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CodeBuild Meets GitHub Actions: A Serverless CI Workflow with Lambda

CodeBuild Meets GitHub Actions: A Serverless CI Workflow with Lambda

Serverless GitHub Actions? Yes! Learn how to use AWS Lambda/ CodeBuild for Github Actions workflow execution.

codebuildgithub-actionsserverlessawscommunitybuilderslambda
Kasun de Silva
Published Feb 28, 2025
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GitHub Actions provides a powerful CI/CD pipeline, but sometimes you need more control over the environment where your workflows run. AWS CodeBuild now supports Lambda-based self-hosted runners, allowing you to execute GitHub Actions workflows in a cost-efficient, on-demand AWS environment. This guide will walk you through setting up a self-hosted GitHub Actions runner using AWS CodeBuild's Lambda Runner environment.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have:
  • An AWS account with permissions to create CodeBuild projects and Lambda functions
  • A GitHub repository where you want to run the actions
  • AWS CLI and GitHub CLI installed on your local machine
  • An IAM role with necessary permissions for CodeBuild and Lambda execution

Step 1: Create an AWS CodeBuild Project

AWS CodeBuild will serve as our self-hosted GitHub Actions runner. Follow these steps:

1.1 Navigate to AWS CodeBuild

1.2 Configure Project Settings

  • Project Name: github-actions-runner
  • Description: Self-hosted GitHub Actions runner using AWS CodeBuild Lambda Runner
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  • Source: Select GitHub and connect to your repository
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1.3 Select Environment

  • Environment Image: Choose Managed Image
  • Operating System: Amazon Linux 2
  • Runtime: AWS Lambda
  • Compute Type: Lambda Execution Environment
  • Operating System System: Amazon Linux
  • Runtime: Python
  • Image & Version: Select the latest
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1.4 Configure IAM Role

  • Choose New Service Role or select an existing role with permissions to execute CodeBuild, interact with GitHub, and access AWS Lambda.
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  • Attach the following policies if needed:
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{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["lambda:InvokeFunction"],
"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:*:*:function:*"
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["codebuild:StartBuild"],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}
Click Create Build Project to finalize.

Step 2: Setup the GitHub action workflow.

  1. Navigate to your GitHub repository
  2. Go to Actions tab and create a simple workflow.
  3. To point the lambda self-hosted runner in place, update your .github/workflows/main.yml to use it: Please note the runs-on: section here that you need to at to the workflow file.
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# The type of runner that the job will run on
runs-on:
- codebuild-gha-runner-lambda-test-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}
Here is a full example of the workflow file.
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# This is a basic workflow to help you get started with Actions

name: CI AWS Lambda Pipeline Test

# Controls when the workflow will run
on:
# Triggers the workflow on push or pull request events but only for the "master" branch
push:
branches: [ "master" ]
pull_request:
branches: [ "master" ]

# Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
workflow_dispatch:

# A workflow run is made up of one or more jobs that can run sequentially or in parallel
jobs:
# This workflow contains a single job called "build"
build:
# The type of runner that the job will run on
runs-on:
- codebuild-gha-runner-lambda-test-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}

# Steps represent a sequence of tasks that will be executed as part of the job
steps:
# Checks-out your repository under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE, so your job can access it
- uses: actions/checkout@v4

# Runs a single command using the runners shell
- name: Run a one-line script
run: echo Hello, world!

# Runs a set of commands using the runners shell
- name: Run a multi-line script
run: |
echo Add other actions to build,
echo test, and deploy your project.
Push changes to your repository, and the self-hosted runner in AWS CodeBuild will pick up the job and the lambda function will run your job.
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2.1 Limitations

Lambda compute is designed for speed, optimizing startup times for builds. However, it does have some limitations and does not support the following use cases:
  • Reserved Capacity
  • Caching Across Builds
  • Restricting Runtime with Timeouts
  • Tools Requiring Root-User Permissions
  • Long-Running Builds (Lambda has a maximum timeout of 15 minutes)
Using AWS CodeBuild's Lambda Runner for GitHub Actions provides a scalable, cost-efficient alternative to traditional self-hosted runners. You only pay for execution time, and the Lambda-based environment ensures seamless scaling. Try this setup for your CI/CD workflows and enjoy the flexibility of AWS CodeBuild in your GitHub Actions pipelines!
Happy coding! 🚀
 
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