Use `GetItem` with an AWS SDK or CLI

The following code examples show how to use GetItem.

Action examples are code excerpts from larger programs and must be run in context. You can see this action in context in the following code examples:

.NET

AWS SDK for .NET

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.



        /// <summary>
        /// Gets information about an existing movie from the table.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="client">An initialized Amazon DynamoDB client object.</param>
        /// <param name="newMovie">A Movie object containing information about
        /// the movie to retrieve.</param>
        /// <param name="tableName">The name of the table containing the movie.</param>
        /// <returns>A Dictionary object containing information about the item
        /// retrieved.</returns>
        public static async Task<Dictionary<string, AttributeValue>> GetItemAsync(AmazonDynamoDBClient client, Movie newMovie, string tableName)
        {
            var key = new Dictionary<string, AttributeValue>
            {
                ["title"] = new AttributeValue { S = newMovie.Title },
                ["year"] = new AttributeValue { N = newMovie.Year.ToString() },
            };

            var request = new GetItemRequest
            {
                Key = key,
                TableName = tableName,
            };

            var response = await client.GetItemAsync(request);
            return response.Item;
        }

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for .NET API Reference.

Bash

AWS CLI with Bash script

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


#############################################################################
# function dynamodb_get_item
#
# This function gets an item from a DynamoDB table.
#
# Parameters:
#       -n table_name  -- The name of the table.
#       -k keys  -- Path to json file containing the keys that identify the item to get.
#       [-q query]  -- Optional JMESPath query expression.
#
#  Returns:
#       The item as text output.
#  And:
#       0 - If successful.
#       1 - If it fails.
############################################################################
function dynamodb_get_item() {
  local table_name keys query response
  local option OPTARG # Required to use getopts command in a function.

  # ######################################
  # Function usage explanation
  #######################################
  function usage() {
    echo "function dynamodb_get_item"
    echo "Get an item from a DynamoDB table."
    echo " -n table_name  -- The name of the table."
    echo " -k keys  -- Path to json file containing the keys that identify the item to get."
    echo " [-q query]  -- Optional JMESPath query expression."
    echo ""
  }
  query=""
  while getopts "n:k:q:h" option; do
    case "${option}" in
      n) table_name="${OPTARG}" ;;
      k) keys="${OPTARG}" ;;
      q) query="${OPTARG}" ;;
      h)
        usage
        return 0
        ;;
      \?)
        echo "Invalid parameter"
        usage
        return 1
        ;;
    esac
  done
  export OPTIND=1

  if [[ -z "$table_name" ]]; then
    errecho "ERROR: You must provide a table name with the -n parameter."
    usage
    return 1
  fi

  if [[ -z "$keys" ]]; then
    errecho "ERROR: You must provide a keys json file path the -k parameter."
    usage
    return 1
  fi

  if [[ -n "$query" ]]; then
    response=$(aws dynamodb get-item \
      --table-name "$table_name" \
      --key file://"$keys" \
      --output text \
      --query "$query")
  else
    response=$(
      aws dynamodb get-item \
        --table-name "$table_name" \
        --key file://"$keys" \
        --output text
    )
  fi

  local error_code=${?}

  if [[ $error_code -ne 0 ]]; then
    aws_cli_error_log $error_code
    errecho "ERROR: AWS reports get-item operation failed.$response"
    return 1
  fi

  if [[ -n "$query" ]]; then
    echo "$response" | sed "/^\t/s/\t//1" # Remove initial tab that the JMSEPath query inserts on some strings.
  else
    echo "$response"
  fi

  return 0
}

The utility functions used in this example.


###############################################################################
# function errecho
#
# This function outputs everything sent to it to STDERR (standard error output).
###############################################################################
function errecho() {
  printf "%s\n" "$*" 1>&2
}

##############################################################################
# function aws_cli_error_log()
#
# This function is used to log the error messages from the AWS CLI.
#
# See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/topic/return-codes.html#cli-aws-help-return-codes.
#
# The function expects the following argument:
#         $1 - The error code returned by the AWS CLI.
#
#  Returns:
#          0: - Success.
#
##############################################################################
function aws_cli_error_log() {
  local err_code=$1
  errecho "Error code : $err_code"
  if [ "$err_code" == 1 ]; then
    errecho "  One or more S3 transfers failed."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 2 ]; then
    errecho "  Command line failed to parse."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 130 ]; then
    errecho "  Process received SIGINT."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 252 ]; then
    errecho "  Command syntax invalid."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 253 ]; then
    errecho "  The system environment or configuration was invalid."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 254 ]; then
    errecho "  The service returned an error."
  elif [ "$err_code" == 255 ]; then
    errecho "  255 is a catch-all error."
  fi

  return 0
}

For API details, see GetItem in AWS CLI Command Reference.

C++

SDK for C++

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


//! Get an item from an Amazon DynamoDB table.
/*!
  \sa getItem()
  \param tableName: The table name.
  \param partitionKey: The partition key.
  \param partitionValue: The value for the partition key.
  \param clientConfiguration: AWS client configuration.
  \return bool: Function succeeded.
 */

bool AwsDoc::DynamoDB::getItem(const Aws::String &tableName,
                               const Aws::String &partitionKey,
                               const Aws::String &partitionValue,
                               const Aws::Client::ClientConfiguration &clientConfiguration) {
    Aws::DynamoDB::DynamoDBClient dynamoClient(clientConfiguration);
    Aws::DynamoDB::Model::GetItemRequest request;

    // Set up the request.
    request.SetTableName(tableName);
    request.AddKey(partitionKey,
                   Aws::DynamoDB::Model::AttributeValue().SetS(partitionValue));

    // Retrieve the item's fields and values.
    const Aws::DynamoDB::Model::GetItemOutcome &outcome = dynamoClient.GetItem(request);
    if (outcome.IsSuccess()) {
        // Reference the retrieved fields/values.
        const Aws::Map<Aws::String, Aws::DynamoDB::Model::AttributeValue> &item = outcome.GetResult().GetItem();
        if (!item.empty()) {
            // Output each retrieved field and its value.
            for (const auto &i: item)
                std::cout << "Values: " << i.first << ": " << i.second.GetS()
                          << std::endl;
        }
        else {
            std::cout << "No item found with the key " << partitionKey << std::endl;
        }
    }
    else {
        std::cerr << "Failed to get item: " << outcome.GetError().GetMessage();
    }

    return outcome.IsSuccess();
}

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for C++ API Reference.

CLI

AWS CLI

Example 1: To read an item in a table

The following get-item example retrieves an item from the MusicCollection table. The table has a hash-and-range primary key (Artist and SongTitle), so you must specify both of these attributes. The command also requests information about the read capacity consumed by the operation.


aws dynamodb get-item \
    --table-name MusicCollection \
    --key file://key.json \
    --return-consumed-capacity TOTAL

Contents of key.json:


{
    "Artist": {"S": "Acme Band"},
    "SongTitle": {"S": "Happy Day"}
}

Output:


{
    "Item": {
        "AlbumTitle": {
            "S": "Songs About Life"
        },
        "SongTitle": {
            "S": "Happy Day"
        },
        "Artist": {
            "S": "Acme Band"
        }
    },
    "ConsumedCapacity": {
        "TableName": "MusicCollection",
        "CapacityUnits": 0.5
    }
}

For more information, see Reading an Item in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.

Example 2: To read an item using a consistent read

The following example retrieves an item from the MusicCollection table using strongly consistent reads.


aws dynamodb get-item \
    --table-name MusicCollection \
    --key file://key.json \
    --consistent-read \
    --return-consumed-capacity TOTAL

Contents of key.json:


{
    "Artist": {"S": "Acme Band"},
    "SongTitle": {"S": "Happy Day"}
}

Output:


{
    "Item": {
        "AlbumTitle": {
            "S": "Songs About Life"
        },
        "SongTitle": {
            "S": "Happy Day"
        },
        "Artist": {
            "S": "Acme Band"
        }
    },
    "ConsumedCapacity": {
        "TableName": "MusicCollection",
        "CapacityUnits": 1.0
    }
}

For more information, see Reading an Item in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.

Example 3: To retrieve specific attributes of an item

The following example uses a projection expression to retrieve only three attributes of the desired item.


aws dynamodb get-item \
    --table-name ProductCatalog \
    --key '{"Id": {"N": "102"}}' \
    --projection-expression "#T, #C, #P" \
    --expression-attribute-names file://names.json

Contents of names.json:


{
    "#T": "Title",
    "#C": "ProductCategory",
    "#P": "Price"
}

Output:


{
    "Item": {
        "Price": {
            "N": "20"
        },
        "Title": {
            "S": "Book 102 Title"
        },
        "ProductCategory": {
            "S": "Book"
        }
    }
}

For more information, see Reading an Item in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.

For API details, see GetItem in AWS CLI Command Reference.

Go

SDK for Go V2

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.



import (
	"context"
	"errors"
	"log"
	"time"

	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/feature/dynamodb/attributevalue"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/feature/dynamodb/expression"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/dynamodb"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/dynamodb/types"
)

// TableBasics encapsulates the Amazon DynamoDB service actions used in the examples.
// It contains a DynamoDB service client that is used to act on the specified table.
type TableBasics struct {
	DynamoDbClient *dynamodb.Client
	TableName      string
}



// GetMovie gets movie data from the DynamoDB table by using the primary composite key
// made of title and year.
func (basics TableBasics) GetMovie(ctx context.Context, title string, year int) (Movie, error) {
	movie := Movie{Title: title, Year: year}
	response, err := basics.DynamoDbClient.GetItem(ctx, &dynamodb.GetItemInput{
		Key: movie.GetKey(), TableName: aws.String(basics.TableName),
	})
	if err != nil {
		log.Printf("Couldn't get info about %v. Here's why: %v\n", title, err)
	} else {
		err = attributevalue.UnmarshalMap(response.Item, &movie)
		if err != nil {
			log.Printf("Couldn't unmarshal response. Here's why: %v\n", err)
		}
	}
	return movie, err
}

Define a Movie struct that is used in this example.



import (
	"archive/zip"
	"bytes"
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"log"
	"net/http"

	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/feature/dynamodb/attributevalue"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/dynamodb/types"
)

// Movie encapsulates data about a movie. Title and Year are the composite primary key
// of the movie in Amazon DynamoDB. Title is the sort key, Year is the partition key,
// and Info is additional data.
type Movie struct {
	Title string                 `dynamodbav:"title"`
	Year  int                    `dynamodbav:"year"`
	Info  map[string]interface{} `dynamodbav:"info"`
}

// GetKey returns the composite primary key of the movie in a format that can be
// sent to DynamoDB.
func (movie Movie) GetKey() map[string]types.AttributeValue {
	title, err := attributevalue.Marshal(movie.Title)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	year, err := attributevalue.Marshal(movie.Year)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	return map[string]types.AttributeValue{"title": title, "year": year}
}

// String returns the title, year, rating, and plot of a movie, formatted for the example.
func (movie Movie) String() string {
	return fmt.Sprintf("%v\n\tReleased: %v\n\tRating: %v\n\tPlot: %v\n",
		movie.Title, movie.Year, movie.Info["rating"], movie.Info["plot"])
}

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Go API Reference.

Java

SDK for Java 2.x

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.

Gets an item from a table by using the DynamoDbClient.


import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.model.DynamoDbException;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.DynamoDbClient;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.model.AttributeValue;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.model.GetItemRequest;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Set;

/**
 * Before running this Java V2 code example, set up your development
 * environment, including your credentials.
 *
 * For more information, see the following documentation topic:
 *
 * https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-java/latest/developer-guide/get-started.html
 *
 * To get an item from an Amazon DynamoDB table using the AWS SDK for Java V2,
 * its better practice to use the
 * Enhanced Client, see the EnhancedGetItem example.
 */
public class GetItem {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        final String usage = """

                Usage:
                    <tableName> <key> <keyVal>

                Where:
                    tableName - The Amazon DynamoDB table from which an item is retrieved (for example, Music3).\s
                    key - The key used in the Amazon DynamoDB table (for example, Artist).\s
                    keyval - The key value that represents the item to get (for example, Famous Band).
                """;

        if (args.length != 3) {
            System.out.println(usage);
            System.exit(1);
        }

        String tableName = args[0];
        String key = args[1];
        String keyVal = args[2];
        System.out.format("Retrieving item \"%s\" from \"%s\"\n", keyVal, tableName);
        Region region = Region.US_EAST_1;
        DynamoDbClient ddb = DynamoDbClient.builder()
                .region(region)
                .build();

        getDynamoDBItem(ddb, tableName, key, keyVal);
        ddb.close();
    }

    public static void getDynamoDBItem(DynamoDbClient ddb, String tableName, String key, String keyVal) {
        HashMap<String, AttributeValue> keyToGet = new HashMap<>();
        keyToGet.put(key, AttributeValue.builder()
                .s(keyVal)
                .build());

        GetItemRequest request = GetItemRequest.builder()
                .key(keyToGet)
                .tableName(tableName)
                .build();

        try {
            // If there is no matching item, GetItem does not return any data.
            Map<String, AttributeValue> returnedItem = ddb.getItem(request).item();
            if (returnedItem.isEmpty())
                System.out.format("No item found with the key %s!\n", key);
            else {
                Set<String> keys = returnedItem.keySet();
                System.out.println("Amazon DynamoDB table attributes: \n");
                for (String key1 : keys) {
                    System.out.format("%s: %s\n", key1, returnedItem.get(key1).toString());
                }
            }

        } catch (DynamoDbException e) {
            System.err.println(e.getMessage());
            System.exit(1);
        }
    }
}

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Java 2.x API Reference.

JavaScript

SDK for JavaScript (v3)

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.

This example uses the document client to simplify working with items in DynamoDB. For API details see GetCommand.


import { DynamoDBClient } from "@aws-sdk/client-dynamodb";
import { DynamoDBDocumentClient, GetCommand } from "@aws-sdk/lib-dynamodb";

const client = new DynamoDBClient({});
const docClient = DynamoDBDocumentClient.from(client);

export const main = async () => {
  const command = new GetCommand({
    TableName: "AngryAnimals",
    Key: {
      CommonName: "Shoebill",
    },
  });

  const response = await docClient.send(command);
  console.log(response);
  return response;
};

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for JavaScript API Reference.

SDK for JavaScript (v2)

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.

Get an item from a table.


// Load the AWS SDK for Node.js
var AWS = require("aws-sdk");
// Set the region
AWS.config.update({ region: "REGION" });

// Create the DynamoDB service object
var ddb = new AWS.DynamoDB({ apiVersion: "2012-08-10" });

var params = {
  TableName: "TABLE",
  Key: {
    KEY_NAME: { N: "001" },
  },
  ProjectionExpression: "ATTRIBUTE_NAME",
};

// Call DynamoDB to read the item from the table
ddb.getItem(params, function (err, data) {
  if (err) {
    console.log("Error", err);
  } else {
    console.log("Success", data.Item);
  }
});

Get an item from a table using the DynamoDB document client.


// Load the AWS SDK for Node.js
var AWS = require("aws-sdk");
// Set the region
AWS.config.update({ region: "REGION" });

// Create DynamoDB document client
var docClient = new AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient({ apiVersion: "2012-08-10" });

var params = {
  TableName: "EPISODES_TABLE",
  Key: { KEY_NAME: VALUE },
};

docClient.get(params, function (err, data) {
  if (err) {
    console.log("Error", err);
  } else {
    console.log("Success", data.Item);
  }
});

For more information, see AWS SDK for JavaScript Developer Guide.
For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for JavaScript API Reference.

Kotlin

SDK for Kotlin

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


suspend fun getSpecificItem(
    tableNameVal: String,
    keyName: String,
    keyVal: String,
) {
    val keyToGet = mutableMapOf<String, AttributeValue>()
    keyToGet[keyName] = AttributeValue.S(keyVal)

    val request =
        GetItemRequest {
            key = keyToGet
            tableName = tableNameVal
        }

    DynamoDbClient { region = "us-east-1" }.use { ddb ->
        val returnedItem = ddb.getItem(request)
        val numbersMap = returnedItem.item
        numbersMap?.forEach { key1 ->
            println(key1.key)
            println(key1.value)
        }
    }
}

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Kotlin API reference.

PHP

SDK for PHP

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.



        $movie = $service->getItemByKey($tableName, $key);
        echo "\nThe movie {$movie['Item']['title']['S']} was released in {$movie['Item']['year']['N']}.\n";

    public function getItemByKey(string $tableName, array $key)
    {
        return $this->dynamoDbClient->getItem([
            'Key' => $key['Item'],
            'TableName' => $tableName,
        ]);
    }

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for PHP API Reference.

PowerShell

Tools for PowerShell

Example 1: Returns the DynamoDB item with the partition key SongTitle and the sort key Artist.


$key = @{
  SongTitle = 'Somewhere Down The Road'
  Artist = 'No One You Know'
} | ConvertTo-DDBItem

Get-DDBItem -TableName 'Music' -Key $key | ConvertFrom-DDBItem

Output:


Name                           Value
----                           -----
Genre                          Country
SongTitle                      Somewhere Down The Road
Price                          1.94
Artist                         No One You Know
CriticRating                   9
AlbumTitle                     Somewhat Famous

For API details, see GetItem in AWS Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference.

Python

SDK for Python (Boto3)

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


class Movies:
    """Encapsulates an Amazon DynamoDB table of movie data.

    Example data structure for a movie record in this table:
        {
            "year": 1999,
            "title": "For Love of the Game",
            "info": {
                "directors": ["Sam Raimi"],
                "release_date": "1999-09-15T00:00:00Z",
                "rating": 6.3,
                "plot": "A washed up pitcher flashes through his career.",
                "rank": 4987,
                "running_time_secs": 8220,
                "actors": [
                    "Kevin Costner",
                    "Kelly Preston",
                    "John C. Reilly"
                ]
            }
        }
    """

    def __init__(self, dyn_resource):
        """
        :param dyn_resource: A Boto3 DynamoDB resource.
        """
        self.dyn_resource = dyn_resource
        # The table variable is set during the scenario in the call to
        # 'exists' if the table exists. Otherwise, it is set by 'create_table'.
        self.table = None


    def get_movie(self, title, year):
        """
        Gets movie data from the table for a specific movie.

        :param title: The title of the movie.
        :param year: The release year of the movie.
        :return: The data about the requested movie.
        """
        try:
            response = self.table.get_item(Key={"year": year, "title": title})
        except ClientError as err:
            logger.error(
                "Couldn't get movie %s from table %s. Here's why: %s: %s",
                title,
                self.table.name,
                err.response["Error"]["Code"],
                err.response["Error"]["Message"],
            )
            raise
        else:
            return response["Item"]

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Python (Boto3) API Reference.

Ruby

SDK for Ruby

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


class DynamoDBBasics
  attr_reader :dynamo_resource, :table

  def initialize(table_name)
    client = Aws::DynamoDB::Client.new(region: 'us-east-1')
    @dynamo_resource = Aws::DynamoDB::Resource.new(client: client)
    @table = @dynamo_resource.table(table_name)
  end

  # Gets movie data from the table for a specific movie.
  #
  # @param title [String] The title of the movie.
  # @param year [Integer] The release year of the movie.
  # @return [Hash] The data about the requested movie.
  def get_item(title, year)
    @table.get_item(key: { 'year' => year, 'title' => title })
  rescue Aws::DynamoDB::Errors::ServiceError => e
    puts("Couldn't get movie #{title} (#{year}) from table #{@table.name}:\n")
    puts("\t#{e.code}: #{e.message}")
    raise
  end

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Ruby API Reference.

SAP ABAP

SDK for SAP ABAP

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


    TRY.
        oo_item = lo_dyn->getitem(
          iv_tablename                = iv_table_name
          it_key                      = it_key ).
        DATA(lt_attr) = oo_item->get_item( ).
        DATA(lo_title) = lt_attr[ key = 'title' ]-value.
        DATA(lo_year) = lt_attr[ key = 'year' ]-value.
        DATA(lo_rating) = lt_attr[ key = 'rating' ]-value.
        MESSAGE 'Movie name is: ' && lo_title->get_s( )
          && 'Movie year is: ' && lo_year->get_n( )
          && 'Moving rating is: ' && lo_rating->get_n( ) TYPE 'I'.
      CATCH /aws1/cx_dynresourcenotfoundex.
        MESSAGE 'The table or index does not exist' TYPE 'E'.
    ENDTRY.

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for SAP ABAP API reference.

Swift

SDK for Swift

Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the AWS Code Examples Repository.


import AWSDynamoDB


    /// Return a `Movie` record describing the specified movie from the Amazon
    /// DynamoDB table.
    ///
    /// - Parameters:
    ///   - title: The movie's title (`String`).
    ///   - year: The movie's release year (`Int`).
    ///
    /// - Throws: `MoviesError.ItemNotFound` if the movie isn't in the table.
    ///
    /// - Returns: A `Movie` record with the movie's details.
    func get(title: String, year: Int) async throws -> Movie {
        do {
            guard let client = self.ddbClient else {
                throw MoviesError.UninitializedClient
            }

            let input = GetItemInput(
                key: [
                    "year": .n(String(year)),
                    "title": .s(title)
                ],
                tableName: self.tableName
            )
            let output = try await client.getItem(input: input)
            guard let item = output.item else {
                throw MoviesError.ItemNotFound
            }

            let movie = try Movie(withItem: item)
            return movie
        } catch {
            print("ERROR: get:", dump(error))
            throw error
        }
    }

For API details, see GetItem in AWS SDK for Swift API reference.

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Document Conventions

ExecuteStatement

ListTables

Use GetItem with an AWS SDK or CLI

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Note

Note

Note

Note

Note

Use `GetItem` with an AWS SDK or CLI