> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unstructured.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Amazon S3 event triggers
You can use Amazon S3 events, such as adding new files to—or updating existing files within—S3 buckets, to automatically run Unstructured ETL+ workflows
that rely on those buckets as sources. This enables a no-touch approach to having Unstructured automatically process new and updated files in S3 buckets as they are added or updated.
This example shows how to automate this process by adding an [AWS Lambda function](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/concepts-basics.html#gettingstarted-concepts-function) to your AWS account. This function runs
whenever a new file is added to—or an existing file is updated within—the specified S3 bucket. This function then calls the [Unstructured API's workflow operations](/api-reference/workflow/overview) to automatically run the
specified corresponding Unstructured ETL+ workflow in your Unstructured account.
This example uses a custom AWS Lambda function that you create and maintain.
Any issues with file detection, timing, or function invocation could be related to your custom function,
rather than with Unstructured. If you are getting unexpected or no results, be sure to check your custom
function's Amazon CloudWatch logs first for any informational and error messages.
## Requirements
To use this example, you will need the following:
* An Unstructured account, and an Unstructured API key for your account, as follows:
1. If you do not already have an Unstructured account, [sign up for free](https://unstructured.io/?modal=try-for-free).
After you sign up, you are automatically signed in to your new Unstructured **Let's Go** account, at [https://platform.unstructured.io](https://platform.unstructured.io).
To sign up for a **Business** account instead, [contact Unstructured Sales](https://unstructured.io/?modal=contact-sales), or [learn more](/api-reference/overview#pricing).
2. If you have an Unstructured **Let's Go**, **Pay-As-You-Go**, or **Business SaaS** account and are not already signed in, sign in to your account at [https://platform.unstructured.io](https://platform.unstructured.io).
For other types of **Business** accounts, see your Unstructured account administrator for sign-in instructions,
or email Unstructured Support at [support@unstructured.io](mailto:support@unstructured.io).
3. Get your Unstructured API key:
a. After you sign in to your Unstructured **Let's Go**, **Pay-As-You-Go**, or **Business** account, click **API Keys** on the sidebar.
For a **Business** account, before you click **API Keys**, make sure you have selected the organizational workspace you want to create an API key
for. Each API key works with one and only one organizational workspace. [Learn more](/ui/account/workspaces#create-an-api-key-for-a-workspace).
b. Click **Generate API Key**.
c. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish generating the key.
d. Click the **Copy** icon next to your new key to add the key to your system's clipboard. If you lose this key, simply return and click the **Copy** icon again.
* The Unstructured API's workflow operations URL for your account, as follows:
1. In the Unstructured UI, click **API Keys** on the sidebar.
2. Note the value of the **Unstructured API's workflow operations** field.
* An S3 source connector in your Unstructured account. [Learn how](/ui/sources/s3).
* Some available [destination connector](/ui/destinations/overview) in your Unstructured account.
* A workflow that uses the preceding source and destination connectors. [Learn how](/ui/workflows).
## Step 1: Create the Lambda function
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console for your account.
2. Browse to and open the **Lambda** console.
3. On the sidebar, click **Functions**.
4. Click **Create function**.
5. Select **Author from scratch**.
6. For **Function name**, enter a name for your function, such as `RunUnstructuredWorkflow`.
7. For **Runtime**, select **Node.js 22.x**.
8. For **Architecture**, select **x86\_64**.
9. Under **Permissions**, expand **Change default execution role**, and make sure **Create a new role with basic Lambda permissions** is selected.
10. Click **Create function**. After the function is created, the function's code and configuration settings page appears.
## Step 2: Add code to the function
1. With the function's code and configuration settings page open from the previous step, click the **Code** tab.
2. In the **Code source** tile, replace the contents of the `index.mjs` file with the following code instead.
If the `index.mjs` file is not visible, do the following:
1. Show the **Explorer**: on the sidebar, click **Explorer**.
2. In the **Explorer** pane, expand the function name.
3. Click to open the **index.mjs** file.
Here is the code for the `index.mjs` file:
```javascript theme={null}
import https from 'https';
export const handler = async (event) => {
const apiUrl = process.env.UNSTRUCTURED_API_URL;
const apiKey = process.env.UNSTRUCTURED_API_KEY;
if (!apiUrl || !apiKey) {
throw new Error('Missing UNSTRUCTURED_API_URL or UNSTRUCTURED_API_KEY environment variable or both.');
}
const url = new URL(apiUrl);
const options = {
hostname: url.hostname,
path: url.pathname,
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'accept': 'application/json',
'unstructured-api-key': apiKey
}
};
const postRequest = () => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const req = https.request(options, (res) => {
let responseBody = '';
res.on('data', (chunk) => { responseBody += chunk; });
res.on('end', () => {
resolve({ statusCode: res.statusCode, body: responseBody });
});
});
req.on('error', reject);
req.end();
});
try {
const response = await postRequest();
console.log(`POST status: ${response.statusCode}, body: ${response.body}`);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error posting to endpoint:', error);
}
return {
statusCode: 200,
body: JSON.stringify('Lambda executed successfully')
};
};
```
3. In **Explorer**, expand **Deploy (Undeployed Changes)**.
4. Click **Deploy**.
5. Click the **Configuration** tab.
6. On the sidebar, click **Environment variables**.
7. Click **Edit**.
8. Click **Add environment variable**.
9. For **Key**, enter `UNSTRUCTURED_API_URL`.
10. For **Value**, enter `/workflows//run`. Replace the following placeholders:
* Replace `` with your Unstructured API's workflow operations value.
* Replace `` with the ID of your Unstructured workflow.
The **Value** should now look similar to the following:
```text theme={null}
https://platform.unstructuredapp.io/api/v1/workflows/11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111/run
```
11. Click **Add environment variable** again.
12. For **Key**, enter `UNSTRUCTURED_API_KEY`.
13. For **Value**, enter your Unstructure API key value.
14. Click **Save**.
## Step 3: Create the function trigger
1. Browse to and open the S3 console.
2. Browse to and open the S3 bucket that corresponds to your S3 source connector. The bucket's settings page appears.
3. Click the **Properties** tab.
4. In the **Event notifications** tile, click **Create event notification**.
5. In the **General configuration** tile, enter a name for your event notification, such as `UnstructuredWorkflowNotification`.
6. (Optional) For **Prefix**, enter any prefix to limit the Lambda function's scope to only the specified prefix. For example, to limit the scope to only
the `input/` folder within the S3 bucket, enter `input/`.
AWS does not recommend reading from and writing to the same S3 bucket because of the possibility of accidentally running Lambda functions in loops.
However, if you must read from and write to the same S3 bucket, AWS strongly recommends specifying a **Prefix** value. [Learn more](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/with-s3.html).
7. (Optional) For **Suffix**, enter any file extensions to limit the Lambda function's scope to only the specified file extensions. For example, to limit the scope to only
files with the `.pdf` extension, enter `.pdf`.
8. In the **Event types** tile, check the box titled **All object create events (s3:ObjectCreated:\*)**.
9. In the **Destination** tile, select **Lambda function** and **Choose from your Lambda functions**.
10. In the **Lambda function** tile, select the Lambda function that you created earlier in Step 1.
11. Click **Save changes**.
## Step 4: Trigger the function
1. With the S3 bucket's settings page open from the previous step, click the **Objects** tab.
2. If you specified a **Prefix** value earlier in Step 3, then click to open the folder that corresponds to your **Prefix** value.
3. Click **Upload**, and then follow the on-screen instructions to upload a file to the bucket's root. If, however, you clicked to open the folder that corresponds to your **Prefix** value instead, then follow the on-screen instructions to upload a file to that folder instead.
## Step 5: View the trigger results
1. In the Unstructured user interface for your account, click **Jobs** on the sidebar.
2. In the list of jobs, click the newly running job for your workflow.
3. After the job status shows **Finished**, go to your destination location to see the results.
## Step 6 (Optional): Delete the trigger
1. To stop the function from automatically being triggered whenever you add new files to—or update existing files within—the S3 bucket, browse to and open the S3 console.
2. Browse to and open the bucket that corresponds to your S3 source connector. The bucket's settings page appears.
3. Click the **Properties** tab.
4. In the **Event notifications** tile, check the box next to the name of the event notification that you added earlier in Step 3.
5. Click **Delete**, and then click **Confirm**.