feat(aws): add DynamoDB Local setup skill for local development and testing

[giuseppe-trisciuoglio]

Feature type

• New Skill

Target plugin

• developer-kit-aws

Problem / motivation

As a developer working with AWS DynamoDB, I need a reliable local development environment that allows me to:

• Run integration tests without hitting AWS cloud services (avoiding costs and network latency)
• Develop and test DynamoDB-related features offline
• Set up consistent local environments across team members
• Quickly prototype DynamoDB table schemas and operations

Currently, setting up DynamoDB Local requires manual configuration of Docker containers, docker-compose files, and connection strings - a process that is error-prone and time-consuming, especially when onboarding new developers or setting up new projects.

Proposed solution

Create a new skill called dynamodb-local under developer-kit-aws that automates the setup and configuration of DynamoDB Local for both existing and new projects.

Skill Name

dynamodb-local (or aws-dynamodb-local-setup)

Expected Behavior

The skill should:

1. For new projects:

   • Generate a complete docker-compose.yml with DynamoDB Local configuration
   • Create necessary directory structure for data persistence
   • Provide sample configuration files for different languages (Java, Python, TypeScript, etc.)
   • Include connection string templates and environment variable examples

2. For existing projects:

   • Analyze the project structure to detect the programming language/framework
   • Add DynamoDB Local configuration without breaking existing setups
   • Update application configuration files (application.yml, .env, etc.) with local endpoint
   • Provide migration instructions

3. Docker Configuration:
   Based on AWS documentation, use the official amazon/dynamodb-local:latest image with:

   services:
     dynamodb-local:
       command: "-jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb -dbPath ./data"
       image: "amazon/dynamodb-local:latest"
       container_name: dynamodb-local
       ports:
         - "8000:8000"
       volumes:
         - "./docker/dynamodb:/home/dynamodblocal/data"
       working_dir: /home/dynamodblocal

4. Language-specific configurations:

   • Java/Spring Boot: Update application-local.yml with spring.dynamodb.endpoint
   • Python/Boto3: Provide boto3.client() configuration snippet
   • TypeScript: Provide AWS SDK v3 client configuration
   • AWS CLI: Show --endpoint-url http://localhost:8000 usage

5. Testing integration:

   • Provide examples for setting up test containers with DynamoDB Local
   • Include test utilities for table creation/cleanup

Example Prompts That Should Trigger This Skill

• "Help me set up DynamoDB Local for my project"
• "I need to run DynamoDB locally for testing"
• "Add DynamoDB Local docker configuration"
• "Configure local DynamoDB for integration tests"
• "Set up DynamoDB Local for my Spring Boot application"

Alternatives considered

1. Manual setup: Developers manually copy-paste Docker configurations - inconsistent and error-prone
2. DynamoDB Local in jar: Using the standalone JAR version - more complex setup than Docker
3. Third-party DynamoDB emulators: Less reliable than AWS official solution
4. Testcontainers: Good for tests, but doesn't solve the general development environment need

Additional context

AWS Documentation References

• DynamoDB Local Developer Guide
• Official Docker image: amazon/dynamodb-local:latest
• Default port: 8000
• Local endpoint: http://localhost:8000

Connection Requirements

For local development, the following credentials are typically used (dummy values):

• AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: 'DUMMYIDEXAMPLE'
• AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: 'DUMMYEXAMPLEKEY'
• REGION: 'us-east-1' (or any region)

Related Skills

This skill would complement existing AWS-related skills:

• aws-rds-spring-boot-integration - similar pattern for database local setup
• aws-cloudformation-dynamodb - for table schema definition

Testing Verification

After setup, developers should be able to:

# Start DynamoDB Local
docker-compose up -d dynamodb-local

# Verify connection
aws dynamodb list-tables --endpoint-url http://localhost:8000

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Priority: Medium (enhances developer experience, reduces cloud costs during development)
Complexity: Low to Medium (well-documented AWS patterns, similar to existing RDS skill)