Application Integration
CoreAWS Step Functions
Managed workflow orchestration with explicit state, branching, retries, waits, and service coordination.
Key points
- Execution state makes multi-step progress and failures observable.
- Built-in retry and timeout behavior must still match idempotency and downstream limits.
- Workflow type and integration pattern should match duration, response, and execution-volume requirements.
Best-known use cases
- Coordinate multi-step serverless or service workflows.
- Model approvals, parallel branches, compensation, and long-running waits.
What candidates often confuse it with
- Step Functions coordinates state; SQS and EventBridge transport queued work or events.
- Step Functions replaces custom orchestration logic, not every messaging boundary.
Key takeaway
Choose Step Functions when the business process itself needs durable, visible orchestration state.
Related services
- Amazon EventBridge
- Amazon SQS
- AWS Lambda
Relevant exam tasks
- D2.1