AWS Dynamodb

AWS DynamoDB API Skill

Overview

Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database. This skill covers the AWS SDK v3 with a strong emphasis on the DocumentClient.

Installation

npm install @aws-sdk/client-dynamodb @aws-sdk/lib-dynamodb
pip install boto3

Authentication

Uses standard AWS IAM authentication.

Core Concepts

• Partition Key (PK): Determines data distribution.
• Sort Key (SK): Enables range queries and sorting.
• GSI: Global Secondary Index for alternative access patterns.

Common Workflows

1. Instantiate DynamoDBClient.
2. Wrap it with DynamoDBDocumentClient.from(client).
3. Execute a QueryCommand or PutCommand.

Error Handling

Handle ProvisionedThroughputExceededException via exponential backoff (SDK v3 does this automatically up to a limit). Handle ConditionalCheckFailedException for optimistic locking.

Security

Use IAM conditions to restrict access to specific Partition Keys (e.g., tenant isolation) if acting on behalf of users.

Rate Limits

Limits are based on Provisioned Capacity (WCUs/RCUs) or On-Demand mode throughput.

Best Practices

Use Single Table Design to minimize network trips. Avoid Scan operations at all costs; always Query using well-defined indexes.

Troubleshooting

If a Query returns unexpected results, ensure you are specifying the IndexName if querying a GSI, and that the GSI has finished populating.

References

• API Reference

Why use this skill

Use this when your agent works with aws-dynamodb — structured patterns beat pasted docs and prevent common hallucinations.

AI pitfalls

• Inventing column names or schema fields
• Using deprecated driver methods or wrong connection strings
• Omitting connection pooling or transaction boundaries

Production checklist

• Migrations version-controlled and applied via CI
• Connection limits and pooling configured
• Backups and restore procedure documented

Related skills

• terraform — provisioned by
• pulumi — provisioned by

Last Verified: 2026-07-02