A library catalog Lambda is slow only on the first request after idle; later calls are fine. What latency pattern does that most strongly suggest?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
First call after a nap is sluggish, then everything sings? That is classic cold start—warming the environment—not proof the algorithm got worse overnight.
Full Explanation
Cold starts add initialization latency on the first invoke after an idle period or new execution environment; subsequent warm invokes typically avoid that cost. A pattern of slow-first then healthy-steady strongly suggests cold start rather than a general algorithmic regression, DynamoDB hot-key behavior after many queries, or CI/CD gates inside the handler.