AWS SDK for Java 2.x Core Patterns
Overview
Use this skill to set up AWS SDK for Java 2.x clients with production-safe defaults.
It focuses on the decisions that matter most:
- how credentials and region are resolved
- how to configure sync and async HTTP clients
- how to apply timeouts, retries, lifecycle management, and tests
Keep SKILL.md focused on setup and delivery flow. Use the references/ files for deeper API details and expanded examples.
When to Use
- Creating or hardening AWS SDK for Java 2.x service clients
- Wiring Spring Boot beans for AWS integration
- Debugging auth, region, or credential issues
- Choosing between sync (
S3Client, DynamoDbClient) and async (S3AsyncClient, SqsAsyncClient) clients
Instructions
1. Select the service client type
- Sync clients (
S3Client, DynamoDbClient) for request/response flows
- Async clients (
S3AsyncClient, SqsAsyncClient) for concurrency, streaming, or backpressure
- Reuse one client per service and configuration profile
2. Configure credential and region resolution
Use DefaultCredentialsProvider with environment-aware defaults:
- local dev: shared AWS config, SSO, or environment variables
- CI/CD: web identity or injected environment variables
- AWS runtime: ECS task roles, EKS IRSA, or EC2 instance profiles
Override only for multi-account access, test isolation, or profile switching.
Verify: Call StsClient.getCallerIdentity() at startup to confirm credentials resolve.
3. Configure HTTP client, timeouts, and retries
Set production values explicitly:
- API call timeout and attempt timeout
- connection timeout and max connections or concurrency
- retry strategy aligned with service quotas and idempotency
Use ApacheHttpClient for sync and NettyNioAsyncHttpClient for async.
Verify: Confirm timeouts and retry behavior under failure conditions.
4. Wire clients as application-level dependencies
In Spring Boot:
- expose clients as
@Bean singletons
- inject through constructors
- keep credential and region in configuration files
Verify: Check clients are not created inside hot execution paths.
Close custom HTTP clients and SDK clients during shutdown if lifecycle is not managed automatically.
5. Handle failures at integration boundaries
At the boundary layer:
- catch
SdkException or service-specific exceptions
- distinguish retryable failures from auth, quota, and validation failures
- log request context, never secrets or raw credentials
6. Run integration tests before shipping
- verify region and caller identity in the target environment
- run tests against LocalStack, Testcontainers, or a sandbox account
- use
@PostConstruct in Spring Boot configuration to fail fast on startup if credentials are missing
StsClient stsClient = StsClient.builder().build();
GetCallerIdentityResponse identity = stsClient.getCallerIdentity();
// Logs: Successfully authenticated as: {identity.arn()}
Examples
Example 1: Spring Boot sync client with explicit HTTP and timeout settings
@Configuration
public class AwsClientConfiguration {
@Bean
S3Client s3Client() {
return S3Client.builder()
.region(Region.of("eu-south-2"))
.credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create())
.httpClientBuilder(ApacheHttpClient.builder()
.maxConnections(100)
.connectionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(3)))
.overrideConfiguration(ClientOverrideConfiguration.builder()
.apiCallAttemptTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10))
.apiCallTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
.build())
.build();
}
}
Example 2: Async client for high-concurrency workloads
SqsAsyncClient sqsAsyncClient = SqsAsyncClient.builder()
.region(Region.US_EAST_1)
.credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create())
.httpClientBuilder(NettyNioAsyncHttpClient.builder()
.maxConcurrency(200)
.connectionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(3))
.readTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(20)))
.overrideConfiguration(ClientOverrideConfiguration.builder()
.apiCallTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
.build())
.build();
Best Practices
- Default to
DefaultCredentialsProvider unless a project requirement says otherwise.
- Keep region selection explicit for server-side services.
- Reuse SDK clients instead of constructing them per request.
- Tune retries with service quotas and idempotency in mind.
- Put business mapping on top of the SDK, not inside controllers.
- Keep integration tests close to the configuration that creates the clients.
- Move deep service-specific examples to dedicated skills such as S3, DynamoDB, Bedrock, or Secrets Manager.
Constraints and Warnings
- Do not embed access keys or session tokens in source code, examples, or configuration files.
- Static credentials are acceptable only for tightly scoped local tests.
- Missing region or invalid credential resolution often fails only at first call, so verify startup assumptions explicitly.
- Async clients require lifecycle management for the underlying HTTP resources.
- Excessive retries can amplify throttling and increase latency.
- Proxy, TLS, and metric publisher APIs can vary by chosen HTTP stack and SDK version; adapt examples to the versions already used by the project.
References
references/api-reference.md
references/best-practices.md
references/developer-guide.md
Related Skills
aws-sdk-java-v2-secrets-manager
aws-sdk-java-v2-s3
aws-sdk-java-v2-dynamodb
aws-sdk-java-v2-bedrock
1---2name: aws-sdk-java-v2-core3description: Provides AWS SDK for Java 2.x client configuration, credential resolution, HTTP client tuning, timeout, retry, and testing patterns. Use when creating or hardening AWS service clients, wiring Spring Boot beans, debugging auth or region issues, or choosing sync vs async SDK usage.4---5
6# AWS SDK for Java 2.x Core Patterns
7
8## Overview
9
10Use this skill to set up AWS SDK for Java 2.x clients with production-safe defaults.
11
12It focuses on the decisions that matter most:
13- how credentials and region are resolved
14- how to configure sync and async HTTP clients
15- how to apply timeouts, retries, lifecycle management, and tests
16
17Keep `SKILL.md` focused on setup and delivery flow. Use the `references/` files for deeper API details and expanded examples.
18
19## When to Use
20
21- Creating or hardening AWS SDK for Java 2.x service clients
22- Wiring Spring Boot beans for AWS integration
23- Debugging auth, region, or credential issues
24- Choosing between sync (`S3Client`, `DynamoDbClient`) and async (`S3AsyncClient`, `SqsAsyncClient`) clients
25
26## Instructions
27
28### 1. Select the service client type
29
30- Sync clients (`S3Client`, `DynamoDbClient`) for request/response flows
31- Async clients (`S3AsyncClient`, `SqsAsyncClient`) for concurrency, streaming, or backpressure
32- Reuse one client per service and configuration profile
33
34### 2. Configure credential and region resolution
35
36Use `DefaultCredentialsProvider` with environment-aware defaults:
37- local dev: shared AWS config, SSO, or environment variables
38- CI/CD: web identity or injected environment variables
39- AWS runtime: ECS task roles, EKS IRSA, or EC2 instance profiles
40
41Override only for multi-account access, test isolation, or profile switching.
42
43**Verify**: Call `StsClient.getCallerIdentity()` at startup to confirm credentials resolve.
44
45### 3. Configure HTTP client, timeouts, and retries
46
47Set production values explicitly:
48- API call timeout and attempt timeout
49- connection timeout and max connections or concurrency
50- retry strategy aligned with service quotas and idempotency
51
52Use ApacheHttpClient for sync and NettyNioAsyncHttpClient for async.
53
54**Verify**: Confirm timeouts and retry behavior under failure conditions.
55
56### 4. Wire clients as application-level dependencies
57
58In Spring Boot:
59- expose clients as `@Bean` singletons
60- inject through constructors
61- keep credential and region in configuration files
62
63**Verify**: Check clients are not created inside hot execution paths.
64
65Close custom HTTP clients and SDK clients during shutdown if lifecycle is not managed automatically.
66
67### 5. Handle failures at integration boundaries
68
69At the boundary layer:
70- catch `SdkException` or service-specific exceptions
71- distinguish retryable failures from auth, quota, and validation failures
72- log request context, never secrets or raw credentials
73
74### 6. Run integration tests before shipping
75
76- verify region and caller identity in the target environment
77- run tests against LocalStack, Testcontainers, or a sandbox account
78- use `@PostConstruct` in Spring Boot configuration to fail fast on startup if credentials are missing
79
80```java
81StsClient stsClient = StsClient.builder().build();
82GetCallerIdentityResponse identity = stsClient.getCallerIdentity();
83// Logs: Successfully authenticated as: {identity.arn()}
84```
85
86## Examples
87
88### Example 1: Spring Boot sync client with explicit HTTP and timeout settings
89
90```java
91@Configuration
92public class AwsClientConfiguration {
93
94 @Bean
95 S3Client s3Client() {
96 return S3Client.builder()
97 .region(Region.of("eu-south-2"))
98 .credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create())
99 .httpClientBuilder(ApacheHttpClient.builder()
100 .maxConnections(100)
101 .connectionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(3)))
102 .overrideConfiguration(ClientOverrideConfiguration.builder()
103 .apiCallAttemptTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10))
104 .apiCallTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
105 .build())
106 .build();
107 }
108}
109```
110
111### Example 2: Async client for high-concurrency workloads
112
113```java
114SqsAsyncClient sqsAsyncClient = SqsAsyncClient.builder()
115 .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
116 .credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create())
117 .httpClientBuilder(NettyNioAsyncHttpClient.builder()
118 .maxConcurrency(200)
119 .connectionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(3))
120 .readTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(20)))
121 .overrideConfiguration(ClientOverrideConfiguration.builder()
122 .apiCallTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
123 .build())
124 .build();
125```
126
127## Best Practices
128
129- Default to `DefaultCredentialsProvider` unless a project requirement says otherwise.
130- Keep region selection explicit for server-side services.
131- Reuse SDK clients instead of constructing them per request.
132- Tune retries with service quotas and idempotency in mind.
133- Put business mapping on top of the SDK, not inside controllers.
134- Keep integration tests close to the configuration that creates the clients.
135- Move deep service-specific examples to dedicated skills such as S3, DynamoDB, Bedrock, or Secrets Manager.
136
137## Constraints and Warnings
138
139- Do not embed access keys or session tokens in source code, examples, or configuration files.
140- Static credentials are acceptable only for tightly scoped local tests.
141- Missing region or invalid credential resolution often fails only at first call, so verify startup assumptions explicitly.
142- Async clients require lifecycle management for the underlying HTTP resources.
143- Excessive retries can amplify throttling and increase latency.
144- Proxy, TLS, and metric publisher APIs can vary by chosen HTTP stack and SDK version; adapt examples to the versions already used by the project.
145
146## References
147
148- `references/api-reference.md`
149- `references/best-practices.md`
150- `references/developer-guide.md`
151
152## Related Skills
153
154- `aws-sdk-java-v2-secrets-manager`
155- `aws-sdk-java-v2-s3`
156- `aws-sdk-java-v2-dynamodb`
157- `aws-sdk-java-v2-bedrock`