I'm trying to use AWS lambda to test a few API calls using axios, however I'm having some trouble. Every post I came across said the best way to handle promises in Lambda was to use async/await rather than .then, so I made the switch. When I run the program using node it works perfectly, but when I invoke the Lambda locally, it seems like everything after the axios call is being skipped. When I invoke the Lambda locally without await, the calls after it run fine, but then I'm forced to use .then which the Lambda doesn't wait for anyway. I've increased the Lambda timeout to 900, and I've run sam build before sam invoke local every time.
function checkServers() {
console.log("Inside checkServer");
console.log("Before apis to test");
// apisToTest has length of 2
apisToTest.forEach(async (apiToTest) => {
console.log("Api to test");
let res = await axios(apiToTest)
console.log("x"); // This gets skipped
console.log(res); // This gets skipped
})
console.log("After api to test")
}
exports.lambdaHandler = async (event, context) => {
console.log("Inside lambda handler");
checkServers();
console.log("After lambda handler");
};
// Used to test app using node command
checkServers()
This yields the following output:
INFO Inside lambda handler
INFO Inside checkServer
INFO Before apis to test
INFO Api to test
INFO Api to test
INFO After api to test
INFO After lambda handler
Thanks for all of your replies, unfortunately those weren't the ideal solutions for my use case, though they were very helpful in me coming up with the solution.
async function checkServers() {
let emailBody = "";
let callResult = "";
let completedCalls = 0;
let promises = [];
for (const apiToTest of apisToTest) {
await axios(apiToTest).then((res) => {
// Do something
}).catch((r) => {
// Handle error
})
}
}
exports.lambdaHandler = async (event, context) => {
context.callbackWaitsForEmptyEventLoop = true;
await checkServers();
};
To summarize, I replaced the forEach call to a for...of call, changed the checkServers to async, and combined await with .then() and .catch to handle the Promise result. I was unaware that both can be used to do so in tandem. Hope this helps anyone that had an issue similar to the one I had.
you got two options:
set callbackWaitsForEmptyEventLoop to true - and then AWS will wait until the eventloop is empty
await your promises. Note that you didn't await your promises on checkServers. Consider using await Promise.all([...]) to wait for all your promises to finish.
Note: If you will run the lambda again, the events from the previous invocations may "leak" to the next invocation.
You can learn about it here: https://lumigo.io/blog/node-js-lambda-execution-leaks-a-practical-guide/
Disclosure: I work in the company that published this blog post
Similar to what saart is saying you could try the below code and see if it works:
async function checkServers() {
const promises = apisToTest.map((apiToTest) => axios(apiToTest))
const resolvedPromises = await Promise.all(promises);
return resolvedPromises;
}
exports.lambdaHandler = async (event, context) => {
try {
const result = await checkServers();
console.log(result);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error)
}
};
// Used to test app using node command
checkServers();
Related
I wrote this code in lib/helper.js:
var myfunction = async function(x,y) {
....
return [variableA, variableB]
}
exports.myfunction = myfunction;
Then I tried to use it in another file :
var helper = require('./helper.js');
var start = function(a,b){
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test','test');
}
exports.start = start;
I got an error:
await is only valid in async function
What is the issue?
The error is not refering to myfunction but to start.
async function start() {
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test', 'test');
}
// My function
const myfunction = async function(x, y) {
return [
x,
y,
];
}
// Start function
const start = async function(a, b) {
const result = await myfunction('test', 'test');
console.log(result);
}
// Call start
start();
I use the opportunity of this question to advise you about an known anti pattern using await which is : return await.
WRONG
async function myfunction() {
console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}
// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later
// useless async here
async function start() {
// useless await here
return await myfunction();
}
// Call start
(async() => {
console.log('before start');
await start();
console.log('after start');
})();
CORRECT
async function myfunction() {
console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}
// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later
// Also point that we don't use async keyword on the function because
// we can simply returns the promise returned by myfunction
function start() {
return myfunction();
}
// Call start
(async() => {
console.log('before start');
await start();
console.log('after start');
})();
Also, know that there is a special case where return await is correct and important : (using try/catch)
Are there performance concerns with `return await`?
To use await, its executing context needs to be async in nature
As it said, you need to define the nature of your executing context where you are willing to await a task before anything.
Just put async before the fn declaration in which your async task will execute.
var start = async function(a, b) {
// Your async task will execute with await
await foo()
console.log('I will execute after foo get either resolved/rejected')
}
Explanation:
In your question, you are importing a method which is asynchronous in nature and will execute in parallel. But where you are trying to execute that async method is inside a different execution context which you need to define async to use await.
var helper = require('./helper.js');
var start = async function(a,b){
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test','test');
}
exports.start = start;
Wondering what's going under the hood
await consumes promise/future / task-returning methods/functions and async marks a method/function as capable of using await.
Also if you are familiar with promises, await is actually doing the same process of promise/resolve. Creating a chain of promise and executes your next task in resolve callback.
For more info you can refer to MDN DOCS.
When I got this error, it turned out I had a call to the map function inside my "async" function, so this error message was actually referring to the map function not being marked as "async". I got around this issue by taking the "await" call out of the map function and coming up with some other way of getting the expected behavior.
var myfunction = async function(x,y) {
....
someArray.map(someVariable => { // <- This was the function giving the error
return await someFunction(someVariable);
});
}
I had the same problem and the following block of code was giving the same error message:
repositories.forEach( repo => {
const commits = await getCommits(repo);
displayCommit(commits);
});
The problem is that the method getCommits() was async but I was passing it the argument repo which was also produced by a Promise. So, I had to add the word async to it like this: async(repo) and it started working:
repositories.forEach( async(repo) => {
const commits = await getCommits(repo);
displayCommit(commits);
});
If you are writing a Chrome Extension and you get this error for your code at root, you can fix it using the following "workaround":
async function run() {
// Your async code here
const beers = await fetch("https://api.punkapi.com/v2/beers");
}
run();
Basically you have to wrap your async code in an async function and then call the function without awaiting it.
The current implementation of async / await only supports the await keyword inside of async functions Change your start function signature so you can use await inside start.
var start = async function(a, b) {
}
For those interested, the proposal for top-level await is currently in Stage 2: https://github.com/tc39/proposal-top-level-await
async/await is the mechanism of handling promise, two ways we can do it
functionWhichReturnsPromise()
.then(result => {
console.log(result);
})
.cathc(err => {
console.log(result);
});
or we can use await to wait for the promise to full-filed it first, which means either it is rejected or resolved.
Now if we want to use await (waiting for a promise to fulfil) inside a function, it's mandatory that the container function must be an async function because we are waiting for a promise to fulfiled asynchronously || make sense right?.
async function getRecipesAw(){
const IDs = await getIds; // returns promise
const recipe = await getRecipe(IDs[2]); // returns promise
return recipe; // returning a promise
}
getRecipesAw().then(result=>{
console.log(result);
}).catch(error=>{
console.log(error);
});
If you have called async function inside foreach update it to for loop
Found the code below in this nice article: HTTP requests in Node using Axios
const axios = require('axios')
const getBreeds = async () => {
try {
return await axios.get('https://dog.ceo/api/breeds/list/all')
} catch (error) {
console.error(error)
}
}
const countBreeds = async () => {
const breeds = await getBreeds()
if (breeds.data.message) {
console.log(`Got ${Object.entries(breeds.data.message).length} breeds`)
}
}
countBreeds()
Or using Promise:
const axios = require('axios')
const getBreeds = () => {
try {
return axios.get('https://dog.ceo/api/breeds/list/all')
} catch (error) {
console.error(error)
}
}
const countBreeds = async () => {
const breeds = getBreeds()
.then(response => {
if (response.data.message) {
console.log(
`Got ${Object.entries(response.data.message).length} breeds`
)
}
})
.catch(error => {
console.log(error)
})
}
countBreeds()
In later nodejs (>=14), top await is allowed with { "type": "module" } specified in package.json or with file extension .mjs.
https://www.stefanjudis.com/today-i-learned/top-level-await-is-available-in-node-js-modules/
This in one file works..
Looks like await only is applied to the local function which has to be async..
I also am struggling now with a more complex structure and in between different files. That's why I made this small test code.
edit: i forgot to say that I'm working with node.js.. sry. I don't have a clear question. Just thought it could be helpful with the discussion..
function helper(callback){
function doA(){
var array = ["a ","b ","c "];
var alphabet = "";
return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
array.forEach(function(key,index){
alphabet += key;
if (index == array.length - 1){
resolve(alphabet);
};
});
});
};
function doB(){
var a = "well done!";
return a;
};
async function make() {
var alphabet = await doA();
var appreciate = doB();
callback(alphabet+appreciate);
};
make();
};
helper(function(message){
console.log(message);
});
A common problem in Express:
The warning can refer to the function, or where you call it.
Express items tend to look like this:
app.post('/foo', ensureLoggedIn("/join"), (req, res) => {
const facts = await db.lookup(something)
res.redirect('/')
})
Notice the => arrow function syntax for the function.
The problem is NOT actually in the db.lookup call, but right here in the Express item.
Needs to be:
app.post('/foo', ensureLoggedIn("/join"), async function (req, res) {
const facts = await db.lookup(something)
res.redirect('/')
})
Basically, nix the => and add async function .
"await is only valid in async function"
But why? 'await' explicitly turns an async call into a synchronous call, and therefore the caller cannot be async (or asyncable) - at least, not because of the call being made at 'await'.
Yes, await / async was a great concept, but the implementation is completely broken.
For whatever reason, the await keyword has been implemented such that it can only be used within an async method. This is in fact a bug, though you will not see it referred to as such anywhere but right here. The fix for this bug would be to implement the await keyword such that it can only be used TO CALL an async function, regardless of whether the calling function is itself synchronous or asynchronous.
Due to this bug, if you use await to call a real asynchronous function somewhere in your code, then ALL of your functions must be marked as async and ALL of your function calls must use await.
This essentially means that you must add the overhead of promises to all of the functions in your entire application, most of which are not and never will be asynchronous.
If you actually think about it, using await in a function should require the function containing the await keyword TO NOT BE ASYNC - this is because the await keyword is going to pause processing in the function where the await keyword is found. If processing in that function is paused, then it is definitely NOT asynchronous.
So, to the developers of javascript and ECMAScript - please fix the await/async implementation as follows...
await can only be used to CALL async functions.
await can appear in any kind of function, synchronous or asynchronous.
Change the error message from "await is only valid in async function" to "await can only be used to call async functions".
I have an api call which triggers an async function doSomething. Inside this function I have another async function that creates a notification for the user but I do not want to wait for it until it is finished. So I removed the await statement. The code works but is this a bad idea or bad practice because I get a "Missing await for an async function call" warning.
public async createNotification(createdStuff: CreatedStuff): Promise<void> {
const userNotification = new Notifcation(..);
await userNotification.save();
}
public async doSomething(): Promise<CreatedStuff> {
const createdStuff = await this.createStuff();
await createdStuff.save();
// here I removed the await statement
this.notificationService.createNotification(createdStuff);
return createdStuff;
}
If createLogPlayNotification(...) rejects, you will run into an unhandledRejection event which you probably don't want as it will crash your app depending on your NodeJS version (see this link for more information).
This does not mean you have to await it, you can simply add a .catch-handler on the returned promise:
// ..
this.notificationService.createLogPlayNotification(loggedPLay)
.catch(err => {
// do something with err, e.g. log it
});
return createdStuff;
I wrote this code in lib/helper.js:
var myfunction = async function(x,y) {
....
return [variableA, variableB]
}
exports.myfunction = myfunction;
Then I tried to use it in another file :
var helper = require('./helper.js');
var start = function(a,b){
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test','test');
}
exports.start = start;
I got an error:
await is only valid in async function
What is the issue?
The error is not refering to myfunction but to start.
async function start() {
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test', 'test');
}
// My function
const myfunction = async function(x, y) {
return [
x,
y,
];
}
// Start function
const start = async function(a, b) {
const result = await myfunction('test', 'test');
console.log(result);
}
// Call start
start();
I use the opportunity of this question to advise you about an known anti pattern using await which is : return await.
WRONG
async function myfunction() {
console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}
// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later
// useless async here
async function start() {
// useless await here
return await myfunction();
}
// Call start
(async() => {
console.log('before start');
await start();
console.log('after start');
})();
CORRECT
async function myfunction() {
console.log('Inside of myfunction');
}
// Here we wait for the myfunction to finish
// and then returns a promise that'll be waited for aswell
// It's useless to wait the myfunction to finish before to return
// we can simply returns a promise that will be resolved later
// Also point that we don't use async keyword on the function because
// we can simply returns the promise returned by myfunction
function start() {
return myfunction();
}
// Call start
(async() => {
console.log('before start');
await start();
console.log('after start');
})();
Also, know that there is a special case where return await is correct and important : (using try/catch)
Are there performance concerns with `return await`?
To use await, its executing context needs to be async in nature
As it said, you need to define the nature of your executing context where you are willing to await a task before anything.
Just put async before the fn declaration in which your async task will execute.
var start = async function(a, b) {
// Your async task will execute with await
await foo()
console.log('I will execute after foo get either resolved/rejected')
}
Explanation:
In your question, you are importing a method which is asynchronous in nature and will execute in parallel. But where you are trying to execute that async method is inside a different execution context which you need to define async to use await.
var helper = require('./helper.js');
var start = async function(a,b){
....
const result = await helper.myfunction('test','test');
}
exports.start = start;
Wondering what's going under the hood
await consumes promise/future / task-returning methods/functions and async marks a method/function as capable of using await.
Also if you are familiar with promises, await is actually doing the same process of promise/resolve. Creating a chain of promise and executes your next task in resolve callback.
For more info you can refer to MDN DOCS.
When I got this error, it turned out I had a call to the map function inside my "async" function, so this error message was actually referring to the map function not being marked as "async". I got around this issue by taking the "await" call out of the map function and coming up with some other way of getting the expected behavior.
var myfunction = async function(x,y) {
....
someArray.map(someVariable => { // <- This was the function giving the error
return await someFunction(someVariable);
});
}
I had the same problem and the following block of code was giving the same error message:
repositories.forEach( repo => {
const commits = await getCommits(repo);
displayCommit(commits);
});
The problem is that the method getCommits() was async but I was passing it the argument repo which was also produced by a Promise. So, I had to add the word async to it like this: async(repo) and it started working:
repositories.forEach( async(repo) => {
const commits = await getCommits(repo);
displayCommit(commits);
});
If you are writing a Chrome Extension and you get this error for your code at root, you can fix it using the following "workaround":
async function run() {
// Your async code here
const beers = await fetch("https://api.punkapi.com/v2/beers");
}
run();
Basically you have to wrap your async code in an async function and then call the function without awaiting it.
The current implementation of async / await only supports the await keyword inside of async functions Change your start function signature so you can use await inside start.
var start = async function(a, b) {
}
For those interested, the proposal for top-level await is currently in Stage 2: https://github.com/tc39/proposal-top-level-await
async/await is the mechanism of handling promise, two ways we can do it
functionWhichReturnsPromise()
.then(result => {
console.log(result);
})
.cathc(err => {
console.log(result);
});
or we can use await to wait for the promise to full-filed it first, which means either it is rejected or resolved.
Now if we want to use await (waiting for a promise to fulfil) inside a function, it's mandatory that the container function must be an async function because we are waiting for a promise to fulfiled asynchronously || make sense right?.
async function getRecipesAw(){
const IDs = await getIds; // returns promise
const recipe = await getRecipe(IDs[2]); // returns promise
return recipe; // returning a promise
}
getRecipesAw().then(result=>{
console.log(result);
}).catch(error=>{
console.log(error);
});
If you have called async function inside foreach update it to for loop
Found the code below in this nice article: HTTP requests in Node using Axios
const axios = require('axios')
const getBreeds = async () => {
try {
return await axios.get('https://dog.ceo/api/breeds/list/all')
} catch (error) {
console.error(error)
}
}
const countBreeds = async () => {
const breeds = await getBreeds()
if (breeds.data.message) {
console.log(`Got ${Object.entries(breeds.data.message).length} breeds`)
}
}
countBreeds()
Or using Promise:
const axios = require('axios')
const getBreeds = () => {
try {
return axios.get('https://dog.ceo/api/breeds/list/all')
} catch (error) {
console.error(error)
}
}
const countBreeds = async () => {
const breeds = getBreeds()
.then(response => {
if (response.data.message) {
console.log(
`Got ${Object.entries(response.data.message).length} breeds`
)
}
})
.catch(error => {
console.log(error)
})
}
countBreeds()
In later nodejs (>=14), top await is allowed with { "type": "module" } specified in package.json or with file extension .mjs.
https://www.stefanjudis.com/today-i-learned/top-level-await-is-available-in-node-js-modules/
This in one file works..
Looks like await only is applied to the local function which has to be async..
I also am struggling now with a more complex structure and in between different files. That's why I made this small test code.
edit: i forgot to say that I'm working with node.js.. sry. I don't have a clear question. Just thought it could be helpful with the discussion..
function helper(callback){
function doA(){
var array = ["a ","b ","c "];
var alphabet = "";
return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
array.forEach(function(key,index){
alphabet += key;
if (index == array.length - 1){
resolve(alphabet);
};
});
});
};
function doB(){
var a = "well done!";
return a;
};
async function make() {
var alphabet = await doA();
var appreciate = doB();
callback(alphabet+appreciate);
};
make();
};
helper(function(message){
console.log(message);
});
A common problem in Express:
The warning can refer to the function, or where you call it.
Express items tend to look like this:
app.post('/foo', ensureLoggedIn("/join"), (req, res) => {
const facts = await db.lookup(something)
res.redirect('/')
})
Notice the => arrow function syntax for the function.
The problem is NOT actually in the db.lookup call, but right here in the Express item.
Needs to be:
app.post('/foo', ensureLoggedIn("/join"), async function (req, res) {
const facts = await db.lookup(something)
res.redirect('/')
})
Basically, nix the => and add async function .
"await is only valid in async function"
But why? 'await' explicitly turns an async call into a synchronous call, and therefore the caller cannot be async (or asyncable) - at least, not because of the call being made at 'await'.
Yes, await / async was a great concept, but the implementation is completely broken.
For whatever reason, the await keyword has been implemented such that it can only be used within an async method. This is in fact a bug, though you will not see it referred to as such anywhere but right here. The fix for this bug would be to implement the await keyword such that it can only be used TO CALL an async function, regardless of whether the calling function is itself synchronous or asynchronous.
Due to this bug, if you use await to call a real asynchronous function somewhere in your code, then ALL of your functions must be marked as async and ALL of your function calls must use await.
This essentially means that you must add the overhead of promises to all of the functions in your entire application, most of which are not and never will be asynchronous.
If you actually think about it, using await in a function should require the function containing the await keyword TO NOT BE ASYNC - this is because the await keyword is going to pause processing in the function where the await keyword is found. If processing in that function is paused, then it is definitely NOT asynchronous.
So, to the developers of javascript and ECMAScript - please fix the await/async implementation as follows...
await can only be used to CALL async functions.
await can appear in any kind of function, synchronous or asynchronous.
Change the error message from "await is only valid in async function" to "await can only be used to call async functions".
Want to initialize a value from a async call, then keep on using that value, I don't know how to await before node loads other code here.
console.log('---- initialize the value during startup ----');
const p1 = (async () => {
const res = await requestAsync.get('https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v8.x/docs/api/util.html');
return res.headers;
})();
const v2 = p1.then(v => (v));
console.log(v2);
console.log('---------- more work after v2 is resolved --------------');
i get
---- initialize the value during startup ----
Promise { <pending> }
---------- more work after v2 is resolved --------------
Until node.js has top level await (which it currently doesn't), then the usual way of doing things is to just use .then() and put everything that is dependent upon the asynchronous result inside the .then() handler:
requestAsync.get('https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v8.x/docs/api/util.html').then(result => {
// put all the rest of your initialization code that
// needs this async result here
}).catch(err => {
// handle errors here
});
If you want to (just for code structure reasons), you can move everything into a function:
requestAsync.get('https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v8.x/docs/api/util.html')
.then(startup)
.catch(handleErr);
function startup(result) {
// put your startup code here that needs result
}
function handleErr(err) {
// handle error here
}
Keep in mind that any other startup code will continue because module loading does not block waiting for this async result.
If you have multiple asynchronous operations you want do in a row, then you can chain them:
requestAsync.get().then(f1).then(f2).catch(err => {....});
Or, you can wrap code in a top level function so you can use await:
async function startup() {
let result1 = await f1(...);
let result2 = await f2(...);
let result3 = await f3(...);
}
startup().then(finalResult => {
// all async operation done here with finalResult
}).catch(err => {
// error starting up
});
I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but maybe this is what you want?
async function main() {
const response = await requestAsync.get('https://n...');
const headers = response.headers;
console.log('some other stuff here');
}
main();
Putting everything in a "main" function allows you to wait for you initial request before doing anything else.
Be careful though: this is blocking, so if the request takes a while, nothing will happen in your code until it's done.
I'm trying to write a node module, to handle my various db calls.
I want to use async/await where ever I can, but I'm having some issues with it.
I've been using promises a bit, and export those functions fine.
Example:
function GetUsernames() {
return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
sql.connect(config).then(function () {
new sql.Request()
.query("SELECT [UserName] FROM [Users] ORDER BY [LastLogin] ASC").then(function (recordset) {
resolve(recordset);
}).catch(function (err) {
reject(err);
});
});
});
}
And then I export in the following:
module.exports = {
GetUsernames: GetUsernames,
GetScopes: GetScopes,
UpdateToken: UpdateToken,
SetOwner: SetOwner
};
But, how should I do this, with an async function, to use the async/await that is available in node7?
Do I still just return a promise? I tried doing that, but when I then call it in my code, it doesn't work.
const db = require("dataprovider");
...
var result = await db.GetUsernames();
It gives me:
SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier
on the db name (works fine if I just use the promise functions, with then().)
Maybe my google skills are terrible, but I haven't managed to google anything I could use, on this issue.
How on earth do I make an async function, in my module, that I can await elsewhere?
To turn on the await keyword, you need to have it inside an async function.
const db = require("dataprovider");
...
let result = getUserNames();
async function getUserNames() {
return await db.GetUsernames();
}
See http://javascriptrambling.blogspot.com/2017/04/to-promised-land-with-asyncawait-and.html for more information.
Also, just as an FYI, it a code convention to start function with lowercase, unless you are returning a class from it.
async - await pattern really makes your code easier to read. But node do not allow for global awaits. You can only await an asynchronous flow. What you trying to do is to await outside async flow. This is not permitted. This is kind of anti-pattern for node application. When dealing with promises, what we actually do is generate an asynchronous flow in our program. Our program continue without waiting for promise. So you can export your functions as async but cannot await for them outside async flow. for example.
const db = require('dataprovider');
...
let result = (async () => await db.GetUserNames())();
console.log(result); // outputs: Promise { <pending> }
Thus, async-await pattern works for async flow. Thus use them inside async functions, so that node can execute them asynchronously. Also, you can await for Promises as well. for example.
let fn = async () => await new Promise( (resolve, reject)=>{...} );
fn().then(...);
Here you have created async function 'fn'. This function is thenable. also you can await for 'fn' inside another async function.
let anotherFn = async () => await fn();
anotherFn().then(...);
Here we are waiting for async function inside a async function. Async-Await pattern makes your code readable and concise. This is reflected in large projects.
lets say that you have below function in baseoperation.ts
async function GetAllwithFilter(keyword?: any){
//... async job here
}
then simply you can add below code on the end of baseoperation.ta
module.exports = { GetAllOrAnyName: GetAllwithFilter}
and in the required class you can call it using
const objname = require('./baseoperation');
and to call it in the api using express and router you can use route function with get because it's accept promise call direct
router.route('/').get((req,res) => { objname.GetUsernames().then(then(result => {
res.json(result[0]);
});