Summary

The author encountered an error while attempting to install 'chromadb' within AWS Lambda and found a solution after extensive troubleshooting.

Abstract

The author was writing an article series and encountered an error while trying to install 'chromadb' within AWS Lambda. The error was related to the 'chromadb' dependency, and the author tried various solutions from web links and the chromadb documentation, but none of them worked. After realizing that the solutions were not applicable to the docker file, the author found a solution by using a specific command. The author learned that it is important to think through the problem instead of blindly trying solutions.

Bullet points

The author encountered an error while trying to install 'chromadb' within AWS Lambda.
The error was related to the 'chromadb' dependency.
The author tried various solutions from web links and the chromadb documentation, but none of them worked.
The author realized that the solutions were not applicable to the docker file.
The author found a solution by using a specific command.
The author learned that it is important to think through the problem instead of blindly trying solutions.

How to solve “Building wheel for chroma-hnswlib” error on AWS Lambda ?

I was writing ‘Part 3: Lambda Implementation’ for this article series, and I was attempting to install ‘chromadb’ to be executed within the Lambda.:

and I encountered the below error:

Based on the error, it’s evident that the issue was related to the ‘chromadb’ dependency. By the way, this was my dependency stack:

When I started searching for a solution to this error I fell into a rabbit hole of web links suggesting solutions for windows and macos, even there is this one by chromadb that suggests some solutions:

I tried all of the above and more such solutions, even switched to a Windows and a Linux machine, blaming mac M1 for the root of the problem, but interestingly I encountered the exact same error on all the machines, and none of the solutions worked.

It took me some tries and failures, post which I realized that none of the solutions will work, since I was doing it in a docker file, and host OS doesn’t matter since execution is happening inside the docker image🤦

After a few more tries I encountered this and this, which required me to use the below command :

And this finally fixed the error!

Lesson learned from this experience ?

When encountering an error in an unknown domain, do not blindly try to copy and paste solutions. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to take a step back and think through the problem.

PS: For anyone facing this issue this is the Docker File I used.

🌟 Stay Connected! 🌟

I love sharing ideas and stories here, but the conversation doesn’t have to end when the last paragraph does. Let’s keep it going!

🔹 LinkedIn for professional insights and networking: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhav-arora-0730a718/

🔹 Twitter for daily thoughts and interactions:https://twitter.com/MadhavAror

🔹 YouTube for engaging videos and deeper dives into topics: https://www.youtube.com/@aidiscoverylab

Got questions or want to say hello? Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. I’m always open to discussions, opportunities, or just a friendly chat. Let’s make the digital world a little more connected!