Simple Single Table

Latest Version: 16.3.0

Project Overview

simplesingletable is a Python library providing an abstraction layer for AWS DynamoDB operations, specifically designed for single-table design patterns. The library uses Pydantic for model definitions and includes " batteries-included" functionality for common DynamoDB use cases.

Target Use Cases

• Small to medium scale applications
• Single-table DynamoDB design patterns
• Applications requiring versioned resources with automatic history tracking
• Fast, consistent, and cost-effective storage solutions

Key Features

1. Single Table Design: Store different object types in a single DynamoDB table
2. Automatic ID Generation: Uses lexicographically sortable IDs via ulid-py for chronological ordering
3. Resource Versioning: Automatic versioning with complete history and optimistic concurrency control
4. Secondary Access Patterns: Support for GSI-based queries and filtering
5. Pydantic Integration: Type-safe models with validation
6. Compression Support: Optional gzip compression for large data

Architecture

Core Components

Models (src/simplesingletable/models.py)

• BaseDynamoDbResource: Abstract base class for all resources
• DynamoDbResource: Non-versioned resources (simpler, lighter)
• DynamoDbVersionedResource: Versioned resources with automatic history tracking
• PaginatedList: Enhanced list for paginated query results

Memory Layer (src/simplesingletable/dynamodb_memory.py)

• DynamoDbMemory: Main interface for DynamoDB operations (CRUD, queries, filtering)

Utilities (src/simplesingletable/utils.py)

• ID generation, pagination helpers, DynamoDB type marshalling

Resource Types

Non-Versioned Resources (DynamoDbResource):

• Lighter weight, direct updates
• No version history
• Fields: resource_id, created_at, updated_at

Versioned Resources (DynamoDbVersionedResource):

• Complete version history
• Optimistic concurrency control
• Version limit enforcement (configurable via max_versions)
• Compressed data storage by default
• Fields: resource_id, version, created_at, updated_at

GSI (Global Secondary Index) Configuration

The library supports both static and dynamic GSI configuration:

class MyResource(DynamoDbVersionedResource):
    # Static configuration
    gsi_config: ClassVar[Dict[str, IndexFieldConfig]] = {
        "status": {
            "pk": lambda self: f"status#{self.status}",
            "sk": lambda self: self.resource_id,  # Sort by creation time
        }
    }

    # Or dynamic configuration via get_gsi_config()
    @classmethod
    def get_gsi_config(cls) -> Dict[str, IndexFieldConfig]:
        return {"dynamic_index": {"pk": lambda self: f"type#{self.type}"}}

Extras Module (src/simplesingletable/extras/)

Additional patterns and utilities:

• Repository Pattern: ResourceRepository for higher-level operations
• Versioned Repository: VersionedResourceRepository with version management
• Singleton Pattern: For configuration resources
• Form Data: Streamlit integration helpers
• Habit Tracker: Example application

Development Setup

Dependencies

Core Dependencies:

• boto3 - AWS SDK
• pydantic>2 - Data validation and serialization
• ulid-py - Unique ID generation
• humanize - Human-readable formatting

Development Dependencies:

• pytest + pytest-cov + pytest-docker - Testing framework
• black + isort + ruff - Code formatting and linting
• invoke - Task automation
• bumpver - Version management

Build and Test Commands

The project uses invoke for task automation (tasks.py):

# Dependency management
inv compile-requirements          # Compile requirements.txt from pyproject.toml
inv compile-requirements --upgrade # Update dependencies

# Development
inv lint                         # Format and lint code (black, isort, ruff)
inv launch-dynamodb-local       # Start local DynamoDB for testing
inv halt-dynamodb-local         # Stop local DynamoDB

# Testing
pytest                          # Run test suite with coverage
pytest tests/test_specific.py   # Run specific tests

# Release management
inv bumpver --patch|minor|major # Bump version
inv build                       # Build distribution packages
inv fullrelease --patch         # Complete release cycle (lint, test, bump, build, publish)

Testing Architecture

• Docker-based: Uses DynamoDB Local via Docker Compose
• Pytest fixtures: conftest.py provides database setup/teardown
• Comprehensive coverage: Tests for CRUD, versioning, GSI, filtering
• Test files:
  • test_simplesingletable.py - Core functionality
  • test_versioned_repository.py - Version management
  • test_repository.py - Repository pattern
  • test_filter_expressions.py - Query filtering

Important Patterns and Conventions

Resource Definition Pattern

from simplesingletable import DynamoDbVersionedResource


class MyResource(DynamoDbVersionedResource):
    name: str
    status: str
    metadata: Optional[dict] = None
    
    # the following are defined on the base class
    # resource_id: str
    # version: int
    # created_at: datetime
    # updated_at: datetime

    # Optional: Configure compression and version limits
    resource_config: ClassVar[ResourceConfig] = ResourceConfig(
        compress_data=True,  # Default for versioned
        max_versions=10  # Keep only 10 versions
    )

    # Optional: GSI configuration for secondary access patterns
    def db_get_gsi1pk(self) -> str | None:
        return f"status#{self.status}"

CRUD Operations Pattern

from simplesingletable import DynamoDbMemory

memory = DynamoDbMemory(logger=logger, table_name="my-table")

# Create
resource = memory.create_new(MyResource, {"name": "test", "status": "active"})

# Read
retrieved = memory.read_existing(resource.resource_id, MyResource)

# Update (versioned resources automatically increment version)
updated = memory.update_existing(retrieved, {"status": "inactive"})

# List with filtering
resources = memory.list_resources(
    MyResource,
    filter_fn=lambda r: r.status == "active",
    limit=50
)

Paginated Queries

The library provides powerful paginated query capabilities for efficient data retrieval from DynamoDB, supporting both primary key and GSI-based queries with filtering.

Basic Paginated Query

from simplesingletable import exhaust_pagination

# Direct paginated query with GSI
results = memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
    resource_class=MyResource,
    index_name="gsi1",
    key_condition=Key("gsi1pk").eq("status#active"),
    results_limit=100,  # Items per page
    pagination_key=None  # For first page
)

# Get all results (automatically handles pagination)
all_results = []
for page in exhaust_pagination(
    lambda pk=None: memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
        resource_class=MyResource,
        index_name="gsi1", 
        key_condition=Key("gsi1pk").eq("status#active"),
        results_limit=100,
        pagination_key=pk
    )
):
    all_results.extend(page)

Query Patterns with GSI

Define query methods on your resource classes for reusable access patterns:

class MyResource(DynamoDbVersionedResource):
    status: str
    category: str
    
    def db_get_gsi1pk(self) -> str | None:
        # Sparse GSI - only index active items
        if self.status == "active":
            return f"{self.get_unique_key_prefix()}#{self.category}"
        return None
    
    @classmethod
    def query_by_category_kwargs(cls, category: str):
        """Build query kwargs for category-based queries."""
        return {
            "index_name": "gsi1",
            "key_condition": Key("gsi1pk").eq(f"{cls.get_unique_key_prefix()}#{category}")
        }

# Use the query pattern
active_in_category = memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
    resource_class=MyResource,
    **MyResource.query_by_category_kwargs("important"),
    results_limit=50
)

Advanced Filtering

Important Note on Versioned Resources: Versioned resources use compression by default, which means DynamoDB filter expressions can only access attributes that are part of a GSI (pk, sk, gsi1pk, gsi1sk, etc.). For compressed resources, attribute-based filtering must be done client-side. Non-versioned resources don't have this limitation.

from boto3.dynamodb.conditions import Attr

# For NON-VERSIONED resources - DynamoDB-side filtering works
filter_expression = Attr("status").eq("active") & Attr("priority").gt(5)

# For VERSIONED resources - use client-side filtering or GSI design
def custom_filter(resource: MyVersionedResource) -> bool:
    return resource.status == "active" and resource.priority > 5

# Combined approach (versioned resource example)
results = memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
    resource_class=MyVersionedResource,
    filter_fn=custom_filter,  # Client-side only for versioned
    results_limit=100
)

Best Practices for Efficient Filtering:

1. Design GSIs carefully - For versioned resources, encode filterable attributes in GSI keys
2. Consider data volume - Client-side filtering is acceptable for small result sets (< 1000 items)
3. Use list_type_by_updated_at - Efficient for time-based queries with limited client-side filtering
4. Non-versioned for high-volume filtering - Consider using non-versioned resources when you need extensive DynamoDB-side filtering

Pagination Handling

For UI-driven pagination or batch processing:

# First page
page1 = memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
    resource_class=MyResource,
    results_limit=20
)

# Get pagination key for next page
if page1.has_more:
    next_key = page1.pagination_key
    
    # Fetch next page
    page2 = memory.paginated_dynamodb_query(
        resource_class=MyResource,
        results_limit=20,
        pagination_key=next_key
    )

Query by Updated Time

Special helper for time-based queries:

# List resources by most recently updated
recent = memory.list_type_by_updated_at(
    MyResource,
    results_limit=50,
    filter_expression=Attr("status").eq("pending")
)

Version Management

# Get all versions of a resource
versions = memory.get_resource_versions(resource_id, MyResource)

# Get specific version
v2 = memory.read_existing_version(resource_id, MyResource, version=2)

# Version limits automatically enforced during updates
# (configure via resource_config['max_versions'])

Code Quality Standards

• Line length: 120 characters
• Python version: ≥3.10
• Type hints: Required for all public APIs
• Documentation: Docstrings for classes and complex methods
• Testing: High coverage requirements (see pyproject.toml)

Key Files and Their Purposes

• src/simplesingletable/__init__.py - Public API exports
• src/simplesingletable/models.py - Core resource classes and types
• src/simplesingletable/dynamodb_memory.py - Main DynamoDB interface
• src/simplesingletable/utils.py - Utility functions
• src/simplesingletable/extras/ - Additional patterns and examples
• tests/ - Comprehensive test suite
• tasks.py - Development automation scripts
• pyproject.toml - Project configuration and dependencies

Common Gotchas and Considerations

1. Versioned vs Non-versioned: Choose based on whether you need history tracking
2. Compression: Versioned resources use compression by default; configure via resource_config
3. GSI Limits: DynamoDB has GSI limits; design access patterns carefully
4. Version Limits: Set max_versions to prevent unbounded growth
5. Pagination: Use exhaust_pagination() for complete result sets
6. Concurrency: Versioned resources prevent concurrent updates from same version