Tech Requirements

Recommended Computer Specifications

• 2 GHz Processor (or faster)
• 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)
• 256 GB Hard Drive (preferably solid-state)
• Operating System: Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or Linux
• Reliable internet connection (at least 5 Mbps download/upload)

AWS Services You'll Use

During this unit, you'll be working with the following AWS services:

Amazon DynamoDB

A fully managed NoSQL database service that provides fast and predictable performance with seamless scalability. You'll use DynamoDB to:

• Store application data
• Design efficient table schemas
• Create and query tables
• Implement complex access patterns

AWS Lambda

A serverless compute service that runs your code in response to events. You'll use Lambda to:

• Implement your API business logic
• Process requests from API Gateway
• Interact with DynamoDB tables
• Implement authentication and authorization

Amazon API Gateway

A fully managed service that makes it easy for developers to create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs. You'll use API Gateway to:

• Define API endpoints
• Route requests to Lambda functions
• Handle request validation
• Manage API versioning

AWS CloudFormation

A service that helps you model and set up your Amazon Web Services resources. You'll use CloudFormation to:

• Define your infrastructure as code
• Create DynamoDB tables and indexes
• Provision AWS resources consistently
• Manage deployment of your application

Additional Requirements

For this course, you'll be building a full-stack application that includes:

• Frontend: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Backend: AWS Lambda with Java
• Database: Amazon DynamoDB

To successfully complete this unit, you should have the following:

• A stable internet connection
• Basic familiarity with Git and GitHub
• Basic understanding of Java programming
• Ability to run and test code locally before deploying
• Basic understanding of web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Familiarity with RESTful API concepts

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before starting the unit, make sure you have completed these steps:

1. IDE Setup

• Install Intellij IDEA (Community Edition is fine)
• Configure Java Development Kit (JDK) 11 or later
• Install the AWS Toolkit plugin for IntelliJ
• Configure Git integration in IntelliJ

2. AWS Configuration

• Set up your AWS IAM account using the provided instructions
• Install and configure the AWS CLI
• Configure AWS credentials in your development environment
• Verify access to required AWS services

3. Project Setup

• Fork and clone the project template repository
• Install required dependencies
• Run the initial build to verify everything works
• Configure your local environment variables

4. Frontend Development Setup

• Install Node.js and npm
• Set up your preferred code editor for web development
• Install browser developer tools for testing

Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues

• AWS CLI Configuration: Make sure your AWS credentials are properly configured in the ~/.aws/credentials file
• Java Environment: Ensure JAVA_HOME is set correctly in your environment variables
• Build Issues: Try cleaning and rebuilding your project if you encounter build errors
• AWS Access: Verify that your IAM user has the necessary permissions for the services you need to use
• IDE Configuration: Make sure your IntelliJ project is correctly configured as a Gradle project

If you continue to experience issues, don't hesitate to reach out to your instructors or post in the help channels.