Using AWS Amplify, I'm trying to find the table name for the dynamodb table that is created with the data/resource. How Can I find that?

Question

I'm trying to find the table name to use the dynamo db that is auto generated using AWS Amplify after creating a schema using 'data'. How can I find that?

Here is what I've tried:

resource.ts file

const schema = a
  .schema({
    UserProfileFlags: a.customType({
      isBetaUser: a.boolean(),
      isFounder: a.boolean(),
      isBanned: a.boolean(),
      isSuspended: a.boolean(),
      isVerified: a.boolean(),
      isDeleted: a.boolean(),
    }),

    UserProfile: a
      .model({
        userName: a.string().required(),
        owner: a
          .string()
          .authorization((allow) => [allow.owner().to(['read', 'delete'])]),
...

to define a database in dynamo named UserProfile. That works fine, the db is created and the table exists. Now I'm trying to create a function to access that table. I've tried many iterations, but they all have errors/won't compile or work:

I found this:

import { DynamoDB } from 'aws-sdk';
import { getDataSource } from '@aws-amplify/backend-function';
import type { Schema } from '../../data/resource';

const dynamodb = new DynamoDB.DocumentClient();

export const handler: Schema['createEmptyProfile']['handler'] = async (event, context) => {
  const dataSource = getDataSource(context);
  const TABLE_NAME = dataSource.resources.UserProfile.tableName;

This one tells me that import { getDataSource } from '@aws-amplify/backend-function'; is a problem:

Module '"@aws-amplify/backend-function"' has no exported member 'getDataSource'.ts(2305)

I've also tried running this: npx ampx generate graphql-client-code --out /graphql

and then

import { env } from "$amplify/env/post-confirmation";
...
        endpoint: env.AMPLIFY_DATA_GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT,
...

But this too shows AMPLIFY_DATA_GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT is undefined, and if I look in the generated .ts files, I don't see it either.

That kind of makes sense, since I'm not sure how that would work when deployed, as it needs a different table name. This is all running against a local sandbox.

Here is the docs link that I can find: https://docs.amplify.aws/react/build-a-backend/functions/examples/create-user-profile-record/

I'm using Gen2. I would think that would be the correct version, but it seems like Gen1 is way more common. — nycynik
– nycynik, Commented Oct 29, 2024 at 22:33

Dejan Milosevic · Accepted Answer · 2025-02-15 13:25:59Z

3

You can get the access to the table name (and other details) after defineBackend() is done, like this:

backend.data.resources.tables["UserProfile"].tableName

But in order to use it in your lambda function, add it as env var to the function:

backend.createEmptyProfile.addEnvironment("USER_PROFILE_TABLE", backend.data.resources.tables["UserProfile"].tableName);

And inside the function, just access it with this:

import { env } from "$amplify/env/createEmptyProfile";

const TABLE_NAME = env.USER_PROFILE_TABLE;

NOTE: "env" will be updated locally (so you don't get ts errors) only after you've saved backend.js and run npx ampx sandbox

NOTE2: in order to avoid circular dependency issue when provisioning cloud formation stack, the function needs to belong to the same resource group as the models; for your case I believe this would do it - in the defineFunction() add:

  resourceGroupName: "data",

edited Feb 15 at 13:25

answered Feb 15 at 12:59

Dejan Milosevic

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1 Comment

ujjwol shrestha Mar 6 at 11:07

using backend.data.resources.tables["UserProfile"].tableName for env creates circular dependency issue and adding resourceGroupName as data also didn't help .

koehn · Accepted Answer · 2025-06-07 17:24:59Z

I'm running Amplify Gen 2 also; here's what worked for me.

I wasn't able to get any solution involving setting environment variables to work reliably. But what did work was to create SSM parameters with the values I needed, and grant my lambda permissions to read them.

In my backend, after creating the resources I need (AccountTable's ARN, in this case):

const envName = process.env.AMPLIFY_BRANCH || 'dev';
const accountTableParam = new cdk.aws_ssm.StringParameter(
  apiStack,
  "AccountTableParam",
  {
    parameterName: `/secure-site/${envName}/account-table-name`,
    stringValue: accountTable.tableName,
  }
);

const allowSignLambdaToAccessAccountTablePolicy = new Policy(
  cdk.Stack.of(accountTable),
  "allowSignLambdaToAccessAccountTablePolicy",
  {
    statements: [
      new PolicyStatement({
        effect: Effect.ALLOW,
        actions: [
          "dynamodb:GetItem",
          "dynamodb:UpdateItem",
          "dynamodb:Query",
          "dynamodb:Scan",
        ],
        resources: [accountTable.tableArn],
      }),
      new PolicyStatement({
        effect: Effect.ALLOW,
        actions: ["ssm:GetParameter"],
        resources: [
          accountTableParam.parameterArn,
        ],
      }),
    ],
  }
);

Then in my lambda's code, I could read the parameter:

const ssmClient = new SSMClient();
const envName = process.env.AMPLIFY_BRANCH || 'dev';

async function getParameter(name: string): Promise<string> {
  const paramPath = `/secure-site/${envName}/${name}`;
  const command = new GetParameterCommand({ Name: paramPath });
  const response = await ssmClient.send(command);
  return response.Parameter?.Value || '';
}

const table = await getParameter('account-table-name');

heeen · Accepted Answer · 2025-07-22 11:24:26Z

Here's how to programmatically find your DynamoDB table names by querying the AppSync API:

Find your AppSync API ID by matching the GraphQL URL
List all data sources for that API
Extract table names from DynamoDB data sources


import { AppSyncClient, ListDataSourcesCommand, ListGraphqlApisCommand } from "@aws-sdk/client-appsync";

async function getTableMappingsFromAppSync(graphqlUrl: string, region: string) {
  const appSyncClient = new AppSyncClient({ region });

  // Step 1: Find API ID by matching GraphQL URL
  const listApisResult = await appSyncClient.send(new ListGraphqlApisCommand({}));
  const matchingApi = listApisResult.graphqlApis?
    .find(api =>api.uris?.GRAPHQL === graphqlUrl);

  if (!matchingApi?.apiId) {
    throw new Error(`Could not find AppSync API with URL: ${graphqlUrl}`);
  }

  // Step 2: Get all data sources for this API
  const listDataSourcesResult = await appSyncClient.send(new ListDataSourcesCommand(
    { apiId: matchingApi.apiId })
  );

  // Step 3: Extract table names from DynamoDB data sourcesconst tableMappings:
  Record<string, string> = {};

  for (const dataSource of listDataSourcesResult.dataSources || []) {
    if (dataSource.type === "AMAZON_DYNAMODB" && dataSource.dynamodbConfig?.tableName) {
    // Extract model name from data source name (e.g., "CampaignTable" -> "Campaign")
    const modelName = dataSource.name?.replace(/Table$/, '');
    if (modelName) {
      tableMappings[modelName] = dataSource.dynamodbConfig.tableName; 
    }
  }
}

return tableMappings;

}

const url = amplify_outputs.data.url;
const region = amplify_outputs.data.aws_region;
const tableMappings = await getTableMappingsFromAppSync(url, region);
console.log(tableMappings);
// Output: { User: "User-def456" }

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