Season 4 Episode 6: DynamoDB, Dollars, and Disappearing Buckets

In Season 4, Episode 6 Karl & Jon are joined by AWS Community Builder, Dave Hall. They discuss Dynamo DB innovations, cost optimization highlights, migration to AWS MediaConvert, S3 Bucket security risks, AWS Lambda and Serverless computing and it looks like the AWS Community Builders are drinking 'Dirty Lambda' cocktails and playing buzzword bingo while nervously refreshing their renewal applications!

05:24 - 2024: A year of innovation and growth for Amazon DynamoDB 

They discuss various improvements to Amazon DynamoDB in 2024, including significant price reductions for on-demand throughput and global tables. Other innovations mentioned include zero ETL integrations with Redshift and SageMaker Lakehouse, and improvements to DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX). The speakers debate the practical value of some features like DAX, with Jon suggesting many teams may not need it.

12:19 - re:Invent 2024 Cost Optimization highlights that you were not expecting

They discuss the unexpected cost optimization opportunities from re:Invent 2023. Key points include new features for Bedrock, intelligent tiering for FSX for Open ZFS, and improvements to SageMaker scaling. The speakers particularly highlighted the blurring lines between EFS and FSX, and the benefits of new auto-scaling capabilities for cloud applications.

20:03 - Migrating workflows from Amazon Elastic Transcoder to AWS Elemental MediaConvert

They discuss the upcoming discontinuation of Amazon Elastic Transcoder and the need to migrate to AWS Elemental Media Convert. Jon explains the differences and advantages of Media Convert, including better codec support and higher resolution capabilities. The speakers emphasize the importance of this migration for users of Elastic Transcoder.

26:02 - Abandoned AWS S3 buckets can be reused in supply-chain attacks that would make SolarWinds look 'insignificant' 

They talk about the potential security risks associated with abandoned AWS S3 buckets, as these buckets can be reused in supply chain attacks. Dave explains that this is not a new issue and advises against exposing S3 buckets publicly, recommending the use of CloudFront as a protective measure.

31:19 - A Decade Of AWS Lambda — Has Serverless Delivered On Its Hype 

They discuss the adoption of serverless in enterprises versus smaller businesses, noting that perception might be skewed due to how costs appear on bills. They also touch on the lack of GPU support in serverless offerings and strategies for optimizing serverless costs.