DynamoDB Errors

DynamoDB InternalServerError (HTTP 500) indicates AWS infrastructure is temporarily unable to process your request. Most are transient and automatically retried by SDK clients, but persistent errors require monitoring and investigation.

This error occurs when the key attributes you provide in a DynamoDB operation (GetItem, UpdateItem, DeleteItem, etc.) do not match your table's defined key schema. The fix requires ensuring key names, data types, and structure align with your table definition.

This error occurs when AWS DynamoDB encounters a conflict during table import operations, typically when importing data from S3 or during restore operations. The conflict usually involves schema mismatches, existing data conflicts, or concurrent operations on the same table.

DynamoDB returns ResourceNotFoundException when you attempt to access a table, index, or other resource that doesn't exist or isn't in an active state. This HTTP 400 error occurs when the requested resource name is incorrect, the resource is still being created, or it has been deleted.

TrimmedDataAccessException happens when a DynamoDB Streams consumer tries to read a record that was already evicted by the 24‑hour retention window. The SDK throws this exception with HTTP 400, and GetRecords will not return data until you recreate the iterator inside the retention window.

DynamoDB returns UnrecognizedClientException when AWS cannot validate the security credentials (access key, secret key, or session token) used in the request. This authentication error prevents all DynamoDB operations until valid credentials are provided.

DynamoDB returns TransactionCanceledException when a TransactWriteItems or TransactGetItems operation fails to complete. This error occurs when one or more items in the transaction cannot be processed due to conflicts, throttling, validation errors, or other constraints.

DynamoDB returns GlobalTableNotFoundException when you attempt to perform operations on a global table that doesn't exist or isn't properly configured. This error occurs when referencing a global table name that hasn't been created, is still being replicated across regions, or has been deleted from the global tables configuration.

DynamoDB returns InvalidExportTimeException when you try to export a table using an ExportTime that falls outside the point-in-time recovery (PITR) retention window. This error occurs with ExportTableToPointInTime API when the specified timestamp is either too old (beyond PITR retention) or in the future.

DynamoDB returns MissingAuthenticationTokenException when AWS SDK cannot find valid authentication credentials. This error occurs when your application lacks proper AWS credentials configuration, expired tokens, or incorrect region settings.

DynamoDB returns IdempotentParameterMismatchException when retrying an idempotent operation with different parameters than the original request. This error protects against unintended data modifications by ensuring retried operations use identical parameters.

DynamoDB returns RequestLimitExceeded when your application exceeds account-level throughput limits, which apply to all tables in your AWS account. This error occurs when the combined throughput across all DynamoDB tables in your account exceeds AWS-imposed limits, requiring quota management and workload distribution strategies.

This error occurs when attempting to create a DynamoDB global table with a name that already exists in your AWS account. Global tables require unique names within the same AWS account and cannot be duplicated.

This error occurs when a DynamoDB conditional write operation fails because the specified condition expression evaluated to false. It commonly happens during optimistic locking when the item has been modified by another process, or when custom conditional checks fail.

This error occurs when you attempt to perform a backup control plane operation (create, delete, or restore) on a DynamoDB backup that is already involved in another operation. Wait for the current operation to complete before retrying.

This error occurs when your application tries to access a DynamoDB table that doesn't exist, isn't in an ACTIVE state, or is in a different AWS region. The most common causes are typos in the table name, wrong region configuration, or the table still being created.

This error occurs when you attempt to access or restore a DynamoDB backup using a BackupARN that does not exist, has been deleted, or is in a different AWS region. Verify the backup exists and the ARN is correct before attempting operations.

DynamoDB ValidationException occurs when your request contains invalid parameter values, such as empty strings, type mismatches, missing required keys, or incorrect attribute definitions. This validation happens before the operation executes.

This error occurs when attempting to restore a DynamoDB table from a point-in-time backup, but Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) is not enabled on the source table. PITR must be explicitly enabled to create continuous backups and allow restoration to any point in time within the retention period.

DynamoDB returns ThrottlingException when your request rate exceeds the allowed throughput for your table, index, or account limits. This error occurs with both provisioned and on-demand capacity modes when you send too many requests too quickly.

This error occurs when you submit a DynamoDB transaction (TransactWriteItems or ExecuteTransaction) using a client request token that is already being used by an ongoing transaction. It indicates a duplicate transaction attempt within the 10-minute idempotency window.

DynamoDB raises this error when your transaction or item-level write collides with another request touching the same key, so it rejects the new operation to keep the data consistent.

DynamoDB returns ExportNotFoundException when you try to access or describe an export that does not exist, has been deleted, or is in a different region. This error occurs with the ExportTableToPointInTime API when referencing exports by their Amazon Resource Name (ARN) or export ID.

DynamoDB returns ImportNotFoundException when you try to access or describe an import job that does not exist, has been deleted, or is in a different region. This error occurs with import operations like importing data from S3 into DynamoDB tables when referencing imports by their Amazon Resource Name (ARN) or import ID.

This error occurs when your IAM role or user lacks the necessary permissions to perform operations on a DynamoDB table. The fix requires attaching the correct IAM policies with appropriate DynamoDB actions.

DynamoDB returns ItemCollectionSizeLimitExceededException when a local secondary index (LSI) or table partition exceeds the 10 GB size limit for item collections. This occurs when too much data accumulates under a single partition key value, requiring data redistribution or archival strategies.

Test summary

DynamoDB returns ItemCollectionSizeLimitExceededException when an item collection exceeds the 10 GB size limit. This occurs when too much data accumulates under a single partition key value, requiring data redistribution, archival, or partition key redesign to resolve.

This error occurs when AWS DynamoDB encounters conflicts while exporting table data to Amazon S3. Conflicts typically arise from concurrent export jobs, S3 bucket permission issues, or existing files in the target location. The export operation fails, preventing data backup or migration.

DynamoDB returns TableInUseException when you try to modify a table while another operation is already in progress on that table. This error occurs during concurrent CreateTable, UpdateTable, or DeleteTable operations on the same DynamoDB table.

DynamoDB returns LimitExceededException when you exceed the concurrent control plane operation limits. This error occurs when trying to create, update, or delete more than 10 tables simultaneously, or when the cumulative total of tables and indexes in CREATING, UPDATING, or DELETING state exceeds 500.

This error occurs when you attempt to add a replica to a DynamoDB global table in a region where one already exists. Each global table can only have one replica per AWS region. Resolve this by checking existing replicas or removing orphaned ones before recreating.

The shard iterator used to read DynamoDB Streams has expired after 15 minutes of inactivity. You need to obtain a fresh shard iterator before making subsequent GetRecords requests.

This error occurs when attempting a point-in-time restore in DynamoDB with a restore timestamp that falls outside the valid recovery window. The specified restore time must be between EarliestRestorableDateTime and LatestRestorableDateTime, which is typically the last 35 days but always excludes the last 5 minutes.

The IncompleteSignatureException occurs when AWS DynamoDB receives a request with an invalid or incomplete signature. This typically happens due to incorrect AWS credentials, misconfigured signing parameters, or system time misalignment. Fixing this requires validating your credentials and ensuring proper SigV4 signing.

This error occurs when your application's request rate exceeds the read or write capacity units (RCU/WCU) provisioned for your DynamoDB table. DynamoDB will reject excess requests with throttling, causing failures in your application.

The ReplicaNotFoundException occurs when you try to perform operations on a DynamoDB global table replica that doesn't exist or has been removed from the replication group. This error happens when referencing a replica region that's not configured in the global table or when the replica is in an inaccessible state.

Point-in-time recovery (PITR) is disabled on your DynamoDB table. You must enable continuous backups before you can restore to a specific point in time.

This error occurs when attempting to create a DynamoDB table with a name that already exists in your AWS account or region. Common causes include duplicate creation attempts, insufficient cleanup after table deletion, and issues with replicated tables across regions.

The 'ResourceInUseException: Resource already exists' error occurs when you attempt to create a DynamoDB table, index, or import with a name that already exists. This typically happens in CI/CD deployments, infrastructure-as-code tools, or when redeploy scripts don't check for existing resources.

This error occurs when DynamoDB Local starts but cannot load the AWS SDK for Node.js library. It typically indicates missing dependencies, incorrect Node.js versions, or misconfigurations with AWS SDK v2 vs v3 compatibility.