AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM)

Concept

AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model) is a way to write all the parts of a serverless app in one template file. It is built on top of CloudFormation, so when you deploy, the SAM template is actually transformed into a CloudFormation template. In SAM, resources such as Lambda functions, APIs and DynamoDB tables can be written in a short form. It comes with a tool called the SAM CLI. With the SAM CLI you can build the app, test it on your own computer, and deploy it to AWS.

Simple example

If a house’s design is drawn on paper, any builder can look at the design and build exactly the same house.

Why it’s needed

When you build things by clicking in the Console, it’s hard to remember what you did and build it again. If you write it in a file, you can build it the same way as many times as you like.

Where it’s used

Writing and deploying the design of apps built from Lambda and API Gateway.

Azure equivalent

No direct match; closest: Bicep / Azure Developer CLI templates

Remember

SAM = the design file for a serverless app. It is a simpler version of CloudFormation.

Learn more

For details and the latest information, see the official documentation:

• AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) — AWS official documentation ↗