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3.2.3.5. Configuring Auto Scaling Solutions (DynamoDB, EC2 Auto Scaling groups, RDS storage auto scaling, ECS capacity provider)

3.2.3.5. Event Processing: S3 Events & EventBridge Notifications

S3 events and EventBridge form the backbone of automated responses to data and infrastructure changes.

S3 Event Notifications trigger on object-level actions:

  • s3:ObjectCreated:* — new object uploaded
  • s3:ObjectRemoved:* — object deleted
  • s3:ObjectRestore:Completed — Glacier restore finished

Destinations: Lambda, SQS, SNS, or EventBridge (recommended for complex routing).

# S3 → EventBridge → multiple targets
aws s3api put-bucket-notification-configuration \
  --bucket my-bucket \
  --notification-configuration '{"EventBridgeConfiguration": {}}'
EventBridge rule for S3 events:
{
  "source": ["aws.s3"],
  "detail-type": ["Object Created"],
  "detail": {
    "bucket": {"name": ["data-uploads"]},
    "object": {"key": [{"prefix": "incoming/"}]}
  }
}
EventBridge advantages over direct S3 notifications:
  • One event can trigger multiple targets (Lambda + SQS + Step Functions)
  • Content-based filtering on object key patterns, size, metadata
  • Archive and replay events for debugging
  • Cross-account event delivery
Common event-driven workflows:
  • Upload CSV → Lambda parses and loads to DynamoDB
  • Upload image → Lambda creates thumbnails → stores in another bucket
  • CloudTrail log delivered to S3 → Lambda analyzes for security events
  • Config change → EventBridge → SSM Automation remediation

Exam Trap: S3 event notifications have a key limitation: you can only configure one notification per prefix + event type combination. Two Lambda triggers both matching s3:ObjectCreated:* on prefix uploads/ will conflict. Use EventBridge instead — it receives all S3 events and you can create unlimited rules with different filters.

Alvin Varughese
Written byAlvin Varughese•Founder•15 professional certifications