Episodes

  • 145. We Tried Amazon DSQL So You Don’t Have To (But You Might Want To)

    145. We Tried Amazon DSQL So You Don’t Have To (But You Might Want To)
    Jun 26 2025
    Amazon Aurora DSQL promises to bring a truly serverless experience to SQL databases. But does it actually deliver? In this episode of AWS Bites, we put Aurora DSQL to the test. We explore what makes it exciting, how it compares to traditional Aurora Serverless, and where it falls short. You’ll hear what changed since our last Aurora deep dive, and why DSQL might be the PostgreSQL-compatible serverless database you’ve been waiting for.Big shoutout to fourTheorem for powering yet another episode of AWS Bites. At fourTheorem, we believe the cloud should be simple, scalable, and cost-effective, and we help teams do just that. Whether you’re diving into containers, stepping into event-driven architecture, or scaling a global SaaS platform on AWS, or trying to keep cloud spend under control our team has your back. Visit ⁠https://fourTheorem.com⁠ to see how we can help you build faster, better, and with more confidence using AWS cloud!In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:AWS Blog – Amazon Aurora DSQL is Now Generally Available: ⁠https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-aurora-dsql-is-now-generally-available/⁠AWS Blog – Introducing Amazon Aurora DSQL: ⁠https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/introducing-amazon-aurora-dsql/⁠Aurora DSQL Deep Dive by Amazon: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCdAngjKZY4⁠DSQL Example Application by fourTheorem: ⁠https://github.com/fourTheorem/dsql-example/⁠PlanetScale Docs – Why Does PlanetScale Not Recommend Constraints: ⁠https://planetscale.com/docs/vitess/operating-without-foreign-key-constraints#why-does-planetscale-not-recommend-constraints-⁠Marc Bowes – How to Spend a Dollar with DSQL: ⁠https://marc-bowes.com/dsql-how-to-spend-a-dollar.html⁠Alessandro Volpicella – Amazon DSQL Pricing Guide: ⁠https://awsfundamentals.com/blog/amazon-dsql-pricing-guide⁠BinaryHeap Blog – First Look at DSQL (The Naughty List): ⁠https://binaryheap.com/first-look-dsql/⁠AWS Bites – Aurora Deep Dive (Episode 122): ⁠https://awsbites.com/122⁠Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • 144. Lambda Billing Changes, Cold Start Costs, and Log Savings: What You Need to Know

    144. Lambda Billing Changes, Cold Start Costs, and Log Savings: What You Need to Know
    May 22 2025
    Cost is always top of mind when building in the cloud, and recently AWS has introduced some changes worth paying attention to. In this episode of AWS Bites, we explore a shift that caught many by surprise: the “free” INIT phase for Lambda’s managed runtimes is going away. That cold start time that used to fly under the billing radar? It's now part of the cost. We dig into what this means for your workloads, who might feel the impact, and whether this gives languages like Rust and Go an extra edge. But it’s not all bad news. AWS has also rolled out new pricing tiers for CloudWatch Logs, making it cheaper for high-volume accounts. On top of that, there are new options to send logs directly to S3 or Firehose, helping simplify pipelines and reduce costs. We close with a few tips to help you keep your Lambda and logging spend under control. If you're building on AWS and care about efficiency, this is one you won't want to miss.Big shoutout to fourTheorem for powering yet another episode of AWS Bites. At fourTheorem, we believe the cloud should be simple, scalable, and cost-effective, and we help teams do just that. Whether you’re diving into containers, stepping into event-driven architecture, or scaling a global SaaS platform on AWS, or trying to keep cloud spend under control our team has your back. Visit https://fourTheorem.com to see how we can help you build faster, better, and with more confidence using AWS cloud!In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:AWS Blog – Tiered Pricing for AWS Lambda: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/introducing-tiered-pricing-for-aws-lambda/Luc van Donkersgoed – When is the Lambda INIT phase free and when is it billed?: https://lucvandonkersgoed.com/2022/04/09/when-is-the-lambda-init-phase-free-and-when-is-it-billed/AWS Bites – Explaining Lambda Runtimes (Episode 104): https://awsbites.com/104-explaining-lambda-runtimes/AWS Blog – Standardized Billing for Lambda INIT Phase: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/aws-lambda-standardizes-billing-for-init-phase/Lambda Cold Start Benchmarks by Maxim David: https://maxday.github.io/lambda-perf/Duckbill Group Blog – Lambda Logs Just Got Cheaper: https://www.duckbillgroup.com/blog/lambda-logs-just-got-cheaper/AWS Bites – Becoming a Logs Ninja with CloudWatch (Episode 35): https://awsbites.com/35-how-can-you-become-a-logs-ninja-with-cloudwatchDo you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • 143. Is App Runner better than Fargate?

    143. Is App Runner better than Fargate?
    May 8 2025
    Picture this. You’ve got a web app built with Rust and Solid.js. It started life running on a dusty on-prem server, but now it's time to move it to the cloud. The clock is ticking. You could take the well-worn AWS path: set up a VPC, configure subnets, attach an ALB, define IAM roles, and deploy with Fargate. Or you could try something different. In this episode of AWS Bites, we share the real story of migrating a monolithic containerized app to AWS App Runner. It promises to take your code, build it, deploy it, and scale it with minimal effort. But does it really deliver? We compare App Runner with Fargate based on hands-on experience. You’ll learn where App Runner shines, where it gets in the way, and how we handled everything from custom domains to background job processing. You’ll also hear when we would still choose Fargate, and why. If you've ever hoped for a Heroku-like experience on AWS, or you want to simplify your container deployments without giving up too much control, this episode is for you.AWS Bites is brought to you in association with fourTheorem. At fourTheorem, we believe serverless should be simple, scalable, and cost-effective — and we help teams do just that. Whether you’re diving into containers, stepping into event-driven architecture, or scaling a global SaaS platform on AWS, our team has your back. Visit https://fourTheorem.com to see how we can help you build faster, better, and with more confidence using AWS cloud!In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:Last Week in AWS: The 17 Ways to Run Containers on AWS: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/blog/the-17-ways-to-run-containers-on-aws/GitHub Issue - App Runner scale to zero discussion: https://github.com/aws/apprunner-roadmap/issues/9Custom Domain with CloudFormation (Mark van Holsteijn, Xebia): https://xebia.com/blog/configure-custom-domain-for-aws-apprunner-service-using-cloudformation/AWS Docs - App Runner hosted zone IDs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/apprunner.htmlDo you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • 142. Escape from S3

    142. Escape from S3
    Apr 3 2025
    We discuss common use cases and challenges for copying data between S3 buckets and S3-compatible object storage services. We share our experience building an open source Node.js CLI tool called S3-Migrate to efficiently migrate data with separate source and destination credentials. We cover performance considerations like streaming, chunk sizes, concurrency and parallelism.AWS Bites is brought to you in association with fourTheorem. If you need a friendly partner to support you and work with you to de-risk any AWS migration or development project, check them out at ⁠⁠⁠fourtheorem.com⁠⁠⁠In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:s3-migrate CLI tool: https://github.com/lmammino/s3-migrateDigitalOcean Spaces Object Storage: https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/spaces/Cloudflare R2: https://www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/developer-platform/products/r2/Backblaze B2: https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storageWasabi Cloud Storage: https://wasabi.com/Linode / Akamai Object Storage: https://www.linode.com/products/object-storage/MinIO (Self-hosted S3-compatible storage): https://min.io/Basecamp / Hey’s move away from S3: https://world.hey.com/dhh/it-s-five-grand-a-day-to-miss-our-s3-exit-b8293563AWS re:Post - How to move objects between S3 buckets: https://repost.aws/knowledge-center/move-objects-s3-bucketAWS Labs - Utility for S3 Migration: https://github.com/awslabs/utility-for-s3-migrations3s3mirror (Java-based tool): https://github.com/cobbzilla/s3s3mirrorrclone S3 Support: https://rclone.org/s3/knox-copy (Ruby-based, deprecated): https://github.com/goodeggs/knox-copyFlexify.io (paid cloud migration service): https://flexify.io/Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • 141. Step Functions with JSONata and Variables

    141. Step Functions with JSONata and Variables
    Mar 21 2025

    In this episode, we provide an overview of AWS Step Functions and dive deep into the powerful new JSONata and variables features. We explain how JSONata allows complex JSON transformations without custom Lambda functions, enabling more serverless workflows. The variables feature also helps avoid the previous 256KB state size limit. We share examples from real projects showing how these features simplify workflows, reduce costs and enable new use cases.


    AWS Bites is brought to you in association with fourTheorem. If you need a friendly partner to support you and work with you to de-risk any AWS migration or development project, check them out at ⁠⁠fourtheorem.com⁠⁠


    In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:


    • JSONata and variables official launch post: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/simplifying-developer-experience-with-variables-and-jsonata-in-aws-step-functions/
    • JSONata exerciser: https://try.jsonata.org/
    • Stedi JSONata playground: https://www.stedi.com/jsonata/playground
    • Episode 103: Building GenAI Features with Bedrock https://awsbites.com/103-building-genai-features-with-bedrock/
    • Episode 63: How to automate transcripts with Amazon Transcribe and OpenAI Whisper https://awsbites.com/63-how-to-automate-transcripts-with-amazon-transcribe-and-openai-whisper/


      Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?

      Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh⁠ | ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co⁠ | ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
      Show More Show Less
      16 mins
    • 140. DuckDB Meets AWS: A Match Made in Cloud

      140. DuckDB Meets AWS: A Match Made in Cloud
      Feb 21 2025

      In this episode, we explore DuckDB, an open-source analytical database known for its speed and simplicity. Discover how DuckDB stands out in various applications and compare it to other tools like SQLite, Athena, Pandas, and Polars. We also demonstrate integrating DuckDB with AWS Lambda and Step Functions for serverless analytics.


      AWS Bites is brought to you by fourTheorem. If you are looking for a partner to architect, develop and modernise on AWS, give fourTheorem a call. Check out ⁠fourtheorem.com⁠


      In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

      • Our `duck-query-lambda`, A Lambda runtime for DuckDB queries: https://github.com/fourTheorem/duck-query-lambda
      • DuckDB's official website: https://duckdb.org/
      • LibSQL: https://github.com/tursodatabase/libsql


      Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?

      Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter, BlueSky or LinkedIn:- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh | https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠ | https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
      Show More Show Less
      18 mins
    • 139. Building Great APIs with Powertools

      139. Building Great APIs with Powertools
      Feb 19 2025

      In this episode, we discuss using AWS Lambda Powertools for Python to build serverless REST APIs with AWS Lambda. We cover the benefits of using Powertools for routing, validation, OpenAPI support, and more. Powertools provides an excellent framework for building APIs while maintaining Lambda best practices.In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

      AWS Bites 41. How can Middy make writing Lambda functions easier? - ⁠https://awsbites.com/41-how-can-middy-make-writing-lambda-functions-easier⁠ AWS Bites 120. Lambda Best Practices - ⁠https://awsbites.com/120-lambda-best-practices/⁠ REST API - Powertools for AWS Lambda (Python) - ⁠https://docs.powertools.aws.dev/lambda/python/latest/core/event_handler/api_gateway/⁠ Hono - ⁠https://hono.dev/⁠ Fastify - ⁠https://fastify.dev/⁠ Axum - ⁠https://github.com/tokio-rs/axum⁠ FastAPI - ⁠https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/⁠

      Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address?Leave a comment here or connect with us on BlueSky or LinkedIn:


      https://bsky.app/profile/eoin.sh | https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoins/ https://bsky.app/profile/loige.co | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianomammino/
      Show More Show Less
      25 mins
    • 138. How Do You Become A Cloud Architect?

      138. How Do You Become A Cloud Architect?
      Jan 10 2025
      Ready to take your tech career to the cloud and build those awe-inspiring systems you see? Then you're in the right place. This episode of AWS Bites is your blueprint for becoming a successful cloud architect. We're not just going to talk about it; we'll show you what worked for us, sharing the critical skills you need, and a practical path to build your expertise. Whether you're a beginner or looking to take the next step, join us as we equip you with the knowledge and tools to make your mark as a cloud architect! In this episode, we mentioned the following resources: Google Cloud Architecture Definition: https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-cloud-architectureMarket data about the Cloud Professional Services market: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/cloud-professional-services-marketEP 91 - Our Journeys into Software and AWS: https://awsbites.com/91-our-journeys-into-software-and-aws/AWS Well-Architected Framework: https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/well-architected/EP 68 - Are you well architected?: https://awsbites.com/68-are-you-well-architected/Cloud Design Patterns: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/patterns/The art of scalability (book): https://www.amazon.com/Art-Scalability-Architecture-Organizations-Enterprise/dp/0134032802Enterprise integration patterns (book): https://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Integration-Patterns-Designing-Deploying/dp/0321200683/Designing Data-Intensive Applications (book): https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321AWS Networking Essentials (free guide): https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/aws-networking-essentials/Docker Curriculum (free): https://docker-curriculum.com/How Linux works (book): https://www.amazon.com/How-Linux-Works-Brian-Ward/dp/1718500408/Exercism coding challenges: https://exercism.org/The tangled web (book): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tangled-Web-Securing-Modern-Applications/dp/1593273886Low Level YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lowlevellearningAWS - Best Practices for Security, Identity, & Compliance: https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/security-identity-compliance/Supercommunicators (book): https://www.amazon.com/Supercommunicators-Unlock-Secret-Language-Connection/dp/0593862066/An Elegant Puzzle (book): https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Puzzle-Systems-Engineering-Management/dp/1732265186/Staff Engineer (book): https://www.amazon.com/Staff-Engineer-Leadership-beyond-management/dp/1736417916/EP 58 - What can kitties teach us about AWS: https://awsbites.com/58-what-can-kitties-teach-us-about-aws/AWS User Groups: https://aws.amazon.com/developer/community/usergroups/ Do you have any AWS questions you would like us to address? Leave a comment here or connect with us on X/Twitter: - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/eoins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/loige⁠⁠⁠⁠
      Show More Show Less
      39 mins