aws-cloudformation-dynamodb

AWS CloudFormation patterns for DynamoDB tables, GSIs, LSIs, auto-scaling, and streams. Use when creating DynamoDB tables with CloudFormation, configuring primary keys, local/global secondary indexes, capacity modes (on-demand/provisioned), point-in-time recovery, encryption, TTL, and implementing template structure with Parameters, Outputs, Mappings, Conditions, cross-stack references.

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AWS CloudFormation DynamoDB

Overview

Create production-ready NoSQL database infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation templates. This skill covers DynamoDB tables, primary keys, secondary indexes (GSI/LSI), capacity modes, auto-scaling, encryption, TTL, streams, and best practices for parameters, outputs, and cross-stack references.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

Creating new DynamoDB tables with CloudFormation
Configuring primary keys (partition key, sort key)
Creating Global Secondary Indexes (GSI) and Local Secondary Indexes (LSI)
Setting up capacity modes (on-demand or provisioned)
Implementing auto-scaling with Application Auto Scaling
Enabling point-in-time recovery and backup
Configuring encryption at rest and in transit
Setting up TTL for automatic data expiration
Enabling DynamoDB Streams for change data capture
Organizing templates with Parameters, Outputs, Mappings, Conditions
Implementing cross-stack references with export/import
Using Transform for macros and reuse

CloudFormation Template Structure

Base Template with Standard Format

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table with GSI and auto-scaling

Metadata:
  AWS::CloudFormation::Interface:
    ParameterGroups:
      - Label:
          default: Table Configuration
        Parameters:
          - TableName
          - BillingMode
          - PrimaryKeyName
          - PrimaryKeyType
      - Label:
          default: Capacity Settings
        Parameters:
          - ReadCapacityUnits
          - WriteCapacityUnits
          - MinReadCapacity
          - MaxReadCapacity
          - TargetUtilizationPercent

Parameters:
  TableName:
    Type: String
    Default: my-dynamodb-table
    Description: Name of the DynamoDB table

  BillingMode:
    Type: String
    Default: PAY_PER_REQUEST
    AllowedValues:
      - PAY_PER_REQUEST
      - PROVISIONED
    Description: Billing mode for the table

  PrimaryKeyName:
    Type: String
    Default: pk
    Description: Name of the partition key attribute

  PrimaryKeyType:
    Type: String
    Default: S
    AllowedValues:
      - S (String)
      - N (Number)
      - B (Binary)
    Description: Type of the partition key attribute

  ReadCapacityUnits:
    Type: Number
    Default: 5
    Description: Read capacity units (required for PROVISIONED mode)

  WriteCapacityUnits:
    Type: Number
    Default: 5
    Description: Write capacity units (required for PROVISIONED mode)

  MinReadCapacity:
    Type: Number
    Default: 5
    Description: Minimum read capacity for auto-scaling

  MaxReadCapacity:
    Type: Number
    Default: 100
    Description: Maximum read capacity for auto-scaling

  TargetUtilizationPercent:
    Type: Number
    Default: 70
    Description: Target utilization percentage for auto-scaling

Mappings:
  CapacityConfig:
    dev:
      ReadCapacity: 5
      WriteCapacity: 5
      MinRead: 5
      MaxRead: 20
      MinWrite: 5
      MaxWrite: 20
    staging:
      ReadCapacity: 10
      WriteCapacity: 10
      MinRead: 10
      MaxRead: 50
      MinWrite: 10
      MaxWrite: 50
    production:
      ReadCapacity: 25
      WriteCapacity: 25
      MinRead: 25
      MaxRead: 200
      MinWrite: 25
      MaxWrite: 200

Conditions:
  IsProvisioned: !Equals [!Ref BillingMode, PROVISIONED]
  IsDev: !Equals [!Ref Environment, dev]

Resources:
  # DynamoDB Table
  MyDynamoDBTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Ref TableName
      BillingMode: !Ref BillingMode
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: !Ref PrimaryKeyName
          AttributeType: !Ref PrimaryKeyType
        - AttributeName: sk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: gsi_pk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: gsi_sk
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: !Ref PrimaryKeyName
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: sk
          KeyType: RANGE
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: GSI
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: gsi_pk
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: gsi_sk
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
          ProvisionedThroughput: !If
            - IsProvisioned
            - ReadCapacityUnits: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, ReadCapacity]
              WriteCapacityUnits: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, WriteCapacity]
            - !Ref AWS::NoValue
      ProvisionedThroughput: !If
        - IsProvisioned
        - ReadCapacityUnits: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, ReadCapacity]
          WriteCapacityUnits: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, WriteCapacity]
        - !Ref AWS::NoValue
      StreamSpecification:
        StreamViewType: NEW_AND_OLD_IMAGES
      TimeToLiveSpecification:
        AttributeName: ttl
        Enabled: true
      PointInTimeRecoverySpecification:
        PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled: true
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true
        SSEType: AES256
      Tags:
        - Key: Environment
          Value: !Ref Environment
        - Key: Project
          Value: !Ref ProjectName

Outputs:
  TableName:
    Description: Name of the DynamoDB table
    Value: !Ref MyDynamoDBTable
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableName"

  TableArn:
    Description: ARN of the DynamoDB table
    Value: !GetAtt MyDynamoDBTable.Arn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableArn"

  TableStreamArn:
    Description: ARN of the DynamoDB table stream
    Value: !GetAtt MyDynamoDBTable.StreamArn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableStreamArn"

Best Practices for Parameters

AWS-Specific Parameter Types

Parameters:
  # AWS-specific types for validation
  TableName:
    Type: String
    Description: Name of the DynamoDB table

  TableArn:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table::Arn
    Description: ARN of existing DynamoDB table

  TableStreamArn:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table::StreamArn
    Description: Stream ARN of DynamoDB table

  KMSKeyArn:
    Type: AWS::KMS::Key::Arn
    Description: KMS key for server-side encryption

  IAMRoleArn:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role::Arn
    Description: IAM role for DynamoDB access

Parameter Constraints

Parameters:
  TableName:
    Type: String
    Default: my-table
    Description: DynamoDB table name
    ConstraintDescription: Must be 3-255 characters, alphanumeric and underscores
    MinLength: 3
    MaxLength: 255
    AllowedPattern: "[a-zA-Z0-9_]+"

  ReadCapacityUnits:
    Type: Number
    Default: 5
    Description: Read capacity units
    MinValue: 1
    MaxValue: 40000
    ConstraintDescription: Must be between 1 and 40000

  WriteCapacityUnits:
    Type: Number
    Default: 5
    Description: Write capacity units
    MinValue: 1
    MaxValue: 40000
    ConstraintDescription: Must be between 1 and 40000

  BillingMode:
    Type: String
    Default: PAY_PER_REQUEST
    Description: Billing mode
    AllowedValues:
      - PAY_PER_REQUEST
      - PROVISIONED

Outputs and Cross-Stack References

Export/Import Patterns

# Stack A - Database Stack
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table infrastructure stack

Resources:
  MyDynamoDBTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-table"
      BillingMode: PROVISIONED
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: pk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: sk
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: pk
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: sk
          KeyType: RANGE
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 10
        WriteCapacityUnits: 10
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true

Outputs:
  TableName:
    Description: Name of the DynamoDB table
    Value: !Ref MyDynamoDBTable
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableName"

  TableArn:
    Description: ARN of the DynamoDB table
    Value: !GetAtt MyDynamoDBTable.Arn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableArn"

  TableStreamArn:
    Description: Stream ARN for Lambda triggers
    Value: !GetAtt MyDynamoDBTable.StreamArn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-TableStreamArn"

# Stack B - Application Stack (imports from Stack A)
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: Application stack using DynamoDB table

Parameters:
  DatabaseStackName:
    Type: String
    Default: database-stack
    Description: Name of the database stack

Resources:
  # Lambda function that uses DynamoDB
  DataProcessorFunction:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-processor"
      Runtime: python3.11
      Handler: handler.handler
      Code:
        S3Bucket: !Ref CodeBucket
        S3Key: lambda/processor.zip
      Environment:
        Variables:
          TABLE_NAME: !ImportValue
            !Sub "${DatabaseStackName}-TableName"
      Policies:
        - DynamoDBReadPolicy:
            TableName: !ImportValue
              !Sub "${DatabaseStackName}-TableName"
        - DynamoDBWritePolicy:
            TableName: !ImportValue
              !Sub "${DatabaseStackName}-TableName"

  # Lambda trigger from DynamoDB Streams
  StreamProcessorFunction:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-stream-processor"
      Runtime: python3.11
      Handler: stream_handler.handler
      Code:
        S3Bucket: !Ref CodeBucket
        S3Key: lambda/stream-processor.zip
      EventSourceMapping:
        EventSourceArn: !ImportValue
          !Sub "${DatabaseStackName}-TableStreamArn"
        FunctionName: !Ref StreamProcessorFunction
        StartingPosition: LATEST

Nested Stacks for Modularity

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: Main stack with nested DynamoDB stacks

Resources:
  # Nested stack for tables
  TablesStack:
    Type: AWS::CloudFormation::Stack
    Properties:
      TemplateURL: https://s3.amazonaws.com/bucket/dynamodb-tables.yaml
      TimeoutInMinutes: 15
      Parameters:
        Environment: !Ref Environment
        TableNamePrefix: !Ref TableNamePrefix

  # Nested stack for auto-scaling
  AutoScalingStack:
    Type: AWS::CloudFormation::Stack
    Properties:
      TemplateURL: https://s3.amazonaws.com/bucket/dynamodb-autoscaling.yaml
      TimeoutInMinutes: 15
      Parameters:
        Environment: !Ref Environment
        TableName: !GetAtt TablesStack.Outputs.MainTableName
        ReadCapacityUnits: !GetAtt TablesStack.Outputs.ReadCapacity
        WriteCapacityUnits: !GetAtt TablesStack.Outputs.WriteCapacity

DynamoDB Tables with Advanced Configurations

Table with GSI and LSI

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table with multiple GSIs and LSIs

Parameters:
  Environment:
    Type: String
    Default: dev
    AllowedValues:
      - dev
      - staging
      - production

Resources:
  # DynamoDB Table with indexes
  OrdersTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-orders"
      BillingMode: PROVISIONED
      AttributeDefinitions:
        # Primary key attributes
        - AttributeName: customer_id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: order_date
          AttributeType: S
        # GSI attributes
        - AttributeName: status
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: order_total
          AttributeType: N
        - AttributeName: created_at
          AttributeType: S
        # LSI attributes
        - AttributeName: ship_date
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: customer_id
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: order_date
          KeyType: RANGE
      # Global Secondary Indexes
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        # GSI for status-based queries
        - IndexName: StatusIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: status
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: order_date
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
          ProvisionedThroughput:
            ReadCapacityUnits: 10
            WriteCapacityUnits: 10
        # GSI for total-based queries
        - IndexName: TotalIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: status
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: order_total
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
          ProvisionedThroughput:
            ReadCapacityUnits: 10
            WriteCapacityUnits: 10
      # Local Secondary Indexes
      LocalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: ShipDateIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: customer_id
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: ship_date
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 20
        WriteCapacityUnits: 20
      StreamSpecification:
        StreamViewType: NEW_AND_OLD_IMAGES
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true
      Tags:
        - Key: Environment
          Value: !Ref Environment
        - Key: DataClassification
          Value: confidential

On-Demand Capacity Table

Resources:
  # On-demand capacity table
  EventsTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-events"
      BillingMode: PAY_PER_REQUEST
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: event_id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: event_type
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: timestamp
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: event_id
          KeyType: HASH
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: TypeTimestampIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: event_type
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: timestamp
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
      StreamSpecification:
        StreamViewType: KEYS_ONLY
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true
      PointInTimeRecoverySpecification:
        PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled: true

Auto-Scaling Configuration

Application Auto Scaling for Provisioned Tables

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table with auto-scaling

Parameters:
  Environment:
    Type: String
    Default: dev
    AllowedValues:
      - dev
      - staging
      - production

Resources:
  # DynamoDB Table
  MyTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-table"
      BillingMode: PROVISIONED
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: pk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: sk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: gsi_pk
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: pk
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: sk
          KeyType: RANGE
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: GSI
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: gsi_pk
              KeyType: HASH
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
          ProvisionedThroughput:
            ReadCapacityUnits: 5
            WriteCapacityUnits: 5
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5

  # Scalable Target for Table Read Capacity
  ReadScalingTarget:
    Type: AWS::ApplicationAutoScaling::ScalableTarget
    Properties:
      MaxCapacity: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, MaxReadCapacity]
      MinCapacity: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, MinReadCapacity]
      ResourceId: !Sub "table/${MyTable}"
      RoleARN: !GetAtt AutoScalingRole.Arn
      ScalableDimension: dynamodb:table:ReadCapacityUnits
      ServiceNamespace: dynamodb

  # Scalable Target for Table Write Capacity
  WriteScalingTarget:
    Type: AWS::ApplicationAutoScaling::ScalableTarget
    Properties:
      MaxCapacity: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, MaxWriteCapacity]
      MinCapacity: !FindInMap [CapacityConfig, !Ref Environment, MinWriteCapacity]
      ResourceId: !Sub "table/${MyTable}"
      RoleARN: !GetAtt AutoScalingRole.Arn
      ScalableDimension: dynamodb:table:WriteCapacityUnits
      ServiceNamespace: dynamodb

  # Scalable Target for GSI Read Capacity
  GSIScalingTarget:
    Type: AWS::ApplicationAutoScaling::ScalableTarget
    Properties:
      MaxCapacity: 100
      MinCapacity: 5
      ResourceId: !Sub "table/${MyTable}/index/GSI"
      RoleARN: !GetAtt AutoScalingRole.Arn
      ScalableDimension: dynamodb:index:ReadCapacityUnits
      ServiceNamespace: dynamodb

  # Scaling Policy for Read Capacity
  ReadScalingPolicy:
    Type: AWS::ApplicationAutoScaling::ScalingPolicy
    Properties:
      PolicyName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-read-scaling"
      PolicyType: TargetTrackingScaling
      ScalingTargetId: !Ref ReadScalingTarget
      TargetTrackingScalingPolicyConfiguration:
        PredefinedMetricSpecification:
          PredefinedMetricType: DynamoDBReadCapacityUtilization
        TargetValue: 70
        ScaleInCooldown: 60
        ScaleOutCooldown: 60

  # Scaling Policy for Write Capacity
  WriteScalingPolicy:
    Type: AWS::ApplicationAutoScaling::ScalingPolicy
    Properties:
      PolicyName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-write-scaling"
      PolicyType: TargetTrackingScaling
      ScalingTargetId: !Ref WriteScalingTarget
      TargetTrackingScalingPolicyConfiguration:
        PredefinedMetricSpecification:
          PredefinedMetricType: DynamoDBWriteCapacityUtilization
        TargetValue: 70
        ScaleInCooldown: 60
        ScaleOutCooldown: 60

  # Auto Scaling IAM Role
  AutoScalingRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      RoleName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-dynamodb-autoscaling"
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: application-autoscaling.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole
      ManagedPolicyArns:
        - arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/DynamoDBAutoscaleRole

Mappings:
  CapacityConfig:
    dev:
      MinReadCapacity: 5
      MaxReadCapacity: 20
      MinWriteCapacity: 5
      MaxWriteCapacity: 20
    staging:
      MinReadCapacity: 10
      MaxReadCapacity: 50
      MinWriteCapacity: 10
      MaxWriteCapacity: 50
    production:
      MinReadCapacity: 25
      MaxReadCapacity: 200
      MinWriteCapacity: 25
      MaxWriteCapacity: 200

DynamoDB Streams and Lambda Integration

Table with Stream for Lambda Trigger

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table with stream for Lambda trigger

Resources:
  # DynamoDB Table with Stream
  OrdersTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-orders"
      BillingMode: PROVISIONED
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: order_id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: customer_id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: status
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: order_id
          KeyType: HASH
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: CustomerIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: customer_id
              KeyType: HASH
            - AttributeName: status
              KeyType: RANGE
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 10
        WriteCapacityUnits: 10
      StreamSpecification:
        StreamViewType: NEW_AND_OLD_IMAGES

  # Lambda Function for processing stream
  StreamProcessorFunction:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-stream-processor"
      Runtime: python3.11
      Handler: handler.process_event
      Code:
        S3Bucket: !Ref CodeBucket
        S3Key: lambda/stream-processor.zip
      Timeout: 300
      Role: !GetAtt LambdaExecutionRole.Arn

  # Event Source Mapping
  StreamEventSource:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::EventSourceMapping
    Properties:
      EventSourceArn: !GetAtt OrdersTable.StreamArn
      FunctionName: !Ref StreamProcessorFunction
      StartingPosition: TRIM_HORIZON
      BatchSize: 100
      MaximumBatchingWindowInSeconds: 60
      DestinationConfig:
        OnFailure:
          Destination: !GetAtt DeadLetterQueue.Arn
      Enabled: true

  # Dead Letter Queue for failed events
  DeadLetterQueue:
    Type: AWS::SQS::Queue
    Properties:
      QueueName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-stream-dlq"
      MessageRetentionPeriod: 86400

  # Lambda Execution Role
  LambdaExecutionRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      RoleName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-lambda-role"
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: lambda.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole
      ManagedPolicyArns:
        - arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole
      Policies:
        - PolicyName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-dynamodb-policy"
          PolicyDocument:
            Version: "2012-10-17"
            Statement:
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - dynamodb:GetRecords
                  - dynamodb:GetShardIterator
                  - dynamodb:DescribeStream
                  - dynamodb:ListStreams
                Resource: !GetAtt OrdersTable.StreamArn
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - sqs:SendMessage
                Resource: !GetAtt DeadLetterQueue.Arn

TTL Configuration

Table with Time-to-Live

Resources:
  # Table with TTL for automatic data expiration
  SessionsTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-sessions"
      BillingMode: PAY_PER_REQUEST
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: session_id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: user_id
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: session_id
          KeyType: HASH
      GlobalSecondaryIndexes:
        - IndexName: UserIndex
          KeySchema:
            - AttributeName: user_id
              KeyType: HASH
          Projection:
            ProjectionType: ALL
      StreamSpecification:
        StreamViewType: NEW_IMAGE
      TimeToLiveSpecification:
        AttributeName: ttl
        Enabled: true
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true

  # TTL for 24-hour expiration (example)
  SessionCleanupFunction:
    Type: AWS::Lambda::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-session-cleanup"
      Runtime: python3.11
      Handler: handler.cleanup
      Code:
        S3Bucket: !Ref CodeBucket
        S3Key: lambda/session-cleanup.zip
      Role: !GetAtt LambdaExecutionRole.Arn

  # Scheduled rule for TTL cleanup
  SessionCleanupRule:
    Type: AWS::Events::Rule
    Properties:
      Name: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-session-cleanup"
      ScheduleExpression: "rate(1 hour)"
      State: ENABLED
      Targets:
        - Id: !Ref SessionCleanupFunction
          Arn: !GetAtt SessionCleanupFunction.Arn

Encryption and Security

Table with Customer Managed KMS Key

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB table with customer-managed encryption

Resources:
  # KMS Key for encryption
  DynamoDBKMSKey:
    Type: AWS::KMS::Key
    Properties:
      KeyName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-dynamodb-key"
      Description: KMS key for DynamoDB encryption
      KeyPolicy:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Sid: Enable IAM policies
            Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              AWS: !GetAtt IAMRole.Arn
            Action:
              - kms:*
            Resource: "*"
          - Sid: Allow DynamoDB to use the key
            Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: dynamodb.amazonaws.com
            Action:
              - kms:Encrypt
              - kms:Decrypt
              - kms:GenerateDataKey
              - kms:GenerateDataKeyWithoutPlaintext
            Resource: "*"

  # DynamoDB Table with customer-managed encryption
  SensitiveDataTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-sensitive-data"
      BillingMode: PROVISIONED
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: id
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: category
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: id
          KeyType: HASH
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 10
        WriteCapacityUnits: 10
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true
        SSEType: KMS
        KMSMasterKeyId: !Ref DynamoDBKMSKey
      PointInTimeRecoverySpecification:
        PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled: true

  # IAM Role for accessing encrypted table
  IAMRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      RoleName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-data-access-role"
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: lambda.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole
      Policies:
        - PolicyName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-data-access"
          PolicyDocument:
            Version: "2012-10-17"
            Statement:
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - dynamodb:GetItem
                  - dynamodb:PutItem
                  - dynamodb:UpdateItem
                  - dynamodb:DeleteItem
                  - dynamodb:Query
                  - dynamodb:Scan
                Resource: !GetAtt SensitiveDataTable.Arn
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - kms:Decrypt
                  - kms:GenerateDataKey
                Resource: !GetAtt DynamoDBKMSKey.Arn

Conditions and Transform

Conditions for Environment-Specific Resources

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: DynamoDB with conditional resources

Parameters:
  Environment:
    Type: String
    Default: dev
    AllowedValues:
      - dev
      - staging
      - production

  EnableEncryption:
    Type: String
    Default: true
    AllowedValues:
      - true
      - false

Conditions:
  IsProduction: !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]
  IsDev: !Equals [!Ref Environment, dev]
  EnableEncryption: !Equals [!Ref EnableEncryption, true]
  EnablePITR: !Not [!Equals [!Ref Environment, dev]]
  EnableStream: !Or [!Equals [!Ref Environment, staging], !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]]

Resources:
  # Main table
  MyTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-table"
      BillingMode: !If [IsProduction, PROVISIONED, PAY_PER_REQUEST]
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: pk
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: sk
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: pk
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: sk
          KeyType: RANGE
      ProvisionedThroughput: !If
        - IsProduction
        - ReadCapacityUnits: 25
          WriteCapacityUnits: 25
        - !Ref AWS::NoValue
      StreamSpecification: !If
        - EnableStream
        - StreamViewType: NEW_AND_OLD_IMAGES
        - !Ref AWS::NoValue
      SSESpecification: !If
        - EnableEncryption
        - SSEEnabled: true
          SSEType: AES256
        - !Ref AWS::NoValue
      PointInTimeRecoverySpecification: !If
        - EnablePITR
        - PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled: true
        - !Ref AWS::NoValue

Transform for SAM Template

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31

Description: Using SAM Transform for DynamoDB

Globals:
  Function:
    Timeout: 30
    Runtime: python3.11
    Environment:
      Variables:
        TABLE_NAME: !Ref DataTable

Resources:
  # SAM Simple Table (creates table with on-demand capacity)
  DataTable:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::SimpleTable
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-data"
      PrimaryKey:
        Name: id
        Type: String
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5
      SSESpecification:
        SSEEnabled: true

  # Lambda function with DynamoDB access
  DataHandler:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
    Properties:
      FunctionName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-handler"
      Handler: handler.handler
      CodeUri: lambda/
      Policies:
        - DynamoDBCrudPolicy:
            TableName: !Ref DataTable
      Events:
        Api:
          Type: Api
          Properties:
            Path: /data
            Method: post

Best Practices

Security

Enable server-side encryption (SSE) for all tables
Use customer-managed KMS keys for sensitive data
Enable point-in-time recovery for production tables
Use IAM policies with minimum necessary permissions
Enable VPC endpoints for private table access
Configure AWS CloudTrail for auditing

Performance

Choose partition keys with uniform distribution
Use GSIs for alternative access patterns
Monitor consumed capacity and throttled requests
Use auto-scaling for variable workloads
Consider on-demand capacity for unpredictable traffic
Implement proper data modeling for query patterns

Monitoring

Enable CloudWatch metrics with 1-minute granularity
Create alarms for throttled requests
Monitor table and index capacity utilization
Use AWS DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) for read-heavy workloads
Implement proper error handling and retries

Cost Optimization

Use on-demand capacity when appropriate
Right-size provisioned capacity based on metrics
Use auto-scaling to handle peak loads
Consider TTL for automatic data cleanup
Archive old data to S3 with Data Pipeline or Glue

CloudFormation Stack Management Best Practices

Stack Policies

Resources:
  DynamoDBTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-table"

# Stack policy to protect table from deletion
StackPolicy:
  Type: AWS::CloudFormation::StackPolicy
  Properties:
    PolicyDocument:
      Version: '2012-10-17'
      Statement:
        - Effect: Allow
          Principal: "*"
          Action: "Update:*"
          Resource: "*"
        - Effect: Deny
          Principal: "*"
          Action:
            - Update:Delete
          Resource:
            - LogicalId: DynamoDBTable

Drift Detection

# Detect drift on a stack
aws cloudformation detect-drift --stack-name my-dynamodb-stack

# Get resource drift status
aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource-drifts \
  --stack-name my-dynamodb-stack

Related Resources

Additional Files

For complete details on resources and their properties, see:

REFERENCE.md - Detailed reference guide for all DynamoDB CloudFormation resources
EXAMPLES.md - Complete production-ready examples

Repository: github.com/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit
Last updated: about 1 month ago
Created: about 1 month ago

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