Step Functions Flashcards
What are AWS Step Functions?
AWS Step Functions is a serverless orchestration service that makes it easy to sequence AWS Lambda functions and multiple AWS services into business-critical applications through workflows.
How do Step Functions work?
Step Functions lets you design workflows that trigger and connect multiple AWS services in a visual interface. Workflows are made of states that can do tasks, handle decisions, parallel processing, timeouts, and more.
What is the purpose of Step Functions?
The purpose of Step Functions is to simplify the automation of multi-step processes across AWS services, ensuring tasks are executed in order and as efficiently as possible, with error handling and retry capabilities.
What are the types of tasks Step Functions can perform?
Tasks in Step Functions can include invoking Lambda functions, submitting jobs to AWS Batch, publishing to SNS topics, sending messages to SQS queues, and more, allowing a broad range of AWS services to be integrated into workflows.
How does Step Functions handle error handling and retries?
Step Functions has built-in error handling and retry mechanisms that allow you to specify how to handle errors and failures in tasks, including conditions for retries and fallback states for exceptions.
What are the benefits of using Step Functions?
Benefits include the simplified management of complex workflows, automated error handling and retries, visual workflow orchestration, and the integration with multiple AWS services without the need to manage underlying infrastructure.
What is the difference between Standard and Express Workflows in Step Functions?
Standard Workflows offer exactly-once execution and retain the history of execution for up to one year, ideal for long-running, durable workflows. Express Workflows are designed for high-volume, short-duration, event-processing workloads with at-least-once execution and a short execution history.
How are Step Functions billed?
Billing for Step Functions is based on the number of state transitions (steps) your workflows execute. Pricing differs between Standard and Express Workflows, with Express Workflows additionally charging for the time executions are active.
What roles do states play in Step Functions?
States define the workflow in Step Functions. They determine the flow of execution and the actions that occur, such as tasks, choices, parallel processing, and waits, allowing for complex logic within workflows.
How can AWS Step Functions integrate with other AWS services?
Step Functions integrates with AWS services by directly calling APIs of services such as Lambda, SNS, SQS, ECS, and DynamoDB within workflows, enabling automated tasks execution across the AWS ecosystem.
