Step Functions Workflows

AWS Step Functions offers two workflow types: Standard and Express. Standard workflows charge per state transition, while Express workflows charge per execution and duration. For high-volume, short-duration workflows, Express mode can be dramatically cheaper.

Implementation Effort: High - Estimated time: 2-8 hours. Express workflows have different execution semantics (at-least-once vs exactly-once), requiring careful testing.

What We Detect

• Standard-to-Express migration candidates -- Standard workflows with high state transition counts and short execution durations that would cost significantly less as Express workflows

Why It Matters

Standard workflows cost $0.025 per 1,000 state transitions. A high-volume workflow processing thousands of executions per day can quickly accumulate significant charges. Express workflows offer a flat per-execution pricing model that is much cheaper for short, high-volume workloads.

Recommendations

1. Review the workflow's execution semantics -- Express uses at-least-once execution (not exactly-once)
2. Verify executions are under the 5-minute Express maximum duration
3. Test thoroughly in a non-production environment before migrating

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