What is AWS Lambda primarily used for?

AWS Lambda is primarily used for running code in response to events without the need to provision or manage servers. This serverless compute service allows developers to execute their code in a flexible and efficient manner, automatically scaling based on the incoming request load. With AWS Lambda, the developer only needs to write code and define the event sources that will trigger its execution, such as changes to data in an Amazon S3 bucket or updates to an Amazon DynamoDB table.

By removing the burden of infrastructure management, AWS Lambda enables users to focus on coding and application logic rather than worrying about server capacity or availability. It is particularly beneficial for real-time processing, event-driven architecture, and microservices.

Other choices have specific functions that do not align with AWS Lambda’s purpose. For instance, storing and retrieving data on demand typically relates to services like Amazon S3 or Amazon DynamoDB, managing user access involves services like AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), and facilitating network management within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) pertains to services such as Amazon VPC itself or related networking tools.