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Use Lambda@Edge when CloudFront needs to change a video request or response at the edge—for example, to choose a MediaPackage origin, validate a viewer token, or adjust a manifest response. It does not encode or package video: CloudFront delivers manifests and media segments prepared by a video workflow, while Lambda@Edge customizes how CloudFront handles their HTTP requests.
How video delivery and Lambda@Edge fit together
A packaged stream consists of a manifest, which describes playback order and available media, and the media segments the player requests. Common formats include HLS, MPEG-DASH, Smooth Streaming, and CMAF. In a typical video-on-demand workflow, an encoder such as MediaConvert prepares the content, which is stored on a server or in S3 and delivered through CloudFront. Live workflows may use MediaLive for encoding and MediaStore or MediaPackage as an origin or delivery service. See AWS’s CloudFront video guide.
Lambda@Edge is code associated with a CloudFront distribution event. It can customize a request or response at four points in the delivery path. The function runs synchronously: CloudFront waits for it to finish before continuing that request, so avoid slow work and unnecessary downstream calls. AWS describes the extension point in its Lambda@Edge guide.
Choose the CloudFront event that matches the decision
| Event | When it runs | Good fit for video | Important consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer request | When CloudFront receives a viewer request, before cache lookup. | Fast request normalization or authorization checks that must happen for each viewer request. | Runs even when the requested object could otherwise be served from cache. |
| Origin request | When CloudFront forwards a request to the origin, typically on a cache miss. | Selecting or rewriting an origin, including routing to a tenant- or channel-specific endpoint. | A cache hit does not invoke the function. Cache behavior therefore affects which routing decisions are made and when. |
| Origin response | After the origin responds and before CloudFront continues processing the response. | Changing response metadata or handling an origin response before it is cached or returned. | The function sees an origin response, not a response served from an existing cache entry. |
| Viewer response | Before CloudFront returns a response to the viewer. | Viewer-facing response customization. | It is not a substitute for origin selection or work that must affect the cache lookup. |
Use the CloudFront event reference to confirm the precise event behavior and event-object details for your implementation.
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Plan cache behavior before writing the function
Decide what varies per viewer or request
Write down which inputs can change the origin, authorization result, manifest, or segment response: for example, a path component, cookie, header, or query parameter. Then decide whether that value belongs in the cache key, must be forwarded to the origin, or should be evaluated on every viewer request. If two requests need different content but CloudFront treats them as the same cache object, a function cannot make the resulting cache behavior correct by itself.
Forward query strings deliberately
If an origin-request Lambda@Edge function reads query strings, AWS requires the cache policy or origin request policy to forward all query strings. Configure forwarding and cache keys to match the actual variation in the stream. Forwarding a value without including it in the cache key can still cause viewers with different inputs to share a cached object; including every input indiscriminately can reduce cache reuse. Check the current Lambda@Edge restrictions and CloudFront policy behavior when designing this boundary.
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Account for live-manifest freshness
Manifest and segment cache behavior are not interchangeable: a live manifest changes as a stream advances, while previously published segments may remain reusable. AWS’s live streaming setup describes format-specific behaviors for a MediaPackage workflow and recommends a minimum TTL of five seconds or less in that documented setup. Treat that as scoped guidance, not a universal TTL for every live stream. Set TTLs based on the origin, player, packaging format, and freshness your service requires.
Implement a request-customization workflow
- Define the decision. Specify whether the function must authenticate a viewer, rewrite a request, select an origin, or alter a response. Identify the exact request fields it will use and which objects must vary.
- Choose the event and cache behavior together. Use viewer request when the decision must precede cache lookup; use origin request when the origin decision is needed only for requests CloudFront forwards to an origin. Configure the cache key and forwarding policy for the values the function reads.
- Create the function in US East (N. Virginia). AWS’s getting-started guide specifies this region for Lambda@Edge functions.
- Keep execution bounded. The function blocks the request while it runs. Keep computation small, avoid dependency calls that add unpredictable latency, and make error handling explicit so failures do not silently route a viewer to the wrong content.
- Publish a numbered version. Associate a published, numbered Lambda version with the intended CloudFront distribution and cache behavior; do not associate an unqualified development function in place of the version required by Lambda@Edge.
- Validate cache hits and misses separately. Test a cold request that reaches the origin and a warm request served from cache. Verify that viewer-specific routing or authorization cannot be bypassed by a cached object and that manifests and segments resolve to the intended origin.
- Deploy and observe incrementally. Confirm the distribution behavior, function association, forwarded fields, and origin response using representative paths and viewer contexts. Recheck AWS’s current limits before adding features or changing dependencies.
Patterns for HLS and other packaged streams
Route requests to dynamic MediaPackage endpoints
AWS’s Media & Entertainment example, published on 2023-08-23, addresses MediaPackage endpoints whose randomized prefix cannot be registered as one static origin. The pattern puts that prefix in the viewer URL path, then uses an origin-request Lambda@Edge function to reconstruct the origin domain and route the request. Because the origin-request event is tied to requests CloudFront sends to the origin, the example’s function runs on cache misses, including for manifests or segments not already cached. AWS presents an HLS walkthrough and says the same approach applies to DASH or Smooth Streaming manifests. Review endpoint and security configuration for your own deployment rather than treating the example as a drop-in production design: dynamic MediaPackage origin mapping walkthrough.
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Validate access to private streams
For private media, use an authorization design such as CloudFront signed URLs or signed cookies, and prevent direct access to an origin from bypassing the CDN’s access policy. AWS’s CloudFront use-case guidance covers signed access and restricting origin access. The Secure Media Delivery implementation guide describes token validation using viewer-specific attributes for HLS, DASH, and CMAF. Lambda@Edge can participate in validation, but associating a function alone does not secure a publicly reachable origin; enforce the origin boundary as part of the architecture.
Generate an HLS manifest on demand
A separate AWS sample uses an origin-request Lambda@Edge function to check whether a generated HLS manifest exists in S3. If it does not, the function invokes MediaConvert and returns a temporary manifest that references an intro segment; the player’s subsequent manifest request can retrieve the generated file. This is an example architecture for infrequently viewed or on-demand conversions, not a guarantee that conversion completes before the initial response or a general recommendation for high-volume live delivery. Evaluate conversion latency, retries, concurrent requests, and cache behavior before adapting it: AWS’s on-the-fly conversion walkthrough.
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Know what Lambda@Edge cannot replace
Lambda@Edge customizes CloudFront request and response handling; it is not a video encoder or packager. Use services such as MediaConvert, MediaLive, or MediaPackage where the workflow needs encoding, packaging, or stream origination. Also check current service restrictions before choosing libraries or dependencies: AWS documents limitations including VPC access, Lambda layers, X-Ray, provisioned concurrency, and ordinary environment variables. Limits and service details can change, so consult the current restrictions and quotas during implementation.
Troubleshoot common delivery failures
- The function does not run on a request. The request may have been served from cache, which skips an origin-request function. Test with a cache miss and confirm the event association on the relevant cache behavior.
- Routing ignores a query parameter. Check that the origin request policy or cache policy forwards all query strings when an origin-request function reads them, and verify that any value that changes content is represented appropriately in the cache key.
- Different viewers receive the same manifest or segment. Compare the cache key with the viewer-specific inputs used for routing or authorization. Ensure that personalized content is not stored and reused under a cache key shared by other viewers.
- A live player sees a stale manifest. Review the manifest TTL and the live origin’s update cadence. The five-seconds-or-less minimum TTL recommendation applies to the documented MediaPackage live setup, not every workflow.
- A function fails after deployment. Confirm that it was created in US East (N. Virginia), that a numbered version is associated with the distribution, and that it does not depend on a feature Lambda@Edge does not support.
- A private stream remains reachable directly. Review origin access controls independently of edge token checks. Requests must not be able to bypass the CloudFront policy by addressing the origin directly.
- Manifest generation is slow or inconsistent. The on-demand conversion sample invokes MediaConvert when output is missing; do not assume the conversion is instantaneous. Check concurrent requests, the generated object’s availability, and the player’s follow-up manifest request path.
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