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The DynamoDB Book
441 pages, ebook
Published April 1, 2020
65 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 29, 2024
I have never used DynamoDB myself, but I was curious about the quirky modeling techniques one has to apply to use it effectively.
I found this book to be fantastic even for someone completely unfamiliar with DynamoDB.
I found this book to be fantastic even for someone completely unfamiliar with DynamoDB.
December 21, 2020
A truly excellent book on DynamoDB! The first part of the book covers the fundamentals and general way of working with DynamoDB. This is great, especially if you aren't already versed in it. But, I think the real gold is the 4-5 in-depth data modeling examples in the second half. These cover all the various access patterns, conflicts, migrations, and interesting ways to model non-trivial applications. The GitHub example in particular (the final one) really shows a ton. The book has radically improved my understanding of how to use and model data in DynamoDB (and via single-table design).
The last comment I'll make is about the cost. I've seen various folks complain about it, as the cost is higher than most mass-market tech books. That may be true, but I think it's absolutely worth it and is a small price to pay for the amount of wisdom and detail in the book. Maybe one way for folks to think about it is, how many hours would it take a colleague to explain everything (or even a subset) in the book to you, and what would that have cost in terms of that developer's time? There is no way they could cover all this in an hour, yet someone who could would surely charge considerably more for even an hour of their time. (Caveat all this with me being in the US, USD prices, and US wages, etc, etc. :) i.e. it's a small price to pay if you plan to use DynamoDB in earnest.
The last comment I'll make is about the cost. I've seen various folks complain about it, as the cost is higher than most mass-market tech books. That may be true, but I think it's absolutely worth it and is a small price to pay for the amount of wisdom and detail in the book. Maybe one way for folks to think about it is, how many hours would it take a colleague to explain everything (or even a subset) in the book to you, and what would that have cost in terms of that developer's time? There is no way they could cover all this in an hour, yet someone who could would surely charge considerably more for even an hour of their time. (Caveat all this with me being in the US, USD prices, and US wages, etc, etc. :) i.e. it's a small price to pay if you plan to use DynamoDB in earnest.
September 14, 2021
Please, if you are new to DynamoDB, DO NOT start modeling relationships without reading this book! It is a must. It is the only book on the topic I found, even better than the AWS documentation. Dynamo should not be used as a relational database and people coming with a SQL background tends
to use it as a relational database. It is not!
The book brings very good use cases, like modeling Github domain model, so you are able to grasp the concepts correctly with "real world" examples.
As a downside, I expected to see more details about the inner working of DynamoDB, like how the requests are routed, how the replicas are managed, the consistency guarantees for each operation, etc, but the book doesn't cover all of this. Also, I found the book a little bit repetitive and verbose.
to use it as a relational database. It is not!
The book brings very good use cases, like modeling Github domain model, so you are able to grasp the concepts correctly with "real world" examples.
As a downside, I expected to see more details about the inner working of DynamoDB, like how the requests are routed, how the replicas are managed, the consistency guarantees for each operation, etc, but the book doesn't cover all of this. Also, I found the book a little bit repetitive and verbose.
March 2, 2025
I don't believe in miracles in software engineering, but frankly when I picked up this book, I secretly hoped to discover something I didn't yet know about DynamoDB which would justify using it for virtually all my future professional projects. A miracle didn't materialize - we are still in the realm of good old computer science principles.
In my current work, we frequently use DynamoDB, first of all, because our data storage requirements tend to be very simple, like ID mappings or something a bit more complex. DynamoDB is a very suitable choice for such use cases because you get things like security and availability almost out of the box, quite cheap, and you don't need to spend time setting up a full-fledged SQL database. As per the author of the book though: "DynamoDB is a great fit for nearly all OLTP applications due to its fast, consistent performance." However, the book actually convinced me of the opposite. I would probably never advocate for using DynamoDB for something as complex as the "Big Time Deals" app example in the book. The associated risk of prolonging the project timelines due to some modeling mistake is just too big. It would be particularly difficult to train other developers, many of whom won't have time for the book and also don't have strong CS fundamentals, in optimal data patterns modeling. Moreover, it would be very challenging to justify to leadership the investment of several weeks at project initiation for validation of long-term data modeling strategies.
That said, I definitely got many interesting ideas from the book that I will be able to apply to simple enough data modeling scenarios. And as a CS geek, I also enjoyed reading about all the data modeling techniques on the edge of the fault. So if you, like me, deal with DynamoDB at work, or simply appreciate intellectual challenges, the book is definitely worth your time.
In my current work, we frequently use DynamoDB, first of all, because our data storage requirements tend to be very simple, like ID mappings or something a bit more complex. DynamoDB is a very suitable choice for such use cases because you get things like security and availability almost out of the box, quite cheap, and you don't need to spend time setting up a full-fledged SQL database. As per the author of the book though: "DynamoDB is a great fit for nearly all OLTP applications due to its fast, consistent performance." However, the book actually convinced me of the opposite. I would probably never advocate for using DynamoDB for something as complex as the "Big Time Deals" app example in the book. The associated risk of prolonging the project timelines due to some modeling mistake is just too big. It would be particularly difficult to train other developers, many of whom won't have time for the book and also don't have strong CS fundamentals, in optimal data patterns modeling. Moreover, it would be very challenging to justify to leadership the investment of several weeks at project initiation for validation of long-term data modeling strategies.
That said, I definitely got many interesting ideas from the book that I will be able to apply to simple enough data modeling scenarios. And as a CS geek, I also enjoyed reading about all the data modeling techniques on the edge of the fault. So if you, like me, deal with DynamoDB at work, or simply appreciate intellectual challenges, the book is definitely worth your time.
February 7, 2025
I learned enough to build out my personal side hustle's backend on DynamoDB! We are planning to use my DynamoDB single table based backend instead of needing to rely on another provider for what we are selling. I was able to do this in a few months with the simplicity of Dynamo and NoSQL strategies (this felt lightning fast to me). I did have to go through several iterations of the data model and more are still required, but I learned enough from this book to start experimenting and to kick off several iterations on my own.
Plus, I brought my new single table modeling skills to the company that employs me to deliver our newest customer facing features fast. I was able to deliver a new kind of escalation service in about a sprint, which we are excited to get some fast feedback on from the nursing facilities we currently support.
Warning (tech jargon):
Watching my coworkers stuck making SSH connections through bastion hosts to overloaded RDS instances feels like an ancient practice to me now. I am trying to spread the Dynamo gospel, lol!
Plus, I brought my new single table modeling skills to the company that employs me to deliver our newest customer facing features fast. I was able to deliver a new kind of escalation service in about a sprint, which we are excited to get some fast feedback on from the nursing facilities we currently support.
Warning (tech jargon):
Watching my coworkers stuck making SSH connections through bastion hosts to overloaded RDS instances feels like an ancient practice to me now. I am trying to spread the Dynamo gospel, lol!
September 10, 2022
Great introduction to DynamoDB world.
I started reading this book with almost zero experience in DynamoDB and with no idea on how to properly model data in NoSQL.
This books is a comprehensive material on how to use DynamoDB properly. It has lots of examples and the way it's written makes sure the information will stick in your mind. I read the book chapter by chapter and was fascinated about how well material is structured. You start from a basic idea about how everything works and what concepts/tricks exist for modeling data. At some point when you got acquainted to the majority of ideas the book presents you data modeling examples where you can see the same concepts in practice and make sure you fully understand them.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in DynamoDB.
I started reading this book with almost zero experience in DynamoDB and with no idea on how to properly model data in NoSQL.
This books is a comprehensive material on how to use DynamoDB properly. It has lots of examples and the way it's written makes sure the information will stick in your mind. I read the book chapter by chapter and was fascinated about how well material is structured. You start from a basic idea about how everything works and what concepts/tricks exist for modeling data. At some point when you got acquainted to the majority of ideas the book presents you data modeling examples where you can see the same concepts in practice and make sure you fully understand them.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in DynamoDB.
December 31, 2020
It's a very useful and well written book about DynamoDB.
I never worked with DynamoDB before and I got to understand from scratch how the database works, how to use it and good pratices with real life examples and cases.
It depicts not just the basics but also how to model your entities and I think's that's the most valuable piece of information you will get from the book.
Totally recomended for those interested in learning about it and never used it before or have still a shallow understing.
I never worked with DynamoDB before and I got to understand from scratch how the database works, how to use it and good pratices with real life examples and cases.
It depicts not just the basics but also how to model your entities and I think's that's the most valuable piece of information you will get from the book.
Totally recomended for those interested in learning about it and never used it before or have still a shallow understing.
August 14, 2021
This is a book I’ve read through once then gone back and re-read chapters after I’ve worked through them in code. It’s a great book on data modeling for dynamodb and is pretty much the definitive reference and “cookbook” for some solutions.
It covers concepts clearly, then goes into some strategies for handling common problems (such as filtering and sorting). It discusses single table models in detail (which I’m now sold on), and has three long form examples at the end.
It covers concepts clearly, then goes into some strategies for handling common problems (such as filtering and sorting). It discusses single table models in detail (which I’m now sold on), and has three long form examples at the end.
August 23, 2023
The conceptual content in this book is fantastic and IMO required reading for anyone coming to DynamoDB from a RDBMS background. The thing that kept throwing me off - particularly in the last couple chapters - was the type-o errors in the model illustration tables. On more than one occasion, I had to circle back to the explanation after seeing the example in order to conclude that the example was a copy-paste error and that I actually understood the concept.
April 2, 2022
This book is the definitive guide on DynamoDB, what you should read not to understand how to use DynamoDB, but how to think to structure your application, your data layer so you are using DynamoDB correctly and don't paint yourself into a corner.
February 23, 2024
I liked this book a lot - as someone really new to NoSQL conceptually when I started it, I finished the book with a deep understanding of its power and scalability. I’m one of the strongest advocates of single table design in my organization.
April 11, 2024
Un bon livre bien technique pour maîtriser les rouages de DynamoDB et notamment la partie modélisation / patterns d’accès qui permet de répliquer des approches relationnelles dans cette BDD NoSQL très performante.
June 17, 2025
It really blew my mind and broke my brain thinking of single table design pattern. Super insightful and interesting, great for those wanting to learn more about the philosophy of working with DynamoDb
April 12, 2020
Accessible for a newbie, with practical end to end explanations.
May 11, 2020
Really great introduction to single table design in DynamoDB with excellent practical examples for integrating the patterns into real world applications.
May 22, 2020
Best DynamoDB book out there.
Very well written even if a bit expensive
Very well written even if a bit expensive
June 18, 2020
This is the godsent of DynamoDB!
July 30, 2020
Excelente libro con ejemplos bien explicados, perfecto para alguien que quiera conocer en profundidad DynamoDB.
May 3, 2021
Pretty repetitive but useful information
December 31, 2021
I love this book, has helped me a lot to design a single table in DynamoDB at scale. The examples are really great and the book is direct to the point.
January 24, 2022
Surprisingly powerful.
March 1, 2022
A fantastic resource if you are looking to design with DDB.
May 22, 2022
Great book on DynamoDb, highly recommend for anyone who wants to start working with Dynamo.
May 2, 2023
Muy buenos ejemplos para aclarar el uso de DynamoDB y poder hacer un buen uso de esta herramienta
October 20, 2023
Really well composed and backed opinions on designing, planning, and facilitating a NoSQL DB. Somewhat of a bible everytime I jump back into infrastructure design
October 21, 2021
A decent book on DynamoDB. Presents the core ideas in a simple way. It was overpriced but thankfully my employer paid for it.
January 7, 2023
If you've seen Rick Houlihan's talk on single-table design in Dynamo DB, this book takes those ideas and fully explicates them.
There are many non-intuitive DB design concepts here that you won't arrive at on your own without years of trial and error. Furthermore once you've designed your table based on your hypothesized access patterns it can be difficult to impossible to implement different access patterns (unlike say with SQL). So up-front design is essential. I have asked my whole team at work to read this book since we are embarking on substantial project using Dynamo DB.
Honestly though it would be hard to read cover-to-cover because it is a reference book. It has great sections detailing (for instance) the multiple ways to model many-to-one and many-to-many relationships. In SQL this kind of stuff is well-defined, but in Dynamo Db there are many ways to do these and no single right answer. It depends on your access pattern.
So read it as you build out your proto-type.
All the design patterns here are based on "single table design". That seems to be an emerging best practice, but I haven't done enough reading to be sure.
This is the only book on Dynamo DB I've read, perhaps there are better ones out there. But this one seems pretty good, at least to get over the initial design challenges.
One negative: this is self-published e-book. And honestly it is a pain to use. It doesn't work in Kindle well. So prepare for that minor hassle.
There are many non-intuitive DB design concepts here that you won't arrive at on your own without years of trial and error. Furthermore once you've designed your table based on your hypothesized access patterns it can be difficult to impossible to implement different access patterns (unlike say with SQL). So up-front design is essential. I have asked my whole team at work to read this book since we are embarking on substantial project using Dynamo DB.
Honestly though it would be hard to read cover-to-cover because it is a reference book. It has great sections detailing (for instance) the multiple ways to model many-to-one and many-to-many relationships. In SQL this kind of stuff is well-defined, but in Dynamo Db there are many ways to do these and no single right answer. It depends on your access pattern.
So read it as you build out your proto-type.
All the design patterns here are based on "single table design". That seems to be an emerging best practice, but I haven't done enough reading to be sure.
This is the only book on Dynamo DB I've read, perhaps there are better ones out there. But this one seems pretty good, at least to get over the initial design challenges.
One negative: this is self-published e-book. And honestly it is a pain to use. It doesn't work in Kindle well. So prepare for that minor hassle.
December 23, 2023
"The DynamoDB Book" by Alex DeBrie offers a clear, practical guide to Amazon's DynamoDB.
It covers basics to advanced techniques, ideal for developers and database administrators.
The book is praised for demystifying complex topics and providing real-world examples, making it essential for those aiming to master DynamoDB.
It covers basics to advanced techniques, ideal for developers and database administrators.
The book is praised for demystifying complex topics and providing real-world examples, making it essential for those aiming to master DynamoDB.
October 22, 2020
Changed the way I look at DynamoDB.
A great starter book for someone looking to use DynamoDB without making the common mistakes everyone else does.
Has fantastic walkthroughs, and sectioned well. Definitely recommended.
A great starter book for someone looking to use DynamoDB without making the common mistakes everyone else does.
Has fantastic walkthroughs, and sectioned well. Definitely recommended.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews