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Amazon AppFlow

Overview

  • Definition: Fully managed integration service to securely transfer data between SaaS applications (e.g., Salesforce, Zendesk) and AWS services (e.g., S3, Redshift) without code.
  • Key Features:
    • Supports 50+ SaaS connectors (e.g., Salesforce, Slack, Asana).
    • Runs flows on-demand, on schedule, or event-driven (via EventBridge).
    • Data transformation (filtering, mapping, aggregation).
    • Integrates with AWS PrivateLink, KMS, CloudTrail, Glue Data Catalog.
  • Use Cases: Sync CRM data to Redshift, hydrate S3 data lakes, automate SaaS workflows.

  • Updates (2024–2025):

    • Enhanced data transformation with JSON Path expressions (2024).

    • Asana connector for workspace/task data (2024).

    • Security Hub integration for compliance monitoring (Jan 2025).

Core Concepts

  • Flow: Defines data transfer from source (SaaS/AWS) to destination (AWS/SaaS).
    • Types: Full transfer (snapshot), incremental (new/updated records).
    • Triggers: On-demand, scheduled, event-driven.
    • Explanation: E.g., daily Salesforce leads to S3.
  • Connector Profile: Stores credentials for SaaS/AWS integration.
    • Explanation: E.g., OAuth for Salesforce.
  • Data Transformation: Filters, maps, aggregates data during transfer.
    • Explanation: E.g., map Salesforce name to Redshift customer_name.

Performance

  • Low Latency: Near real-time transfers (e.g., <1 min for Salesforce to RDS).

  • High Throughput: Processes up to 100 GB/flow, millions of records.

  • Scalability: Auto-scales without provisioning.

Resilience

  • Multi-AZ: Highly available architecture, no single points of failure.

  • Monitoring: CloudWatch metrics (flow runs, errors), CloudTrail logs.

  • SLA: 99.9% uptime per Region.

  • Explanation: E.g., retry failed flow runs automatically.

Security

  • Encryption: Data encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (KMS).

  • Access Control: IAM policies, PrivateLink for private transfers.

  • Compliance: HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, FIPS 140-2 (GovCloud).
  • Auditing: CloudTrail logs, Security Hub (2025).
  • Explanation: E.g., restrict flows to VPC with PrivateLink.

Cost Optimization

  • Pricing:

    • Flow runs: $0.001/run (US-East-1).
    • Data processing: $0.02/GB.
    • KMS: $1/key/month.

    • Example: 1,000 daily Salesforce flows, 10 GB/month = $1 (runs) + $0.20 (data) = $1.20/day or ~$36/month.

  • Strategies:

    • Use incremental transfers to reduce data volume.
    • Schedule flows during off-peak hours.
    • Tag flows for cost tracking.
  • Free Tier: None explicitly noted.

Key Notes

  • Use Case: Sync Salesforce opportunities to Redshift for real-time dashboards.

  • Comparison: AppFlow (SaaS integration) vs. EventBridge (event routing) vs. SQS (queuing).

  • Exam Tip: Know connectors, triggers, and PrivateLink.

AWS AppSync

Overview

  • Definition: Serverless GraphQL and Pub/Sub API service to simplify data access and real-time updates for web/mobile apps.
  • Key Features:
    • Creates GraphQL APIs to query multiple data sources (e.g., DynamoDB, Lambda).
    • Supports real-time subscriptions via WebSocket.
    • Integrates with Cognito, IAM, API keys, Lambda for authorization.
    • Merges multiple GraphQL APIs into a federated super-graph.
  • Use Cases: Build scalable APIs for apps, real-time dashboards, chat apps.
  • Updates (2024–2025):
    • WebSocket API support for real-time Pub/Sub (Jan 2025).
    • EventBridge integration for native GraphQL API targets (2024).
    • CDK L2 constructs for WebSocket APIs (2025).

Core Concepts

  • GraphQL API: Unified endpoint for querying data via schema.
    • Operations: Queries (read), Mutations (write), Subscriptions (real-time).
    • Explanation: E.g., query DynamoDB for user data.
  • Data Source: AWS services (DynamoDB, Lambda, RDS) or HTTP APIs.
  • Resolver: Maps GraphQL queries to data source operations.
    • Explanation: E.g., resolver converts GraphQL query to DynamoDB GetItem.
  • Subscriptions: Push real-time updates via WebSocket.
    • Explanation: E.g., notify clients of new chat messages.

Performance

  • Low Latency: Millisecond responses with caching.
  • High Throughput: Handles millions of requests/second.
  • Scalability: Serverless, auto-scales with demand.

  • Explanation: E.g., 10M WebSocket connections for live dashboards.

Resilience

  • Multi-AZ: Highly available, no single points of failure.
  • Monitoring: CloudWatch metrics (requests, errors), X-Ray for tracing, CloudTrail logs.
  • Explanation: E.g., track subscription errors with CloudWatch.

Security

  • Authorization: API keys, IAM, Cognito, OIDC, Lambda-based.
  • Encryption: HTTPS, KMS for data at rest.
  • Compliance: HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, FIPS 140-2 (GovCloud).
  • Protection: AWS WAF for API security.
  • Explanation: E.g., secure API with Cognito User Pool.

Cost Optimization

  • Pricing:

    • GraphQL: $4/1M queries or mutations, $2/1M real-time updates.
    • Events: $1/1M operations, $0.08/1M connection minutes.
    • Cache: $0.02–$0.75/hour (optional).

    • Example: 5M queries, 2.5M real-time updates = $20 (queries) + $5 (updates) = $25/month.

  • Strategies:

    • Enable caching to reduce query costs.
    • Use merged APIs to consolidate requests.
    • Limit subscriptions to specific events.

  • Free Tier: 250,000 GraphQL requests, 250,000 Event API operations/month for 12 months.

Key Notes

  • Use Case: Real-time chat app with GraphQL subscriptions.
  • Comparison: AppSync (GraphQL APIs) vs. API Gateway (REST APIs) vs. EventBridge (event routing).
  • Exam Tip: Know GraphQL operations, subscriptions, and authorization modes.

Comparison: AppFlow vs. AppSync

Feature Amazon AppFlow AWS AppSync
Type SaaS Integration GraphQL/Pub/Sub API
Focus Data transfer Data access, real-time
Use Case Sync SaaS to AWS Build scalable APIs
Cost $0.001/flow, $0.02/GB $4/1M queries, $2/1M updates
Integration S3, Redshift, Salesforce DynamoDB, Lambda, HTTP

Explanation:

  • AppFlow: Automates bulk data transfers between SaaS and AWS.
  • AppSync: Provides real-time API access for app development.