diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-and-release.yml b/.github/workflows/build-and-release.yml
index 018508e..e0da84f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-and-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-and-release.yml
@@ -32,6 +32,15 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Docker Buildx
         uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
 
+      - name: Determine Dockerfile
+        id: dockerfile
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ matrix.python-version }}" == "3.10" || "${{ matrix.python-version }}" == "3.11" ]]; then
+            echo "path=Dockerfile.al2" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "path=Dockerfile.al2023" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
       - name: Log in to Container Registry
         if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
         uses: docker/login-action@v3
@@ -57,6 +66,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
         with:
           context: .
+          file: ${{ steps.dockerfile.outputs.path }}
           platforms: linux/amd64
           build-args: |
             PYTHON_VERSION=${{ matrix.python-version }}
@@ -82,6 +92,15 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Docker Buildx
         uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
 
+      - name: Determine Dockerfile
+        id: dockerfile
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ matrix.python-version }}" == "3.10" || "${{ matrix.python-version }}" == "3.11" ]]; then
+            echo "path=Dockerfile.al2" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "path=Dockerfile.al2023" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
       - name: Log in to Container Registry
         if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
         uses: docker/login-action@v3
@@ -107,6 +126,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
         with:
           context: .
+          file: ${{ steps.dockerfile.outputs.path }}
           platforms: linux/arm64
           build-args: |
             PYTHON_VERSION=${{ matrix.python-version }}
diff --git a/Dockerfile.al2 b/Dockerfile.al2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3b7681
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.al2
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.11
+FROM amazonlinux:2
+
+# Install base dependencies
+RUN yum -y install git zip tar gzip gcc gcc-c++ cmake make \
+    wget openssl11-devel bzip2-devel libffi-devel \
+    zlib-devel xz-devel sqlite-devel readline-devel xz && \
+    yum clean all
+
+# Accept Python version as build arg (supports 3.10, 3.11)
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION
+
+# Install Python - build from source for AL2
+RUN cd /tmp && \
+    wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/${PYTHON_VERSION}.0/Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0.tar.xz && \
+    tar xf Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0.tar.xz && \
+    cd Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0 && \
+    ./configure --enable-optimizations --with-ensurepip=install && \
+    make -j$(nproc) && \
+    make altinstall && \
+    cd / && \
+    rm -rf /tmp/Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0*
+
+# Create symlink for easier access
+RUN ln -sf /usr/local/bin/python${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/python3 && \
+    ln -sf /usr/local/bin/pip${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/pip3
+
+# Upgrade pip
+RUN python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
+
+ADD package.sh /
+RUN chmod +x /package.sh
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/package.sh"]
diff --git a/Dockerfile.al2023 b/Dockerfile.al2023
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2be5ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.al2023
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.13
+FROM amazonlinux:2023
+
+# Install base dependencies
+RUN dnf -y install git zip tar gzip gcc gcc-c++ cmake \
+    wget openssl-devel bzip2-devel libffi-devel \
+    zlib-devel xz-devel sqlite-devel readline-devel xz && \
+    dnf clean all
+
+# Accept Python version as build arg (supports 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14)
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION
+
+# Install Python - either from dnf or build from source
+RUN if dnf list available python${PYTHON_VERSION} 2>/dev/null; then \
+        echo "Installing Python ${PYTHON_VERSION} from dnf..."; \
+        dnf -y install python${PYTHON_VERSION} python${PYTHON_VERSION}-pip python${PYTHON_VERSION}-devel && \
+        dnf clean all; \
+    else \
+        echo "Building Python ${PYTHON_VERSION} from source..."; \
+        cd /tmp && \
+        wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/${PYTHON_VERSION}.0/Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0.tar.xz && \
+        tar xf Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0.tar.xz && \
+        cd Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0 && \
+        ./configure --enable-optimizations --with-ensurepip=install && \
+        make -j$(nproc) && \
+        make altinstall && \
+        cd / && \
+        rm -rf /tmp/Python-${PYTHON_VERSION}.0*; \
+    fi
+
+# Create symlink for easier access
+RUN if [ -f /usr/local/bin/python${PYTHON_VERSION} ]; then \
+        ln -sf /usr/local/bin/python${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/python3; \
+        ln -sf /usr/local/bin/pip${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/pip3; \
+    elif [ -f /usr/bin/python${PYTHON_VERSION} ]; then \
+        ln -sf /usr/bin/python${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/python3; \
+        ln -sf /usr/bin/pip${PYTHON_VERSION} /usr/local/bin/pip3; \
+    fi
+
+# Upgrade pip (skip if pip not available as module)
+RUN python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip 2>/dev/null || \
+    python3 -m ensurepip && python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
+
+ADD package.sh /
+RUN chmod +x /package.sh
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/package.sh"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index e1791f2..5c34aee 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -30,9 +30,12 @@ Simply run the build script with no arguments:
 - Reads from `requirements.txt` in the current directory
 - Builds for both x86_64 and arm64 architectures
 - Creates single combined archive per architecture
+- Automatically uses the correct Amazon Linux version for Lambda compatibility
 
 **Result**: `combined-python3.14-x86_64.zip` and `combined-python3.14-aarch64.zip` in `./output/`
 
+> **Note**: This tool uses Amazon Linux 2 for Python 3.10-3.11 and Amazon Linux 2023 for Python 3.12+ to ensure compatibility with [AWS Lambda Python runtimes](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/lambda-python.html).
+
 ### Customizing the Build
 
 ```bash
@@ -131,15 +134,21 @@ docker run --rm \
 
 ## Supported Python Versions
 
-| Python Version | Amazon Linux 2023 | Installation Method | Status |
-|----------------|-------------------|---------------------|--------|
-| 3.10           | ✅ Available      | dnf package         | Supported |
-| 3.11           | ✅ Available      | dnf package         | Supported |
-| 3.12           | ✅ Available      | dnf package         | Supported |
-| 3.13           | ✅ Available      | dnf package         | Supported |
-| 3.14           | ⚙️ Built from source | Compiled with optimizations | Supported (Default) |
+This project automatically uses the appropriate Amazon Linux version based on [AWS Lambda Python runtime requirements](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/lambda-python.html):
+
+| Python Version | Base OS | Installation Method | Lambda Runtime Compatibility |
+|----------------|---------|---------------------|------------------------------|
+| 3.10           | Amazon Linux 2 | Built from source | ✅ python3.10 runtime |
+| 3.11           | Amazon Linux 2 | Built from source | ✅ python3.11 runtime |
+| 3.12           | Amazon Linux 2023 | dnf package | ✅ python3.12 runtime |
+| 3.13           | Amazon Linux 2023 | dnf package | ✅ python3.13 runtime |
+| 3.14           | Amazon Linux 2023 | Built from source | ⚙️ Future runtime (Default) |
 
-**Note**: Python 3.14 is automatically compiled from source when building the Docker image, which takes longer but ensures compatibility with the latest Python version.
+**Key Points:**
+- **Python 3.10 & 3.11**: Use Amazon Linux 2 (matches Lambda runtime environment)
+- **Python 3.12 & 3.13**: Use Amazon Linux 2023 (matches Lambda runtime environment)
+- **Python 3.14**: Uses Amazon Linux 2023, compiled from source for latest features
+- All versions are built with development headers for compiling binary packages
 
 ## Output Formats
 
@@ -235,7 +244,9 @@ Build for Python 3.10 with specific requirements:
 
 ```
 .
-├── Dockerfile              # Multi-version, multi-arch capable Docker image
+├── Dockerfile.al2         # Amazon Linux 2 image (Python 3.10-3.11)
+├── Dockerfile.al2023      # Amazon Linux 2023 image (Python 3.12-3.14)
+├── Dockerfile             # Default (points to AL2023)
 ├── package.sh             # Packaging script with requirements.txt support
 ├── build-multiarch.sh     # Helper script for multi-arch builds
 ├── requirements.example.txt
@@ -244,11 +255,12 @@ Build for Python 3.10 with specific requirements:
 
 ## How It Works
 
-1. **Base Image**: Uses Amazon Linux 2023 for Lambda runtime compatibility
+1. **Base Image Selection**: Automatically chooses Amazon Linux 2 (for Python 3.10-3.11) or Amazon Linux 2023 (for Python 3.12+) to match AWS Lambda runtime environments
 2. **Python Installation**: Installs specified Python version (3.10-3.14) with development headers
-3. **Package Installation**: Uses pip with `--target` flag to install packages
-4. **Packaging**: Creates zip archives with proper Lambda Layer structure
-5. **Multi-arch**: Leverages Docker buildx for platform-specific builds
+3. **Package Installation**: Uses pip with `--target` flag to install packages with proper dependencies
+4. **Packaging**: Creates zip archives with proper Lambda Layer structure (`python/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/`)
+5. **Multi-arch**: Leverages Docker buildx for platform-specific builds (x86_64 and arm64)
+6. **Runtime Compatibility**: Ensures binary compatibility with AWS Lambda execution environments
 
 ## Troubleshooting