# AWS Lambda: Task timed out after X seconds

**Code:** `Task timed out` · **Category:** AWS · **Seen on:** AWS, Node.js, Python

The function ran longer than its configured timeout (default 3 seconds) and Lambda stopped it.

## Meaning

Lambda’s default timeout is only 3 seconds. Beyond slow code, the classic causes are network calls that hang (Lambda in a VPC without a NAT gateway can’t reach the internet), cold starts, and open DB connections keeping the event loop alive in Node.

## Common causes

- Default 3s timeout too low
- Lambda in a VPC calling the internet without NAT / VPC endpoints
- Slow downstream API or database
- Node.js event loop kept alive by open connections (callbackWaitsForEmptyEventLoop)
- Cold start + heavy initialisation

## Quick fix

1. Raise the timeout (up to 15 min) to a realistic value
2. Add NAT gateway or VPC endpoints for VPC Lambdas
3. Set client timeouts shorter than the Lambda timeout
4. Node: `context.callbackWaitsForEmptyEventLoop = false` for pooled DB connections

## Detailed fix by platform

### AWS

1. Update timeout and memory (more memory = more CPU):

```bash
aws lambda update-function-configuration --function-name orders-api --timeout 30 --memory-size 512
```


## How to diagnose

1. **Duration** — CloudWatch REPORT line: Duration vs timeout
2. **Network** — In a VPC? NAT/endpoints?
3. **Downstream** — X-Ray: which call is slow?

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Source: [WhatIsMyError](https://whatismyerror.com/errors/aws/lambda-task-timed-out)