Difference between AWS SDK DynamoDB client and DocumentClient?

Question

I want to know the difference between the AWS SDK DynamoDB client and the DynamoDB DocumentClient? In which use case should we use the DynamoDB client over the DocumentClient? <

Answer 1

I think this can be best answered by comparing two code samples which do the same thing.

Here's how you put an item using the dynamoDB client:

var params = {
    Item: {
        "AlbumTitle": {
            S: "Somewhat Famous"
        },
        "Artist": {
            S: "No One You Know"
        },
        "SongTitle": {
            S: "Call Me Today"
        }
    },
    TableName: "Music"
};
dynamodb.putItem(params, function (err, data) {
    if (err) console.log(err)
    else console.log(data);           
});

Here's how you put the same item using the DocumentClient API:

var params = {
    Item: {
        "AlbumTitle": "Somewhat Famous",
        "Artist": "No One You Know",
        "SongTitle": "Call Me Today"
    },
    TableName: "Music"
};

var documentClient = new AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient();

documentClient.put(params, function (err, data) {
    if (err) console.log(err);
    else console.log(data);
});

As you can see in the DocumentClient the Item is specified in a more natural way. Similar differences exist in all other operations that update DDB (update(), delete()) and in the items returned from read operations (get(), query(), scan()).