diff --git a/.github/workflows/README.md b/.github/workflows/README.md
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+# GitHub Actions CI/CD Setup
+
+This repository uses GitHub Actions to automate the deployment of AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model) stacks.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before you can use the automated deployment workflow, you need to set up the following:
+
+### 1. AWS IAM Role for GitHub Actions (OIDC)
+
+Create an IAM role in AWS that GitHub Actions can assume using OpenID Connect (OIDC). This is the recommended approach as it doesn't require storing long-lived AWS credentials.
+
+#### Steps to create the IAM role:
+
+1. **Create an OIDC Identity Provider in AWS**:
+   - Go to IAM → Identity providers → Add provider
+   - Provider type: OpenID Connect
+   - Provider URL: `https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com`
+   - Audience: `sts.amazonaws.com`
+
+2. **Create an IAM Role**:
+   - Go to IAM → Roles → Create role
+   - Select "Web identity"
+   - Choose the OIDC provider you just created
+   - Audience: `sts.amazonaws.com`
+   - Add a trust policy condition to restrict to your repository:
+
+   ```json
+   {
+     "Version": "2012-10-17",
+     "Statement": [
+       {
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Principal": {
+           "Federated": "arn:aws:iam::YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID:oidc-provider/token.actions.githubusercontent.com"
+         },
+         "Action": "sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity",
+         "Condition": {
+           "StringEquals": {
+             "token.actions.githubusercontent.com:aud": "sts.amazonaws.com"
+           },
+           "StringLike": {
+             "token.actions.githubusercontent.com:sub": "repo:YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME/distributed-path-tracer:*"
+           }
+         }
+       }
+     ]
+   }
+   ```
+
+3. **Attach Policies to the Role**:
+   The role needs the following permissions. Here's a more restrictive policy (adjust resource ARNs as needed):
+   
+   ```json
+   {
+     "Version": "2012-10-17",
+     "Statement": [
+       {
+         "Sid": "CloudFormationPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "cloudformation:CreateStack",
+           "cloudformation:UpdateStack",
+           "cloudformation:DeleteStack",
+           "cloudformation:DescribeStacks",
+           "cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents",
+           "cloudformation:DescribeStackResource",
+           "cloudformation:DescribeStackResources",
+           "cloudformation:GetTemplate",
+           "cloudformation:ValidateTemplate",
+           "cloudformation:CreateChangeSet",
+           "cloudformation:DescribeChangeSet",
+           "cloudformation:ExecuteChangeSet",
+           "cloudformation:DeleteChangeSet",
+           "cloudformation:ListStackResources"
+         ],
+         "Resource": [
+           "arn:aws:cloudformation:*:*:stack/distributed-path-tracer-stack/*",
+           "arn:aws:cloudformation:*:*:stack/distributed-path-tracer-stack-*/*"
+         ]
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "LambdaPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "lambda:CreateFunction",
+           "lambda:DeleteFunction",
+           "lambda:UpdateFunctionCode",
+           "lambda:UpdateFunctionConfiguration",
+           "lambda:GetFunction",
+           "lambda:GetFunctionConfiguration",
+           "lambda:AddPermission",
+           "lambda:RemovePermission",
+           "lambda:InvokeFunction",
+           "lambda:CreateFunctionUrlConfig",
+           "lambda:UpdateFunctionUrlConfig",
+           "lambda:DeleteFunctionUrlConfig",
+           "lambda:GetFunctionUrlConfig",
+           "lambda:TagResource",
+           "lambda:UntagResource"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:*:*:function:distributed-path-tracer-*"
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "IAMPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "iam:CreateRole",
+           "iam:DeleteRole",
+           "iam:GetRole",
+           "iam:PassRole",
+           "iam:AttachRolePolicy",
+           "iam:DetachRolePolicy",
+           "iam:PutRolePolicy",
+           "iam:DeleteRolePolicy",
+           "iam:GetRolePolicy",
+           "iam:TagRole",
+           "iam:UntagRole"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "arn:aws:iam::*:role/distributed-path-tracer-*"
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "S3Permissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "s3:GetObject",
+           "s3:PutObject",
+           "s3:DeleteObject",
+           "s3:ListBucket",
+           "s3:GetBucketLocation"
+         ],
+         "Resource": [
+           "arn:aws:s3:::distributed-path-tracer-*",
+           "arn:aws:s3:::distributed-path-tracer-*/*"
+         ]
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "ECRPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "ecr:GetAuthorizationToken",
+           "ecr:BatchCheckLayerAvailability",
+           "ecr:GetDownloadUrlForLayer",
+           "ecr:BatchGetImage",
+           "ecr:PutImage",
+           "ecr:InitiateLayerUpload",
+           "ecr:UploadLayerPart",
+           "ecr:CompleteLayerUpload",
+           "ecr:DescribeRepositories",
+           "ecr:CreateRepository",
+           "ecr:SetRepositoryPolicy"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "*"
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "APIGatewayPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "apigateway:POST",
+           "apigateway:GET",
+           "apigateway:PATCH",
+           "apigateway:DELETE",
+           "apigateway:PUT"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "arn:aws:apigateway:*::/*"
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "SNSSQSPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "sns:CreateTopic",
+           "sns:DeleteTopic",
+           "sns:GetTopicAttributes",
+           "sns:SetTopicAttributes",
+           "sns:Subscribe",
+           "sns:Unsubscribe",
+           "sns:ListTopics",
+           "sns:TagResource",
+           "sns:UntagResource",
+           "sqs:CreateQueue",
+           "sqs:DeleteQueue",
+           "sqs:GetQueueAttributes",
+           "sqs:SetQueueAttributes",
+           "sqs:TagQueue",
+           "sqs:UntagQueue"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "*"
+       },
+       {
+         "Sid": "CloudWatchLogsPermissions",
+         "Effect": "Allow",
+         "Action": [
+           "logs:CreateLogGroup",
+           "logs:CreateLogStream",
+           "logs:PutLogEvents",
+           "logs:DescribeLogGroups",
+           "logs:DeleteLogGroup",
+           "logs:TagResource",
+           "logs:UntagResource"
+         ],
+         "Resource": "arn:aws:logs:*:*:log-group:/aws/lambda/distributed-path-tracer-*"
+       }
+     ]
+   }
+   ```
+   
+   Note: Some resources like ECR authorization, SNS/SQS (with dynamic naming), require `*` in the resource field. Adjust ARNs based on your account and naming conventions.
+
+### 2. AWS Resources
+
+Create the following AWS resources:
+
+1. **S3 Bucket for SAM Artifacts**:
+   - Create an S3 bucket to store SAM deployment artifacts
+   - Example: `distributed-path-tracer-artifacts`
+
+2. **ECR Repository for Docker Images**:
+   - Create an ECR repository for the Lambda container images
+   - Example: `distributed-path-tracer`
+
+### 3. GitHub Repository Configuration
+
+#### Secrets
+
+Add the following secrets to your GitHub repository (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Secrets):
+
+- `AWS_ROLE_ARN`: The ARN of the IAM role created above
+  - Example: `arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/GitHubActionsDeployRole`
+- `SAM_ARTIFACTS_BUCKET`: The name of the S3 bucket for SAM artifacts
+  - Example: `distributed-path-tracer-artifacts`
+- `ECR_REPOSITORY`: The URI of the ECR repository
+  - Example: `123456789012.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/distributed-path-tracer`
+
+#### Variables (Optional)
+
+Add the following variables (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Variables):
+
+- `AWS_REGION`: AWS region for deployment (default: `us-east-1`)
+
+#### Environments (Recommended)
+
+For better control, create GitHub environments:
+
+1. Go to Settings → Environments
+2. Create an environment named `prod`
+3. (Optional) Add protection rules like required reviewers
+4. Add environment-specific secrets/variables if needed
+
+## Usage
+
+### Manual Deployment
+
+Deployments are triggered manually for better control and to prevent accidental production deployments:
+
+1. Go to Actions → Deploy SAM Application
+2. Click "Run workflow"
+3. Select the branch and environment
+4. Click "Run workflow"
+
+## Workflow Details
+
+The deployment workflow performs the following steps:
+
+1. **Checkout code**: Retrieves the repository code
+2. **Configure AWS credentials**: Assumes the IAM role using OIDC
+3. **Setup SAM CLI**: Installs the AWS SAM CLI
+4. **SAM Build**: Builds the SAM application (including Docker images)
+5. **SAM Deploy**: Deploys the stack to AWS
+6. **Output Stack Info**: Displays the stack outputs (API endpoints, Lambda ARNs, etc.)
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Build Failures
+
+- Check that all required build tools are available
+- Verify Docker images build correctly locally first
+- Review CloudWatch logs for Lambda build errors
+
+### Deployment Failures
+
+- Verify IAM role has sufficient permissions
+- Check that S3 bucket and ECR repository exist
+- Ensure region settings are correct
+- Review CloudFormation events in AWS Console
+
+### Authentication Issues
+
+- Verify OIDC provider is correctly configured
+- Check IAM role trust policy matches your repository
+- Ensure `AWS_ROLE_ARN` secret is correct
+
+## Local Development
+
+To deploy locally:
+
+```bash
+# Build the SAM application
+sam build --cached
+
+# Deploy with your AWS profile
+sam deploy --profile your-profile-name
+```
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- [AWS SAM Documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/serverless-application-model/)
+- [GitHub Actions OIDC with AWS](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/deployment/security-hardening-your-deployments/configuring-openid-connect-in-amazon-web-services)
+- [SAM CLI Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/serverless-application-model/latest/developerguide/serverless-sam-cli-command-reference.html)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-sam.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-sam.yml
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+name: Deploy SAM Application
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      environment:
+        description: 'Environment to deploy to'
+        required: true
+        default: 'prod'
+        type: choice
+        options:
+          - prod
+          - staging
+      stack_name:
+        description: 'CloudFormation stack name'
+        required: false
+        default: 'distributed-path-tracer-stack'
+        type: string
+
+permissions:
+  id-token: write
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  deploy:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}
+    
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Configure AWS credentials
+        uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
+        with:
+          role-to-assume: ${{ secrets.AWS_ROLE_ARN }}
+          aws-region: ${{ vars.AWS_REGION || 'us-east-1' }}
+
+      - name: Setup SAM CLI
+        uses: aws-actions/setup-sam@v2
+        with:
+          use-installer: true
+
+      - name: SAM Build
+        run: sam build --cached
+
+      - name: SAM Deploy
+        run: |
+          sam deploy \
+            --no-confirm-changeset \
+            --no-fail-on-empty-changeset \
+            --stack-name ${{ github.event.inputs.stack_name || 'distributed-path-tracer-stack' }} \
+            --s3-bucket ${{ secrets.SAM_ARTIFACTS_BUCKET }} \
+            --s3-prefix ${{ github.event.inputs.stack_name || 'distributed-path-tracer-stack' }} \
+            --region ${{ vars.AWS_REGION || 'us-east-1' }} \
+            --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND \
+            --image-repository ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }} \
+            --parameter-overrides ENV=${{ github.event.inputs.environment }} \
+            --on-failure DELETE
+
+      - name: Output Stack Info
+        run: |
+          aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
+            --stack-name ${{ github.event.inputs.stack_name || 'distributed-path-tracer-stack' }} \
+            --region ${{ vars.AWS_REGION || 'us-east-1' }} \
+            --query 'Stacks[0].Outputs' \
+            --output table
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate-sam.yml b/.github/workflows/validate-sam.yml
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+name: Validate SAM Template
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+    paths:
+      - 'template.yml'
+      - 'cloudformation/**'
+      - '.github/workflows/validate-sam.yml'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  validate:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup SAM CLI
+        uses: aws-actions/setup-sam@v2
+        with:
+          use-installer: true
+
+      - name: Validate SAM Template
+        run: sam validate --lint
+
+      - name: SAM Build (Dry Run)
+        run: sam build --cached