Implementing AWS Step Functions with Lambda and PowerShell Activity Tasks

This video demonstrates how to create a very simple AWS Step Function. You can think of Step Functions like "workflows" that transition from state to state, from start to finish. Step Functions don't execute any code themselves, but they can call out to either: 1) an AWS Lambda function, or 2) a generic "Activity Task," which can be implemented in any language that can call AWS APIs. This video will demonstrate how to implement a "Task" state using a Python-based AWS Lambda function, as well as from the AWS Tools for PowerShell Software Development Kit (SDK). In addition to the "Task" state type, there are also other state types such as a "Wait" state that will simply wait for a period of time, or until a specified time. There's also a "Pass" state that simply (optionally) appends to your state machine's state, and moves onto the next step. There's also a "Parallel" state type, which allows your Step Function to execute multiple branches of tasks simultaneously. One of the especially useful state types is called "Choice" which allows you to route your state machine's execution down different code paths, depending on a value in your state. When implementing an activity task worker in PowerShell, the key AWSPowerShell commands that you'll want to take note of include: Get-SFNActivityTask, Send-SFNTaskSuccess, Send-SFNTaskFailure, and Send-SFNTaskHeartbeat. In parts of this video, I'm using Microsoft's Visual Studio Code editor, which runs natively cross-platform on Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Furthermore, PowerShell and the AWS Tools for PowerShell run cross-platform via the open source PowerShell Core edition. If you're installing the AWS Tools for PowerShell on a Linux or MacOS system, or inside of a Linux-based Docker container, make sure you are using the "AWSPowerShell.NetCore" module, not the "AWSPowerShell" module that is intended to run on PowerShell "Desktop Edition" (Windows-only). Amazon Web Services (AWS) Tools for PowerShell SDK: https://aws.amazon.com/documentation/... AWS Step Functions: https://aws.amazon.com/step-functions/ AWS Lambda: https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/ Microsoft Visual Studio Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/ PowerShell Core Edition: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerSh... Producer: Trevor Sullivan Website: https://trevorsullivan.net Twitter:   / pcgeek86   Gab: https://gab.ai/trevors Amazon Web Services, the “Powered by AWS” logo, [and name any other AWS Marks used in such materials] are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. #PowerShell #AWS #cloud