Serverless Enrichment API

A production-style serverless API built with FastAPI and deployed to AWS Lambda as a container image behind API Gateway. Infrastructure is managed entirely with Terraform to mirror real-world cloud workflows.

Problem

I wanted to understand how containerized applications actually run in a serverless AWS environment — beyond console demos and zip-based Lambda functions. Many examples stop short of showing how services are wired together in practice.

Approach

• Build a small but realistic FastAPI service with clear request/response behavior.
• Package the application as a Docker image and push it to Amazon ECR.
• Deploy the image to AWS Lambda using container support.
• Expose the service via API Gateway using proxy routing.
• Rebuild the entire setup using Terraform after validating it manually.

Key Decisions

• Use Lambda container images instead of zip-based deployments.
• Keep API Gateway thin and let FastAPI handle all routing.
• Manage IAM, Lambda, and API Gateway entirely with Terraform.
• Add a version endpoint to expose deploy metadata and git SHA.

Results

• Fully working serverless API deployed via Infrastructure as Code.
• Clear understanding of region alignment between AWS services.
• Reusable Terraform patterns for future serverless projects.
• Improved confidence debugging real cloud deployment issues.