AWS has announced updates to Lambda logging. It introduces volume-based tiered pricing for Amazon CloudWatch Logs and adds S3 and Amazon Data Firehose as new destinations. These changes aim to reduce logging costs for high-volume Lambda deployments and offer more flexibility.
Tiered pricing is welcome as CloudWatch Logs often have hidden costs. The new model categorizes logs as Vended Logs with lower per-GB costs as volume increases. For example, in the US East (N. Virginia) region, costs decrease from $0.50 per GB for the first 10 TB to $0.05 per GB for over 50 TB monthly.
Adding S3 and Firehose as direct logging destinations is a key development. It eliminates the need for complex forwarders and enables use cases like long-term compliance archiving on S3 and easier integration with third-party platforms. However, pricing for these new destinations needs to become more competitive.
According to AWS, these enhancements provide a more straightforward and cost-effective logging experience. But custom-written CloudWatch Log reports need updating due to the pricing change, and the tiered pricing applies per AWS account, potentially affecting multi-account strategies.
CloudWatch Logs remains the default destination, but users can configure S3 or Firehose as alternatives. AWS encourages users to review documentation and pricing details to optimize Lambda logging strategies. The new logging features are available in all commercial AWS Regions where Lambda and CloudWatch Logs support, and configuration for S3 and Firehose destinations is initially available in select regions with more to follow.