Bolt.new AI and Amazon DynamoDB integration: Step-by-Step Guide 2025

To integrate Bolt.new with Amazon DynamoDB, you don’t “connect Bolt to AWS” directly. Instead, inside a Bolt.new project you write normal backend code (usually Node.js) that talks to DynamoDB using the official AWS SDK. You then supply AWS credentials (Access Key + Secret or a role-based setup) through environment variables in the Bolt.new workspace. Once credentials are set, your server code can read/write items in DynamoDB the same way it would in any real deployment. Bolt.new simply provides the runtime; the integration is entirely API‑based and works exactly like a local Node.js server.

 

What This Actually Means (Clear Explanation)

 

Bolt.new is essentially a browser-based full-stack environment. When you integrate with an external system like Amazon DynamoDB, you're not integrating “Bolt” itself — you're integrating the backend code you write inside Bolt’s workspace. DynamoDB is a NoSQL key-value/JSON database provided by AWS. You interact with it through the AWS JavaScript SDK (v3) using standard HTTPS requests under the hood.

To make this work securely, you pass AWS credentials into your Bolt project via environment variables (never hard‑code them). Your backend code then uses those variables to authenticate and communicate with DynamoDB.

• You install the SDK package in Bolt.new.
• You configure environment variables (AWS_REGION, AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS\_KEY).
• You write backend code that reads those environment variables and performs DynamoDB actions such as put, get, query, and update.

 

Step-by-Step Practical Setup

 

The steps below assume you're building a Node.js backend (the default for most Bolt.new projects).

• Install DynamoDB client:

npm install @aws-sdk/client-dynamodb @aws-sdk/lib-dynamodb

• Add environment variables in Bolt.new: Open the left panel → Environment → Add variables:

AWS_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=YOUR_KEY
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=YOUR_SECRET

(In real production you should use IAM roles or more restricted permissions, but for development this works.)

• Create a DynamoDB client in your backend route:

// backend/dynamo.js

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

// Create a client using env vars provided by Bolt.new
const client = new DynamoDBClient({
  region: process.env.AWS_REGION,      // pulled from Bolt.new env
  credentials: {
    accessKeyId: process.env.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, 
    secretAccessKey: process.env.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
  }
});

const ddb = DynamoDBDocumentClient.from(client);

export async function saveItem() {
  await ddb.send(new PutCommand({
    TableName: "YourTableName",
    Item: {
      id: "123",
      message: "Hello from Bolt.new"
    }
  }));
}

export async function readItem() {
  const result = await ddb.send(new GetCommand({
    TableName: "YourTableName",
    Key: { id: "123" }
  }));
  return result.Item;
}

• Use this in your API route:

// backend/routes/example.js

import express from "express";
import { saveItem, readItem } from "../dynamo.js";

const router = express.Router();

router.post("/write", async (req, res) => {
  await saveItem();
  res.json({ ok: true });
});

router.get("/read", async (req, res) => {
  const item = await readItem();
  res.json(item);
});

export default router;

• Now Bolt.new will run your server, and when you call /write or /read, it performs real DynamoDB calls.

 

Important Real-World Notes

 

• Bolt.new does NOT provide long‑running credentials storage. If you fork or share projects, re‑enter secrets.
• Do not use AWS root keys. Create an IAM user with DynamoDB-only permissions.
• DynamoDB tables must already exist in AWS. Bolt does not create AWS resources for you.
• Use local mocking only when needed. DynamoDB Local is possible but not typically necessary in Bolt since API calls work fine.

 

What You’ve Achieved

 

You’ve set up a real integration between a Bolt.new backend and Amazon DynamoDB using:

• The official AWS SDK
• Environment variables for secure auth
• Standard REST-based DynamoDB commands
• API routes in Bolt that read/write real DynamoDB items

This is the same pattern you’d use in production — Bolt.new simply provides the development sandbox.