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The AWS Cloud Development Kit is a framework for defining cloud infrastructure in code

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Quick Overview

The AWS CDK (Cloud Development Kit) is an open-source software development framework for defining cloud infrastructure in code and provisioning it through AWS CloudFormation. It allows developers to use familiar programming languages to model and provision AWS resources, making it easier to build and manage cloud applications.

Pros

  • Supports multiple programming languages (TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, Go)
  • Provides high-level constructs that abstract away complex CloudFormation details
  • Enables code reuse and sharing through composable and shareable components
  • Offers built-in testing capabilities for infrastructure code

Cons

  • Steep learning curve for developers new to infrastructure-as-code concepts
  • Frequent updates and changes can lead to compatibility issues between versions
  • Limited support for non-AWS resources compared to other IaC tools
  • Debugging can be challenging due to the abstraction layers

Code Examples

  1. Creating an S3 bucket:
import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as s3 from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-s3';

const bucket = new s3.Bucket(this, 'MyBucket', {
  versioned: true,
  encryption: s3.BucketEncryption.S3_MANAGED,
});
  1. Defining a Lambda function:
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';

const myFunction = new lambda.Function(this, 'MyFunction', {
  runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_14_X,
  handler: 'index.handler',
  code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda'),
});
  1. Creating an API Gateway:
import * as apigateway from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-apigateway';

const api = new apigateway.RestApi(this, 'MyApi', {
  restApiName: 'My API Service',
});

const integration = new apigateway.LambdaIntegration(myFunction);
api.root.addMethod('GET', integration);

Getting Started

  1. Install the AWS CDK CLI:

    npm install -g aws-cdk

  2. Create a new CDK project:

    mkdir my-cdk-project && cd my-cdk-project
cdk init app --language typescript

  3. Install dependencies and compile:

    npm install
npm run build

  4. Deploy your stack:

    cdk deploy

Competitor Comparisons

hashicorp logo

terraform

42,146

Terraform enables you to safely and predictably create, change, and improve infrastructure. It is a source-available tool that codifies APIs into declarative configuration files that can be shared amongst team members, treated as code, edited, reviewed, and versioned.

Pros of Terraform

  • Multi-cloud support, allowing infrastructure management across various providers
  • Larger ecosystem with extensive third-party provider plugins
  • More mature and established project with a larger community

Cons of Terraform

  • Steeper learning curve, especially for those new to infrastructure as code
  • Less native integration with AWS services compared to CDK
  • HCL syntax can be less intuitive for developers familiar with programming languages

Code Comparison

CDK (TypeScript):

import * as ec2 from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-ec2';

const vpc = new ec2.Vpc(this, 'MyVPC', {
  maxAzs: 2
});

Terraform:

resource "aws_vpc" "my_vpc" {
  cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
  enable_dns_hostnames = true
  enable_dns_support = true
}

Both CDK and Terraform are powerful infrastructure as code tools. CDK leverages familiar programming languages and offers deeper AWS integration, while Terraform provides a more cloud-agnostic approach with its own domain-specific language. The choice between them often depends on specific project requirements, team expertise, and the target cloud environment.

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pulumi

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Pulumi - Infrastructure as Code in any programming language 🚀

Pros of Pulumi

  • Multi-cloud support: Pulumi works with AWS, Azure, GCP, and more
  • General-purpose programming languages: Use Python, TypeScript, Go, etc.
  • Easier state management with built-in state storage options

Cons of Pulumi

  • Steeper learning curve for those familiar with YAML/JSON-based IaC
  • Smaller community and ecosystem compared to CDK
  • Potential for more complex code due to general-purpose languages

Code Comparison

Pulumi (Python):

import pulumi
import pulumi_aws as aws

bucket = aws.s3.Bucket("my-bucket")
pulumi.export("bucket_name", bucket.id)

CDK (TypeScript):

import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
import * as s3 from '@aws-cdk/aws-s3';

const bucket = new s3.Bucket(this, 'MyBucket');
new cdk.CfnOutput(this, 'BucketName', { value: bucket.bucketName });

Both Pulumi and CDK offer infrastructure-as-code solutions, but they differ in their approach and target audience. Pulumi provides a more flexible, multi-cloud solution using general-purpose programming languages, while CDK focuses on AWS-specific resources with a syntax closer to CloudFormation. The choice between them depends on your specific needs, existing skillset, and target cloud platforms.

serverless logo

serverless

46,361

⚡ Serverless Framework – Effortlessly build apps that auto-scale, incur zero costs when idle, and require minimal maintenance using AWS Lambda and other managed cloud services.

Pros of Serverless

  • Multi-cloud support (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.)
  • Simpler learning curve for beginners
  • Extensive plugin ecosystem

Cons of Serverless

  • Less fine-grained control over infrastructure
  • Limited to serverless architectures
  • Potential vendor lock-in with Serverless Framework

Code Comparison

Serverless:

service: my-service
provider:
  name: aws
  runtime: nodejs14.x
functions:
  hello:
    handler: handler.hello

AWS CDK:

import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
import * as lambda from '@aws-cdk/aws-lambda';

export class MyStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: cdk.Construct, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);
    new lambda.Function(this, 'HelloHandler', {
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_14_X,
      handler: 'handler.hello',
      code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda')
    });
  }
}

The Serverless Framework uses a YAML configuration file to define services and functions, while AWS CDK uses TypeScript (or other supported languages) to programmatically define infrastructure as code. AWS CDK provides more flexibility and control over resource creation, while Serverless Framework offers a simpler, more opinionated approach focused on serverless architectures.

hashicorp logo

terraform-provider-aws

9,733

The AWS Provider enables Terraform to manage AWS resources.

Pros of terraform-provider-aws

  • More mature and widely adopted in the industry
  • Supports a broader range of AWS services and resources
  • Offers a more declarative approach to infrastructure definition

Cons of terraform-provider-aws

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners
  • Less integrated with AWS-specific features and best practices
  • Requires manual state management and can be prone to drift

Code Comparison

terraform-provider-aws:

resource "aws_s3_bucket" "example" {
  bucket = "my-bucket-name"
  acl    = "private"
}

aws-cdk:

import * as s3 from '@aws-cdk/aws-s3';

new s3.Bucket(this, 'MyBucket', {
  bucketName: 'my-bucket-name',
  versioned: true,
  encryption: s3.BucketEncryption.S3_MANAGED,
});

The terraform-provider-aws example uses HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) to define an S3 bucket, while the aws-cdk example uses TypeScript with the AWS CDK library. The CDK approach provides more abstraction and includes AWS best practices by default, such as versioning and encryption.

Both tools are powerful for managing AWS infrastructure, but they cater to different preferences and use cases. terraform-provider-aws offers more flexibility and control, while aws-cdk provides a more opinionated and AWS-integrated experience.

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README

AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK)

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The AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) is an open-source software development framework to define cloud infrastructure in code and provision it through AWS CloudFormation.

It offers a high-level object-oriented abstraction to define AWS resources imperatively using the power of modern programming languages. Using the CDK’s library of infrastructure constructs, you can easily encapsulate AWS best practices in your infrastructure definition and share it without worrying about boilerplate logic.

The CDK is available in the following languages:

Third-party Language Deprecation: language version is only supported until its EOL (End Of Life) shared by the vendor or community and is subject to change with prior notice.


Jump To: Developer Guide | API Reference | Getting Started | Getting Help | Contributing | RFCs | Roadmap | More Resources

Developers use the CDK framework in one of the supported programming languages to define reusable cloud components called constructs, which are composed together into stacks, forming a "CDK app".

They then use the AWS CDK CLI to interact with their CDK app. The CLI allows developers to synthesize artifacts such as AWS CloudFormation Templates, deploy stacks to development AWS accounts and "diff" against a deployed stack to understand the impact of a code change.

The AWS Construct Library includes a module for each AWS service with constructs that offer rich APIs that encapsulate the details of how to use AWS. The AWS Construct Library aims to reduce the complexity and glue-logic required when integrating various AWS services to achieve your goals on AWS.

Modules in the AWS Construct Library are designated Experimental while we build them; experimental modules may have breaking API changes in any release. After a module is designated Stable, it adheres to semantic versioning, and only major releases can have breaking changes. Each module's stability designation is available on its Overview page in the AWS CDK API Reference. For more information, see Versioning in the CDK Developer Guide.

Getting Started

For a detailed walkthrough, see the tutorial in the AWS CDK Developer Guide.

At a glance

Install or update the AWS CDK CLI from npm (requires Node.js ≥ 14.15.0). We recommend using a version in Active LTS

npm i -g aws-cdk

(See Manual Installation for installing the CDK from a signed .zip file).

Initialize a project:

mkdir hello-cdk
cd hello-cdk
cdk init sample-app --language=typescript

This creates a sample project looking like this:

export class HelloCdkStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: cdk.App, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    const queue = new sqs.Queue(this, 'HelloCdkQueue', {
      visibilityTimeout: cdk.Duration.seconds(300)
    });

    const topic = new sns.Topic(this, 'HelloCdkTopic');

    topic.addSubscription(new subs.SqsSubscription(queue));
  }
}

Deploy this to your account:

cdk deploy

Use the cdk command-line toolkit to interact with your project:

  • cdk deploy: deploys your app into an AWS account
  • cdk synth: synthesizes an AWS CloudFormation template for your app
  • cdk diff: compares your app with the deployed stack

Getting Help

The best way to interact with our team is through GitHub. You can open an issue and choose from one of our templates for bug reports, feature requests, documentation issues, or guidance.

If you have a support plan with AWS Support, you can also create a new support case.

You may also find help on these community resources:

Roadmap

The AWS CDK Roadmap lets developers know about our upcoming features and priorities to help them plan how to best leverage the CDK and identify opportunities to contribute to the project. See ROADMAP.md for more information and FAQs.

Contributing

We welcome community contributions and pull requests. See CONTRIBUTING.md for information on how to set up a development environment and submit code.

Metrics collection

This solution collects anonymous operational metrics to help AWS improve the quality and features of the CDK. For more information, including how to disable this capability, please see the developer guide.

More Resources

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