aws-xray-sdk-node VS powertools-lambda

You see in the node xrays sdk that each AWS service is customized with the captureAWSRequest function, which is responsible for the X-Ray calls.

Generally speaking, it is encouraged on serverless-heavy environments (assuming Lambdas, API Gateways, AppSync, DynamoDB and similar services were configured to use it). However, some crucial pieces are still missing, like a proper SQS integration. Bear that in mind.

So what do we get for that? The Tracer module wraps the AWS X-Ray SDK (as a transitive dependency). It doesn't really add any net new capabilities, but makes the SDK easier to work with. In my experience, that SDK is a bit of a bear so this may be well worth it. We can decorate class methods to introduce new trace segments in a single line of code. We can also use the imperative form to add new traces where we see fit. We can capture AWS clients, but that simply exposes the X-Ray SDK.

aws-xray-sdk-node: https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-node/issues/208

One final thing to consider when deciding whether to adopt Lambda Powertools is what features may be in store in the future. The more mature libraries Lambda Powertools Python and Lambda Powertools Java include a number of useful utilities that we may like to see in Lambda Powertools TypeScript. The overall Lambda Powertools Roadmap doesn't tell us very much other than pending dotnet and golang libraries, but we can drill down into TypeScript-specific issues and glimpse the immediate future. It looks like stability is still the main priority, but there are some interesting items like RFC: Testing Factories for AWS Data Objects in the leftmost column.

I eagerly await the general availability of this library and will follow the roadmap to see what's coming up and how I can get involved.

According to Roadmap there is some work on .Net support. Hopefully we will see it soon. Personally, I would like to see nodejs and golang support too.

If switching your development to Python for AWS Lambda Powertools is not for you, I recommend heading over to the AWS Powertools Roadmap and supporting the Typescript and .NET feature requests by adding a 👍.