AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) CLI incorporated support for BuildKit, a modern Docker build engine, allowing developers to utilize multi-stage builds, enhanced caching, and parallel build steps when packaging Lambda functions as container images. This integration reduces image size and build times, facilitating production-ready deployments.
Additionally, BuildKit enables cross-architecture builds targeting x86_64 and arm64 platforms and allows the use of Docker secrets to protect sensitive data during builds. SAM CLI users simply apply a flag to enable these features, compatible across Docker and Finch container runtimes, improving build flexibility and security for serverless applications.
Source & further reading
AWS SAM CLI adds BuildKit support for AWS Lambda functions packaged as container images ↗Source published 2026-05-05. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.