# Value of property Variables must be an object with String (or simple type) properties

**URL:** <https://forum.serverless.com/t/value-of-property-variables-must-be-an-object-with-string-or-simple-type-properties/3361>\
**Category:** Serverless Framework\
**Tags:** aws\
**Created:** [December 20, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/value-of-property-variables-must-be-an-object-with-string-or-simple-type-properties/3361 "2017-12-20T14:51:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nolafs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9a140/32.png) [@nolafs](https://forum.serverless.com/u/nolafs)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/value-of-property-variables-must-be-an-object-with-string-or-simple-type-properties/3361/1 "2017-12-20T14:51:25Z")

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Hi

My deploy is failing only on the lambda functions with following error.

Value of property Variables must be an object with String (or simple type) properties

I have no idea, I previous deployed a project with a similar yml and it worked. No problems at all. I am on this past 3 hours. Very frustrating.

```auto
service: rhs-biff-restapi

plugins:
  # - serverless-vpc-discovery
  # - serverless-domain-manager
  - serverless-aws-documentation
  - serverless-kms-secrets
  - serverless-jest-plugin
  #- dynalite
  - serverless-webpack
  # - serverless-dynamodb-local
  - serverless-offline
  - serverless-plugin-aws-alerts
  - serverless-plugin-deploy-environment

custom:
  stage: ${self:deployEnvironment.STAGE}
  vpc_env: ${self:deployEnvironment.VPC_ENV}
  prefix: ${self:deployEnvironment.STAGE}-${self:deployEnvironment.SERVICE}

  webpack: webpack.config.js
  webpackIncludeModules: true
  defaults:
     log_level: INFO
     stage: dev
  deploy:
    variables: ${file(config/variables.yml)}
    environments: ${file(config/deploy.yml)}
  notifications:
    - protocol: https
      endpoint: https://events.pagerduty.com/exampleIntegration
  alerts:
      stages:
        - production
        - staging
      topics:
        ok:
          topic: ${self:provider.stage}-${self:service}-alerts-ok
          notifications: ${self:custom.notifications}
        alarm:
          topic: ${self:provider.stage}-${self:service}-alerts-alarm
          notifications: ${self:custom.notifications}
        insufficientData: ${self:provider.stage}-${self:service}-alerts-insufficientData
      definitions:
        functionDuration:
          evaluationPeriods: 5
          threshold: 1000
        functionErrors:
          evaluationPeriods: 2
      global:
        - functionThrottles
        - functionErrors
      function:
        - functionDuration

  serverless-jest-plugin:
    functionTemplate: config/templates/function-template.ejs
    testTemplate: config/templates/test-template.ejs

  dynamodb:
    start:
      port: 8000
      inMemory: true
      migrate: true
      seed: true

  documentation:
    api:
      info:
        ${file(docs/info.yml)}
    tags:
      - name: MyTag
        description: This is my tag
    resources:
      - path: '/health'
        description: 'Endpoint to see if the serverless app is working'
      - path: '/hello'
        description: 'Joyful greeting by your Serverless Application'
    models:
      ${file(docs/models.yml)}

provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs6.10
  cfLogs: true
  stage: ${opt:stage, self:custom.defaults.stage}
  region: eu-west-1
  profile: ${self:deployEnvironment.PROFILE}

  environment:
    # MY_KMS_SECRET: ${self:custom.kmsSecrets.secrets.foo}
    SERVERLESS_STAGE: ${opt:stage, self:provider.stage}
    SERVERLESS_REGION: ${opt:region, self:provider.region}
    SERVERLESS_PROJECT: ${self:service}
    DYNAMODB_TABLE: ${self:service}-${opt:stage, self:provider.stage}

  iamRoleStatements:
  - Effect: Allow
    Action:
      - dynamodb:*
      - s3:*
    Resource: "*"

  stackTags:
      Team: ${self:deployEnvironment.TEAM}

functions:
  health:
    handler: src/health.health
    events:
      - http:
          method: get
          path: health
          cors: true

  hello:
    handler: handler.hello
    events:
      - http:
          method: get
          path: hello
          cors: true

  error400:
    handler: handler.error400
    events:
      - http:
          method: get
          path: error
          cors: true
  auth:
      handler: handler.auth
  create:
      handler: handler.create
      events:
        - http:
            method: post
            path: api/private/create
            cors: true

  update:
      handler: handler.update
      events:
        - http:
            method: post
            path: api/private/update
            authorizer: auth
            cors:
              origins:
                - '*'
              headers:
                - Content-Type
                - X-Amz-Date
                - Authorization
                - X-Api-Key
                - X-Amz-Security-Token
  delete:
      handler: handler.del
      events:
        - http:
            method: post
            path: api/private/delete
            cors: true
  read:
      handler: handler.read
      events:
        - http:
            method: get
            path: api/public/item
            cors: true
  list:
        handler: handler.list
        events:
          - http:
              method: get
              path: api/public
              cors: true
  test:
      handler: handler.test
      events:
        - http:
            method: get
            path: api/public/test
            cors: true

resources:
  Resources:
    ContentDynamoDbTable:
      Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
      Properties:
        TableName: ${self:provider.environment.DYNAMODB_TABLE}
        AttributeDefinitions:
          - AttributeName: Content
            AttributeType: S
          - AttributeName: Id
            AttributeType: S
          - AttributeName: CreatedAt
            AttributeType: N
        KeySchema:
          - AttributeName: Content
            KeyType: HASH
          - AttributeName: Id
            KeyType: RANGE
        ProvisionedThroughput:
            ReadCapacityUnits: 1
            WriteCapacityUnits: 1
        GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
           - IndexName: Contentbydate
             KeySchema:
               - AttributeName: Content
                 KeyType: HASH
               - AttributeName: CreatedAt
                 KeyType: RANGE
             Projection:
                 NonKeyAttributes:
                   - Id
                   - Name
                   - Slug
                   - Featured
                   - Weight
                 ProjectionType: INCLUDE
             ProvisionedThroughput:
                 ReadCapacityUnits: 1
                 WriteCapacityUnits: 1

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DavidWells](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/davidwells/32/201_2.png) [@DavidWells](https://forum.serverless.com/u/DavidWells)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/value-of-property-variables-must-be-an-object-with-string-or-simple-type-properties/3361/2 "2017-12-20T18:38:05Z")

</div>

run `sls print` to see if your variable are resolving correctly

Sounds like one of your variables can’t resolve a value