Welcome
This is the repository for code examples used in the public AWS documentation. The examples use the AWS SDKs for the supported programming languages. For more information, see Tools to Build on AWS.
Finding code examples
The code examples are organized by programming language. For example, all of the code examples for the AWS SDK for Java Developer Guide are kept in the java directory.
You can also try using the preview of our use case index of examples (and let us know what you think about it).
Building and running code examples
Inside each language-specific directory, we include a README file that explains how to build and run the examples in the directory.
The example code in the language-specific directories is organized by the AWS service abbreviation (s3 for Amazon S3 examples, and so on).
Proposing new code examples
To propose a new code example for the AWS documentation team to consider working on, create a request.
The AWS documentation team wants to produce code examples that cover broader scenarios and use cases, versus simple code snippets that cover only individual API calls.
From time to time, the AWS documentation team will select some of these proposals to begin working on. To view their decisions, see the code examples roadmap. If you feel strongly about wanting to accelerate the timeline of a particular proposal or expand or focus the scope of a particular proposal, be sure to +1 the related issue, add comments to it, or both, and the team will consider it.
The AWS documentation team typically moves accepted proposals in the roadmp from the Wish List stage to the Backlog stage, then to In Progress, and finally to Recently Completed. The Wish List represents proposals that the team might begin working on sometime in the future, but with no expected timeline. The Backlog stage represents proposals that the team will likely begin working on soon. To view the team's progress, see the code examples roadmap.
Submitting code examples for use in AWS documentation
If you plan to contribute examples for use in the documentation (the purpose of this repository), read this section carefully so that we can work together effectively. For process instructions and additional guidance, see the Guidelines for contributing.
Make sure that the code you want to contribute builds and runs. There's nothing more frustrating in developer documentation than code examples that don't work. Build the code and test it before submitting it!
Don't include personal account data, keys, or IDs in your examples. Code should obtain access keys from the standard SDK credentials and config files, use environment variables or external data files, or query the user for this information.
Format code lines to 80 characters. Long lines can be enclosed in a scrollable box for HTML, but in a PDF build, long lines often spill off the side of the page, making the code unreadable. If your code includes long text strings, consider breaking these into smaller chunks and concatenating them.
Use short(er) variable names. To aid in readability and to help keep line length to 80 characters, use short yet descriptive names for variables. Do not mimic class names when creating variables that represent an object of that class. It nearly always results in excessively long variable names, making it difficult to keep code lines to 80 characters.
Use spaces, not tabs, for indentation. Tabs are variable length in most editors, but will usually render as 8 characters wide in printed documentation. Always use spaces to ensure consistent formatting in printed code.
You can ignore this rule for makefiles, which might require the use of tabs. But these are typically used only for building examples, and aren't included in documentation.
Minimize the use of comments. Code is ignored for translation, so comments in code aren't translated for the printed documentation's target language. Comments aren't needed in most code used for documentation, because the goal is clarity and ease of understanding. By making code self-explanatory, you make better code for documentation and reduce the need to add comments.
Place comments on separate lines from code. If you must add a comment for explanation or any other reason, make sure that it's placed on a separate line from code (not inline). This allows readers of the source file to read the comment, yet it can be stripped out when including snippets from the file within documentation.
All code must be submitted under the Apache 2.0 license, as noted in the following Copyright and License section.
Copyright and License
All content in this repository, unless otherwise stated, is Copyright © Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Except where otherwise noted, all examples in this collection are licensed under the Apache
license, version 2.0 (the "License"). The full
license text is provided in the LICENSE file accompanying this repository.