1. If you have not already, install the Datadog Serverless Framework Plugin v5.40.0+:

   serverless plugin install --name serverless-plugin-datadog
   

2. Ensure you have deployed the Datadog Lambda Forwarder, a Lambda function that ships logs from AWS to Datadog, and that you are using v3.130.0+. You might need to update your Forwarder.

   Take note of your Forwarder’s ARN.

3. Add the following to your serverless.yml:

   custom:
     datadog:
       site: <DATADOG_SITE>
       apiKeySecretArn: <DATADOG_API_KEY_SECRET_ARN>
       forwarderArn: <FORWARDER_ARN>
       enableStepFunctionsTracing: true
       propagateUpstreamTrace: true
       mergeStepFunctionAndLambdaTraces: true
   

   • Replace <DATADOG_SITE> with (ensure the correct SITE is selected on the right).
   • Replace <DATADOG_API_KEY_SECRET_ARN> with the ARN of the AWS secret where your Datadog API key is securely stored. The key needs to be stored as a plaintext string (not a JSON blob). The secretsmanager:GetSecretValue permission is required. For quick testing, you can instead use apiKey and set the Datadog API key in plaintext.
   • Replace <FORWARDER_ARN> with the ARN of your Datadog Lambda Forwarder. This step configures the log stream subscription for the Forwarder. Ensure that the Step Function log group name begins with “/aws/vendedlogs/states/”. If it does not, you will need to set it up manually.

   For additional settings, see Datadog Serverless Framework Plugin - Configuration parameters.

1. If you have not already, install the Datadog CLI v2.18.0+.

   npm install -g @datadog/datadog-ci
   

2. Ensure you have deployed the Datadog Lambda Forwarder, a Lambda function that ships logs from AWS to Datadog, and that you are using v3.130.0+. You may need to update your Forwarder.

   Take note of your Forwarder’s ARN.

3. Instrument your Step Function.

   datadog-ci stepfunctions instrument \
    --step-function <STEP_FUNCTION_ARN> \
    --forwarder <FORWARDER_ARN> \
    --env <ENVIRONMENT> \
    --propagate-upstream-trace \
    --merge-step-function-and-lambda-traces
   

   • Replace <STEP_FUNCTION_ARN> with the ARN of your Step Function. Repeat the --step-function flag for each Step Function you wish to instrument.
   • Replace <FORWARDER_ARN> with the ARN of your Datadog Lambda Forwarder, as noted previously. This step configures the log stream subscription for the Forwarder. Ensure that the Step Function log group name begins with “/aws/vendedlogs/states/”. If it does not, you will need to set it up manually.
   • Replace <ENVIRONMENT> with the environment tag you would like to apply to your Step Functions.

   For more information about the datadog-ci stepfunctions command, see the Datadog CLI documentation.

On the Lambda Task, set the Parameters key as follows:

"Parameters": {
  "Payload.$": "States.JsonMerge($$, $, false)",
  ...
}

The JsonMerge intrinsic function merges the Step Functions context object ($$) with the original Lambda’s input payload ($). Fields of the original payload overwrite the Step Functions context object if their keys are the same.

Example:

"Lambda Read From DynamoDB": {
  "Type": "Task",
  "Resource": "arn:aws:states:::lambda:invoke",
  "Parameters": {
    "Payload.$": "States.JsonMerge($$, $, false)",
    "FunctionName": "${lambdaArn}"
  },
  "End": true
}

Alternatively, if you have business logic defined in the payload, you can also use the following format:

"Lambda Read From DynamoDB": {
  "Type": "Task",
  "Resource": "arn:aws:states:::lambda:invoke",
  "Parameters": {
    "Payload": {
      ...
      "Execution.$": "$$.Execution",
      "State.$": "$$.State",
      "StateMachine.$": "$$.StateMachine"
    },
    "FunctionName": "${lambdaArn}"
  },
  "End": true
}