AWS SAM Basics

What is AWS SAM?

AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model) is an open-source framework for building serverless applications. It simplifies the process of developing, testing, and deploying serverless applications using AWS services like AWS Lambda, API Gateway, and DynamoDB.

Key Concepts

AWS Lambda: A compute service that runs your code in response to events.
API Gateway: A service for creating and managing APIs for your application.
DynamoDB: A fully managed NoSQL database service.
CloudFormation: AWS SAM is built on top of AWS CloudFormation, allowing you to define your serverless applications as code.

Installation

Install the AWS CLI.
Install Docker for local testing.
Install the AWS SAM CLI using the following command:

pip install aws-sam-cli

Creating a SAM Application

Use the SAM CLI to create a new SAM application:

sam init --runtime python3.8 --name my-sam-app

This command initializes a new SAM application with a specified runtime.

Deploying a SAM Application

To deploy your SAM application, run:

sam deploy --guided

This command will guide you through the deployment process, including setting up your AWS credentials and stack name.

Best Practices

Use version control for your SAM templates.
Test your functions locally using SAM CLI.
Keep your functions small and focused on a single task.
Use environment variables for configuration.

FAQ

What is the difference between AWS SAM and AWS CloudFormation?

AWS SAM is a framework that simplifies the process of defining serverless applications, while AWS CloudFormation is a general service for defining AWS infrastructure as code.

Can I use AWS SAM with other AWS services?

Yes, AWS SAM can be integrated with various AWS services, such as S3, SNS, and more, to enhance your serverless applications.

Is AWS SAM free to use?

AWS SAM itself is free to use, but you will incur costs based on the AWS resources you use when deploying your applications.

Flowchart of AWS SAM Workflow


graph TD;
    A[Start] --> B[Write Code];
    B --> C[Define SAM Template];
    C --> D[Build Application];
    D --> E[Deploy Application];
    E --> F[Monitor & Iterate];