Introducing AWS Step Functions Express Workflows

Posted on: Dec 3, 2019

Express Workflows are a new type of AWS Step Functions workflow type that cost-effectively orchestrate AWS compute, database, and messaging services at event rates greater than 100,000 events per second. Express Workflows automatically start in response to events such as HTTP requests via Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda requests, AWS IoT Rules Engine actions, and over 100 other AWS and SaaS event sources from Amazon EventBridge. Express Workflows is suitable for high-volume event processing workloads such as IoT data ingestion, streaming data processing and transformation, and high-volume microservices orchestration.

AWS Step Functions allows developers to assemble AWS services, such as Lambda functions, into a serverless workflow in minutes, without writing code. Step Functions ensures that the steps in the serverless workflow are followed reliably, that information is passed between stages, and that errors are handled automatically. Developers productively use Standard Workflows today to manage long-running workloads such as machine learning model training, report generation, IT automation, and order processing.

Express Workflows can support event rates greater than 100,000 per second, making them suitable for event processing workloads. At pricing as low as $1.00 per million requests and $0.00000456 per GB-second, the price of Express Workflows enables cost-effective event based workflows.

There is no up-front cost commitment or minimum fee for using Express Workflows, and you pay only for what you use.

You can get started with Express Workflows using the AWS Management Console, Command Line Interface (CLI), or SDK. Developers can build their first workflows using ready-to-run Sample Projects, which deploy from the Step Functions console with one click.

Express Workflows is generally available in the following regions: US East (Ohio and N. Virginia), US West (Oregon and N. California), Canada (Central), EU (Stockholm, Paris, Ireland, Frankfurt, and London), Asia Pacific (Mumbai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Ningxa, and Sydney), and South America (Sao Paulo, Bahrain).

To learn more about Express Workflows: