From Code to Content: Automating Blog Posts with AWS Lambda

Imagine a tool that can effortlessly transform your code snippets into full-length technical blog posts. That’s exactly what this AWS Lambda function does — automating the journey from raw code to polished content.

How It Works

Triggered with a code snippet, filename, and programming language, the Lambda function initiates a sequence of actions:

1. Title Generation & Task Initialization
   The function starts by generating a blog title and assigning a unique ID to the operation.

2. AI-Powered Content Creation
   It sends the code to OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 model, which produces a draft blog post based on the provided snippet and metadata.

3. Inline Annotations for Screenshots
   To enhance the content visually, you can include inline comments like // screenshot within your code. These tags help identify which blocks should be visually highlighted in the blog post.

4. Copilot-Driven Enhancements
   GitHub Copilot assists during development, helping generate meaningful comments that improve code clarity and act as markers for the screenshot logic. For example, placing a // screenshot comment next to a crucial function highlights it for later capture.

5. Visual Capture with Puppeteer
   For supported languages (like JavaScript or TypeScript), the Lambda function uses Highlight.js to identify marked code blocks. Puppeteer, paired with headless Chromium, renders these blocks and converts them into image screenshots.

6. S3 Integration
   All generated assets — Markdown files and screenshots — are uploaded to an S3 bucket. The blog post is assembled with the screenshots embedded at appropriate locations.

7. Output
   Finally, the function returns a success response with a link to the uploaded Markdown file and any associated screenshots.

Real-World Use

I currently use this setup to generate most of my technical blog posts. While some minor editing is often required for polish, the core structure and visuals are handled automatically — saving hours of manual effort.

Final Thoughts

This workflow makes technical writing more efficient and visually engaging, especially for developer-centric audiences. By blending code, automation, and AI, you can streamline content creation and focus more on innovation than formatting.

Disclaimer: This blog post was AI-generated and lightly edited for clarity.