DynamoDB AWS CLI Commands

This document provides a comprehensive guide to DynamoDB AWS CLI commands, including all common options available for various operations.

---

Table Information

• Table Name: ps-games
• Primary Key:
  • Partition Key: id (Number)
  • Sort Key: name (String)

    [
        {
            "AttributeName": "id",
            "KeyType": "HASH"
        },
        {
            "AttributeName": "name",
            "KeyType": "RANGE"
        }
    ]
    

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Common Options for DynamoDB CLI Commands

Option	Purpose
--page-size	Reduces the number of items fetched per API request to improve performance and avoid timeouts or excessive memory use. scan and query
--max-items
--table-name	Specifies the table name for the operation.
--key	Defines the primary key of the item for operations like GetItem, UpdateItem, DeleteItem.
--item	Provides the item attributes for PutItem.
--update-expression	Specifies how to update attributes in UpdateItem.
--condition-expression	Adds conditions for operations like PutItem, UpdateItem, and DeleteItem.
--filter-expression	Filters results during Scan or Query based on attribute values.
--key-condition-expression	Specifies conditions for Query to fetch items based on partition/sort key.
--projection-expression	Limits the attributes returned by operations like Query or Scan.
--expression-attribute-values	Maps placeholders to actual values used in expressions.
--expression-attribute-names	Maps placeholders to actual attribute names to avoid reserved words.
--return-values	Specifies what is returned after PutItem, UpdateItem, or DeleteItem. Values: NONE, ALL_OLD, UPDATED_OLD, ALL_NEW, UPDATED_NEW.
--select	Used in Query or Scan to specify the returned data (ALL_ATTRIBUTES, COUNT, SPECIFIC_ATTRIBUTES).
--consistent-read	Ensures strongly consistent reads for GetItem, Query, or Scan. Default: eventually consistent.
--region	Specifies the AWS region for the DynamoDB operation.
--return-consumed-capacity	Shows read/write capacity units consumed by the operation. Options: INDEXES, TOTAL, NONE.
--limit	Restricts the number of items returned by Query or Scan.
--exclusive-start-key	Specifies the starting point for Query or Scan to continue from the last response.
--index-name	Specifies a secondary index for Query or Scan.
--segment and --total-segments	Divides a Scan into parallel operations for faster processing.

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1. Put Item (Insert a New Item)

aws dynamodb put-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --item '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"},
      "release_year": {"N": "2022"},
      "genre": {"S": "Action-Adventure"},
      "rating": {"N": "9.8"},
      "platforms": {"SS": ["PS5", "PS4"]},
      "multiplayer": {"BOOL": false},
      "version": {"N": "1"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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2. Get Item (Retrieve a Specific Item)

aws dynamodb get-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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3. Query (Fetch Items Based on Partition Key)

aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key-condition-expression "id = :id" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
      ":id": {"N": "102"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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4. Scan (Retrieve All Items in a Table)

aws dynamodb scan \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --region us-west-2

---

5. Delete Item (Remove an Item)

aws dynamodb delete-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

---

6. Update Item (Modify Existing Attributes)

aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"}
  }' \
  --update-expression "SET rating = :new_rating, genre = :new_genre" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
      ":new_rating": {"N": "9.9"},
      ":new_genre": {"S": "Adventure"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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7. Add a New Attribute (Using UpdateItem)

aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"}
  }' \
  --update-expression "SET file_size = :size" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
      ":size": {"N": "85"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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8. Conditional Update (Prevent Overwrites)

aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --key '{
      "id": {"N": "102"},
      "name": {"S": "God of War Ragnarok"}
  }' \
  --update-expression "SET rating = :new_rating" \
  --condition-expression "rating < :current_rating" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
      ":new_rating": {"N": "9.7"},
      ":current_rating": {"N": "9.9"}
  }' \
  --region us-west-2

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9. List All Tables (In Your AWS Account)

aws dynamodb list-tables --region us-west-2

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10. Describe Table (View Table Structure and Capacity)

aws dynamodb describe-table \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --region us-west-2

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11. Delete Table (Clean Up Table)

aws dynamodb delete-table \
  --table-name ps-games \
  --region us-west-2

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Notes:

• Replace attribute values as needed for your use case.
• Ensure proper IAM permissions are configured before running commands.
• Use these commands responsibly in your AWS environment!