Learn AWS-CDK with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 27, 2025
Explain
CDK allows defining AWS infrastructure as constructs, which are reusable, composable building blocks.
It supports multiple languages through language-specific bindings (JSII).
CDK synthesizes code into AWS CloudFormation templates for deployment.
Enables best practices like IAM policies, networking, and resource configuration via code.
Facilitates repeatable, version-controlled, and testable cloud infrastructure.
Core Features
Constructs - reusable building blocks
Stacks - deployable CloudFormation units
Apps - collections of stacks
Context-aware configuration
Cross-stack references and dependencies
Basic Concepts Overview
App - top-level CDK application
Stack - unit of deployment
Construct - building block for AWS resources
Environment - AWS account and region
Context - configuration values for stacks
Project Structure
cdk.json - project configuration
bin/ - entry-point app
lib/ - stacks and constructs
package.json / requirements.txt - dependencies
cdk.context.json - cached context data
Building Workflow
Create a new CDK project using CLI
Write constructs for required AWS resources
Add stacks and instantiate constructs
Synthesize the project into CloudFormation templates
Deploy stacks to AWS using CDK CLI
Difficulty Use Cases
Beginner: Deploy a single S3 bucket
Intermediate: Multi-stack VPC + RDS deployment
Advanced: Complex multi-environment pipelines
Expert: Custom L1/L2/L3 constructs for reusable infra
Architect: Enterprise-wide CDK construct libraries
Comparisons
CDK vs CloudFormation: CDK provides code abstraction and reusable constructs
CDK vs Terraform: CDK is AWS-native, Terraform is multi-cloud
CDK vs Serverless Framework: CDK supports full AWS stack, Serverless is function-focused
CDK vs Pulumi: Pulumi supports multi-cloud, CDK is tightly integrated with AWS
CDK vs manual console: CDK is repeatable, version-controlled, and testable
Versioning Timeline
CDK v0.x (2018) - initial developer preview
CDK v1 (2019) - stable multi-language support
CDK v1.x - additions for new AWS services
CDK v2 (2021) - single package for all AWS constructs
2024–2025 - continuous updates for new AWS services
Glossary
App - top-level CDK application
Stack - deployable CloudFormation unit
Construct - building block of infrastructure
Context - environment/configuration values
JSII - multi-language binding framework