My favorite 5 new AWS pre re:Invent 2024 features
Now are missing just a few hours from the start of AWS re:Invent 2024, and as we are approaching the one of the most awaited events of the year for cloud insiders, AWS has already given us some previews that promise to revolutionize the way we interact with the cloud. Let’s take a look at the 5 innovations that I think are most interesting and that AWS has unveiled in recent weeks as an appetizer of what we might see during the main event.
1. Amazon CloudFront: VPC Origins
What it is
Amazon CloudFront has introduced VPC origins, a feature that allows the CDN to be used to distribute content from applications hosted in private subnets. This new feature supports Application Load Balancers, Network Load Balancers and private EC2 instances, eliminating the need to maintain origins in public subnets. We can finally say goodbye to secret headers between Cloudfront and Application Load Balancers!
Why I like it
This feature is a game-changer for security and operational efficiency. It finally allows CloudFront to be used as a single entry point for applications, improving application performance without compromising security. The simplicity of implementation and no additional costs make it immediately accessible and beneficial.
2. Amazon API Gateway: Custom Domain Names for Private REST APIs
What it is
Amazon API Gateway now supports custom domain names for private REST APIs. This feature allows you to manage private REST APIs using private, intuitive DNS names such as private.example.com
Custom domain names for private APIs offer:
- Simplification of the API deployment process.
- Ability to continue to expose the APIs using TLS
- Complete control over the TLS certificate lifecycle
- Ability to share the domain between multiple accounts via AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM)
Why I like it
Anyone who has tried in the past to use a custom private domain on API Gateway knows how much configuration and unnecessary resource overhead (load balancer) was required. This innovation excites me for several reasons:
- Improved Usability: The use of custom domain names greatly simplifies management and access to private APIs, improving the developer experience. It is no longer necessary to invent strange turns to use a custom name, and api gateways can be destroyed and recreated without giving impact to external users.
- Architecture flexibility: The ability to share domains between accounts opens up new opportunities for multi-account architectures, essential for large organizations or those working with microservices.
- Seamless integration: Compatibility with existing VPC endpoints enables smooth integration with existing AWS architectures.
- Intuitive configuration process: Implementation steps make this powerful feature accessible even to teams with different skills, accelerating adoption and avoiding the need for complex configurations for a trivial Api Gateway-based architecture.
Official blog post
3. AWS AppSync: Amazon Bedrock Integration
What it is
AWS AppSync has introduced integration with Amazon Bedrock for the GraphQL API. This new feature enables:
- Fast synchronous invocations (up to 10 seconds) to base models and inference profiles in Amazon Bedrock
- Support for Bedrock’s
converseandinvokeModelAPIs directly via resolver. - Interaction with advanced models such as Claude 3.5 Haiku and Claude 3.5 Sonnet from Anthropic simplified
Why I like it
Several time ago I wrote an article (here) about integrating Bedrock into AppSync to leverage the power of Generative AI on existing applications in an easy way. With the release of this additional feature, it further simplifies the process by making it even more accessible.
4. Amazon Aurora Serverless v2: Scaling to Zero Capacity
What it is
Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 introduced scaling to 0 Aurora Capacity Units (ACUs). This feature:
- Allows the database to be automatically stopped after a period of inactivity
- Automatically re-start the database at the first connection request
- Is supported for Aurora PostgreSQL 13.15+, 14.12+, 15.7+, 16.3+ and Aurora MySQL 3.08+
- Requires simple configuration: set 0 ACU as the minimum capacity for new clusters or change the setting for existing clusters
Why I like it
This innovation revolutionizes cost optimization for underutilized databases and makes Aurora Serverless v2 finally a true Serverless service. The simplicity of implementation and the ability to pay only for actual database usage make this feature particularly attractive for applications with intermittent or unpredictable workloads, such as test and development environments.
5. AWS PrivateLink: Cross-Region VPC Endpoint
What it is
AWS PrivateLink has introduced support for cross-region connectivity for VPC endpoints. This new feature allows:
- Connection to VPC endpoint services hosted in other AWS regions.
- Access to services through interface endpoints to a private IP address in your VPC
- Easier and more secure inter-region connectivity
- Elimination of the need to configure cross-region peering or expose data over the Internet in multi-region architectures
Why I like it
This new feature about AWS PrivateLink has me thrilled for several reasons:
- Simplified multi-region architecture: It allows you to build geographically distributed applications without the complexity of managing peering between VPCs or complex network models.
- Simplified integration: Several AWS ISVs support integration with VPC Endpoints. In the past, service providers had to deploy endpoints in all regions where they wanted to offer the service. Now they can offer access to their solutions in all AWS regions without having to deploy additional infrastructure in each region.
- Cost optimization: Reduces the need for additional resources in multi-region architectures. A decision could be made to deploy VPC Endpoints by centralizing them in a single region.
- Simplified compliance: Facilitates compliance and regulatory requirements that require data to remain within specific geographic regions while allowing access from other regions.
Conclusion
These five small, pre-re:Invent AWS innovations demonstrate AWS’s ongoing commitment to improving the security, efficiency, and flexibility of its services. While we look forward to further announcements at re:Invent, these innovations already give us a glimpse of some of the solutions that will simplify development, optimize costs, and open up new possibilities for cloud-native applications.
