# aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder [](https://github.com/eladb/awesome-cdk)

[](https://codecov.io/gh/elegantdevelopment/aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder)
[](https://david-dm.org/elegantdevelopment/aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder)
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder)
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[](https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/io/github/elegantdevelopment/AWSCDKDynamoDBSeeder/)
A simple CDK JSON seeder for DynamoDB
## Why this package
Glad you asked!
Using [AWS CDK](https://aws.amazon.com/cdk) for automating infrastructure deployments is an amazing way of integrating the development and operations into one process and one codebase.
However, building dev or test environments that come pre-populated with data can be tricky, especially when using [Amazon DynamoDB](https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb).
## How do I use it
Install using your favourite package manager:
```sh
yarn add aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder
```
### Example TypeScript usage
```python
# Example automatically generated without compilation. See https://github.com/aws/jsii/issues/826
from aws_cdk_dynamodb_seeder import Seeder
my_table = Table(stack, "MyTable",
table_name="MyTable",
partition_key={"name": "Id", "type": AttributeType.STRING}
)
Seeder(stack, "MySeeder",
table=my_table,
setup=require("./items-to-put.json"),
teardown=require("./keys-to-delete.json"),
refresh_on_update=True
)
```
For a more in-depth example, see: [elegantdevelopment/aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder-examples](https://github.com/elegantdevelopment/aws-cdk-dynamodb-seeder-examples).
### Importing seed data
Data passed into `setup` ("Items" to put) or `teardown` ("Keys" to delete) should be an `array` of objects (that are, in turn, representations of `string` to [AttributeValue](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/APIReference/API_AttributeValue.html) maps).
* `setup` elements should use the format of `params.Item` from [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient.put()](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html#put-property)
* `teardown` elements should use the format of `params.Key` from [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient.delete()](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html#delete-property)
## Versioning
We will *attempt* to align the major and minor version of this package with [AWS CDK](https://aws.amazon.com/cdk), but always check our release descriptions for compatibility.
We currently support [](https://github.com/aws/aws-cdk)
## Internals
Behind the scenes we use an [AwsCustomResource](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/api/latest/typescript/api/custom-resources/awscustomresource.html) as a representation of the related table's seed state. The custom resource's event handlers invoke a [Function](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/api/latest/typescript/api/aws-lambda/function.html#aws_lambda_Function) to perform setup and/or teardown actions.
### Deploying a stack
On deployment, we write copies of your seed data locally and use a [BucketDeployment](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/api/latest/typescript/api/aws-s3-deployment/bucketdeployment.html#aws_s3_deployment_BucketDeployment) to write it to an S3 [Bucket](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/api/latest/typescript/api/aws-s3/bucket.html#aws_s3_Bucket).
We then create the handler function and custom resource to field seed requests (the `onCreate` event will immediate fire as the stack deploys, reading the data from the bucket and seeding the table using [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html)).
### Updating a stack
On a stack update, the `onUpdate` handler is triggered when `refreshOnUpdate` is `true`.
This will run [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient.delete()](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html#delete-property) on every teardown "Key" followed by [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient.put()](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html#put-property) on every setup "Item".
### Destroying a stack
When the stack is destroyed, the event handler's `onDelete` function will be invoked, providing `teardown` is set.
This simply runs [AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient.delete()](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/latest/AWS/DynamoDB/DocumentClient.html#delete-property) on every teardown "Key" before destroying the `Seeder`'s resources.
<!-- Internals -->