Setting up cross-account access between AWS Lambda and S3 is a common requirement in enterprise environments where resources are distributed across multiple AWS accounts for security, compliance, or organizational reasons. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of establishing secure cross-account access, covering IAM role configuration, bucket policies, and practical implementation patterns.
Cross-account access enables Lambda functions in one AWS account (Account A) to securely access S3 buckets in another account (Account B). This pattern is essential for data processing workflows, backup operations, and multi-account architectures where centralized data storage serves multiple application accounts.
Modern serverless architectures often require connecting multiple AWS Lambda functions. Two common patterns are direct Lambda-to-Lambda invocation and chaining via Amazon SNS. This post explains when to use each, with diagrams, CloudFormation templates, and TypeScript code for both approaches.
When to Use Each Pattern
Choosing between direct Lambda-to-Lambda calls and SNS chaining depends on your workflow’s requirements for coupling, reliability, and scalability. While it is technically possible to invoke one Lambda function from another, it is important to understand the implications of doing so synchronously. Synchronous Lambda-to-Lambda calls—where the first function waits for a response from the second—are generally discouraged as a best practice. This is because they can lead to increased latency, higher costs, and more complex error handling, especially if the downstream Lambda experiences throttling or failures. In most cases, tightly coupled, synchronous workflows are better implemented using other AWS services such as Step Functions, which are designed for orchestrating distributed processes with built-in error handling and state management.
A deep dive into advanced CloudFormation patterns and practices for building maintainable and scalable infrastructure as code.
Building modern applications often requires the ability to perform full-text searches with fuzzy matching capabilities on data that’s primarily stored in NoSQL databases like DynamoDB. While DynamoDB excels at fast key-based lookups and can handle massive scale, it lacks the sophisticated search capabilities that applications need for features like autocomplete, typo-tolerant search, and complex text analysis. OpenSearch (the open-source fork of Elasticsearch) provides these advanced search capabilities, but keeping it synchronized with your primary data store presents unique challenges.
Modern applications increasingly demand real-time capabilities—from live chat systems and collaborative editing to real-time dashboards and gaming. In this final post of our AWS and TypeScript series, we’ll explore how to build scalable real-time applications using AWS API Gateway WebSocket APIs, Lambda functions, and TypeScript to create robust, type-safe real-time communication systems.
Understanding WebSocket APIs with AWS
AWS API Gateway WebSocket APIs provide a fully managed service for building real-time, bidirectional communication applications. Key advantages include:
Managing cloud infrastructure through code brings numerous advantages over manual configuration, including version control, reproducibility, and automated deployment pipelines. In this post, we’ll explore how to use AWS CDK (Cloud Development Kit) with TypeScript to create, manage, and deploy serverless applications with infrastructure that’s as maintainable and type-safe as your application code.
Why CDK with TypeScript?
AWS CDK offers a compelling alternative to traditional infrastructure tools by allowing you to define cloud resources using familiar programming languages. When combined with TypeScript, CDK provides compile-time type checking, intelligent code completion, and the ability to create reusable, composable infrastructure components.
Working with NoSQL databases like DynamoDB can be challenging when it comes to maintaining type safety and data consistency. In this post, we’ll explore how to build robust, type-safe DynamoDB operations using TypeScript, covering everything from basic CRUD operations to advanced patterns like single-table design and transaction handling.
Why Type Safety Matters with DynamoDB
DynamoDB’s flexible schema brings both opportunities and challenges:
A comprehensive guide to optimizing costs in AWS serverless applications, covering Lambda configurations, API Gateway strategies, and data storage choices.