use Lambda’s OpenJDK Java implementation in the long term. Following this migration, it will no longer receive bug fix and security updates. After addressing any compatibility issues, remove this layer reference so that the function uses the Lambda-Amazon Corretto managed implementation of Java 8.

What are the known differences between OpenJDK 8 and Amazon Corretto 8 in Lambda?

Amazon Corretto caches TCP sessions for longer than OpenJDK 8. Functions that create new connections (for example, new AWS SDK clients) on each invoke without closing them may experience an increase in memory usage. In the worst case, this could cause the function to consume all the available memory, which results in an invoke error and a subsequent cold start.

We recommend that you do not create AWS SDK clients in your function handler on every function invocation. Instead, create SDK clients outside the function handler as static objects that can be used by multiple invocations. For more information, see static initialization in the Lambda Operator Guide.

If you must use a new client on every invocation, make sure it is shut down at the end of every invocation. This avoids TCP session caches using unnecessary resources.

What if I need additional help?

Contact AWS Support, the AWS Lambda discussion forums, or your AWS account team if you have any questions or concerns.

For more serverless learning resources, visit Serverless Land.