AWS SAM Bootstrap

Overview

Generates SAM project artifacts for greenfield and migration scenarios. Creates the minimum required files (template.yaml, samconfig.toml, events/), validates with sam build, and configures sam deploy workflows following AWS SAM conventions.

When to Use

• User needs to start a new AWS SAM project (sam init, sam deploy)
• User wants to migrate existing Lambda functions or CloudFormation resources to SAM templates
• User asks about SAM CLI commands (sam init, sam build, sam local invoke, sam deploy)
• User needs to create or update template.yaml or samconfig.toml for serverless deployments
• User wants to configure local testing with sam local invoke for Lambda functions

Instructions

1) Classify Scenario

• New project: no Lambda structure exists. Run sam init to scaffold.
• Existing project migration: Lambda/CloudFormation resources exist. Create template.yaml manually.

2) Select Runtime and Package Type

Use current non-deprecated runtimes. Package type: Zip (default) or Image (container/native deps).

3) Bootstrap New Projects

sam init
sam build
sam local invoke <LogicalFunctionId> -e events/event.json
sam deploy --guided

4) Bootstrap Existing Projects

1. Inspect current Lambda handlers, runtime, and dependency layout
2. Create template.yaml with Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
3. Map existing resources to AWS::Serverless::Function and related SAM resources
4. Create samconfig.toml with deploy defaults and environment overrides
5. Add events/event.json payload samples for local invocation
6. Validate with sam validate and sam build before deploy

5) Required Artifacts

.
├── template.yaml
├── samconfig.toml
└── events/
    └── event.json

See reference templates: examples.md, migration-checklist.md

6) Validation Checklist

• sam validate succeeds
• sam build succeeds
• template.yaml has correct logical IDs and handlers
• samconfig.toml contains deploy parameters for target environments

Examples

New SAM Project

sam init  # Interactive scaffold
sam build
sam local invoke HelloFunction -e events/event.json
sam deploy --guided

Migrate Existing Lambda

1. Detect handler/runtime → create template.yaml with SAM transform
2. Add samconfig.toml with stack_name, capabilities, resolve_s3
3. Add events/event.json → validate with sam build

Full templates in references/examples.md.

Best Practices

• One deployable function first, then expand; keep migration-first PRs minimal
• Keep samconfig.toml committed for deterministic deployments
• Use environment-specific sections ([default], [prod]) instead of CLI flags
• Map existing handler paths to SAM conventions during migration

Constraints and Warnings

• SAM CLI must be installed locally for command execution
• CAPABILITY_IAM is required when IAM resources are created
• Container image packaging requires Docker availability
• Existing projects may require refactoring handler paths to match SAM conventions
• sam deploy --guided writes local configuration; review before committing