What capability does AWS Lambda in a VPC enable?

AWS Lambda running within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows the function to access resources that are hosted within that VPC, such as Amazon EC2 instances or RDS databases. This is important for scenarios where your Lambda functions need to interact with private resources that do not have public internet access. By allowing Lambda to run in a VPC, you can ensure that your serverless application can communicate securely with these resources, while also adhering to your network security requirements.

When Lambda is configured within a VPC, it utilizes the security groups and route tables associated with it, granting controlled access to the necessary resources. This design is ideal for applications that require low-latency interactions with services hosted on private subnets, enabling efficient integrations and maintaining security boundaries.

Other choices present options that do not accurately describe the functionalities offered by AWS Lambda within a VPC. For instance, while AWS Lambda functions can access public internet resources when not operating within a VPC, that functionality is limited when a Lambda function is confined to a VPC. Complete isolation from all network resources would hinder the function's ability to perform its intended tasks, as it needs access to certain services. Lastly, automatic scaling of EC2 instances is not a characteristic of Lambda; it is