IronPDF on AWS Lambda Without Docker

Updated:June 28, 2026

IronPDF runs on AWS Lambda, but only inside a Lambda function built from a custom Docker container image. A standard, non-Docker Lambda runtime is missing the native Linux libraries IronPDF needs, so PDF work fails there.

IronPDF depends on several native Linux libraries, including:

gcc-c++
glibc-devel.i686
glibc.i686
pango.x86_64

Those libraries are not present by default in standard AWS Lambda environments. Running IronPDF in a non-Docker Lambda function without them typically surfaces one of the following:

Native errors related to missing libraries
Failures in PDF generation or rendering
Crashes or instability when calling IronPdf methods

The root cause is the rendering engine: IronPDF drives Chrome internally, and Chrome itself relies on native Linux components. Minimal serverless runtimes like the stock AWS Lambda images do not ship those components, and they cannot be reliably installed at runtime.

Solution

Deploy IronPDF inside a custom Docker container image that installs every required native dependency up front. That gives Lambda a fully compatible environment instead of a stripped runtime.

FROM public.ecr.aws/lambda/dotnet:8
# install necessary packages
RUN dnf update -y
RUN dnf install -y gcc-c++ pango.x86_64 libXcomposite.x86_64 libXcursor.x86_64 dbus-glib-devel
RUN dnf install -y libXdamage.x86_64 libXi.x86_64 libXtst.x86_64 cups-libs.x86_64 libXScrnSaver.x86_64
RUN dnf install -y libXrandr.x86_64 alsa-lib.x86_64 atk.x86_64 gtk3.x86_64 ipa-gothic-fonts xorg-x11-fonts-100dpi
RUN dnf install -y xorg-x11-fonts-75dpi xorg-x11-fonts-cyrillic xorg-x11-fonts-Type1 xorg-x11-fonts-misc
RUN dnf install -y mesa-libgbm.x86_64
RUN dnf install -y nss-3.90.0-3.amzn2023.0.4.x86_64
WORKDIR /var/task
COPY "bin/Release/lambda-publish"  .
CMD ["AWSLambdaNet8Container::AWSLambdaNet8Container.PrintPdf::FunctionHandler"]

The dnf install lines pull in the Chrome rendering dependencies; the CMD entry points Lambda at your function handler in the published output.

CautionStandard AWS Lambda runtimes without Docker cannot run IronPDF. Use a Docker-based function or PDF generation will fail.

For a full walkthrough, see Using IronPDF to create PDF files on AWS Lambda.

Curtis Chau

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Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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