Is DynamoDB a key-value store?

Yes — DynamoDB is a key-value store, and also a document store. Every item is retrieved by its primary key (a partition key, optionally with a sort key), giving fast key-based lookups. It additionally supports document types — nested lists and maps — so it works as both a key-value and a document database.

The key-value model

Each item has a primary key that uniquely identifies it. A GetItem on that key is a direct, single-digit-millisecond lookup — no scanning. This is the classic key-value access pattern.

The document side

Beyond the key, values can be rich documents: maps (objects) and lists (arrays), nested arbitrarily, up to the 400 KB item limit. That makes DynamoDB a key-value store with JSON-like document values.

Why the key matters so much

Because reads are keyed, efficient access always starts by fixing a partition-key value. Designing good keys is the core of DynamoDB modeling.

Go deeper

Understand keys in DynamoDB composite primary key and how DynamoDB partition keys work. Download DynoTable to query by key.