Connecting Salesforce to AWS with Step Functions
With HTTPS endpoints, AWS Step Functions opened up a world of new possibilities
Published Jan 27, 2024
AWS's most user-friendly tool just got more powerful. AWS Step Functions has long been known for its versatility in allowing you to quickly build and update applications. But it was missing a key feature that allowed you to easily use APIs in your workflows. At re:Invent 2023 AWS introduced HTTPS endpoints to AWS Step Functions. With this feature, you can easily integrate any SaaS application into your workflows.
The most popular API in the Public API Network, based on its quality and usage, according to a Postman survey conducted in 2023, was Salesforce. No wonder, since Salesforce is one of the number one customer relationship management (CRM) software used by companies worldwide.
This new functionality allows us to easily connect Salesforce and AWS without any advanced coding skills.
If you are new to Salesforce, start by getting a free Developer Edition Org account. You get a fully functional copy of the platform for free.
AWS also provides 4,000 state transitions per month for Step Functions in the Free Tier. Also, the Step Functions Free Tier does not automatically expire at the end of your 12-month AWS Free Tier term and is available indefinitely to both existing and new AWS customers. So you can try these services for free.
Note that the Invoke public HTTPS endpoints and test individual states feature is not yet available in all regions. You must use the following regions for this functionality:
- US East (N. Virginia) – us-east-1
- US West (Oregon) – us-west-2
- US East (Ohio) – us-east-2
- Europe (Ireland) – eu-west-1
- Europe (Frankfurt) – eu-central-1
- Europe (Stockholm) – eu-north-1
- Asia Pacific (Sydney) – ap-southeast-2
- Asia Pacific (Tokyo) – ap-northeast-1
- Asia Pacific (Singapore) – ap-southeast-1
If you are new to Step Functions, I would recommend starting with a Hello world. This is a great example to learn the basic features of Step Functions without creating any additional AWS resources.
Once you are more familiar with the interface and basic functionality, I recommend starting with a blank template. You will immediately see the HTTP endpoint function on the left side of the screen.
From here, it is as simple as using Postman. You enter the API endpoint, select the method, and set up your authentication. You can test that everything is working correctly with the Test state button. Once you are connected to Salesforce, you are free to explore. You can send SMS messages to new customers using Amazon SNS, copy and archive large data sets to Amazon S3, run machine learning operations on your Salesforce data-the possibilities are endless.
Have fun coding, and please leave a comment about how you plan to integrate Salesforce with AWS.