The power of Cloud Development Kit (CDK): How to get the most out of it

What if you could manage AWS infrastructure and Kubernetes applications in a single codebase, using your favorite programming language?

#1about 3 minutes

Comparing CDK with Terraform and other IaC tools

CDK uses AWS CloudFormation for state management, contrasting with Terraform's direct API calls and local state files.

#2about 3 minutes

Unifying AWS and Kubernetes deployments with CDK

CDK and CDK8s allow you to define both your AWS infrastructure and Kubernetes manifests in a single, high-level programming language.

#3about 4 minutes

Managing multiple environments with CDK staging

Use the staging concept in CDK to deploy multiple, independent instances of your application within the same AWS account for easier development.

#4about 5 minutes

Avoiding common pitfalls in large-scale CDK projects

Be aware of CloudFormation stack dependency issues, establish a strict naming scheme early, and structure code to minimize team conflicts.

#5about 3 minutes

Extending CDK functionality with custom resources

Use custom resources to overcome CDK limitations by making direct AWS API calls or executing Lambda functions during deployment.

#6about 1 minute

Applying software engineering tools to CDK projects

Improve code quality and security by integrating standard development tools like linters, security scanners, and AI assistants into your CDK workflow.

#7about 2 minutes

Deciding when to use CDK versus Terraform

Choose CDK for fast-paced, AWS-native projects with unified teams, but prefer Terraform for multi-cloud, explicit configurations, or existing expertise.

#8about 6 minutes