AWS Lambda allows customers to now specify whether functions read from S3 Files high-performance storage or directly from S3 buckets, optimizing throughput and latency based on workload demands. Prior to this, direct reads were enabled only for functions with higher memory but lacked user control.
By enabling direct read, large files (≥1 MB) stream directly from the S3 bucket for maximum throughput, while smaller reads use high-performance storage; disabling it routes all reads through high-performance storage for lowest latency. This flexibility helps tailor Lambda file read characteristics without additional costs beyond normal service fees across most AWS commercial and GovCloud regions.
Source & further reading
AWS Lambda now supports direct read configuration for Amazon S3 Files ↗Source published 2026-09-11. 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.