Overview
AWS Step Functions is AWS's serverless workflow orchestration – state machines that coordinate Lambda functions + other AWS services. The Automize Step Functions connector covers state machine + execution management plus task token signalling.
- Regions: Regional. Each state machine lives in one region.
- Plans: Standard workflows (long-running, audit trail) or Express (short, high-volume). Pay-per-state-transition.
Setting up the connection
Auth type: aws_sigv4.
- AWS IAM → user + AWSStepFunctionsFullAccess (or scoped).
- In Automize → Settings → Connectors → AWS Step Functions. Paste keys + region.
Find your credentials at https://us-east-1.console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home.
Rate limits
Per-region API limits – generous. Execution-level limits depend on workflow type (Standard ~2k/sec, Express ~100k/sec).
Data model
State machines + executions:
State Machine (ASL definition) ─── Executions ─── Tasks
└─ Task Tokens (for callback patterns)Available operations
13 operations available. Click any row to jump to its detail.
| Operation | Category | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Create State Machine | General | Create a new state machine |
| Delete State Machine | General | Delete a state machine |
| Describe Execution | General | Get execution details and status |
| Describe State Machine | General | Get state machine details and definition |
| Get Execution History | General | Get the step-by-step history of an execution |
| List Executions | General | List executions of a state machine |
| List State Machines | General | List all state machines |
| Send Task Failure | General | Report task failure with error details |
| Send Task Heartbeat | General | Send a heartbeat for a long-running task |
| Send Task Success | General | Report task completion with output |
| Start Execution | General | Start a state machine execution |
| Stop Execution | General | Stop a running execution |
| Update State Machine | General | Update a state machine definition or settings |
Operations
Create State Machine
Create a new state machine
No input parameters.
Tips
- definition: ASL JSON. roleArn: IAM role the state machine assumes.
Delete State Machine
Delete a state machine
No input parameters.
Describe Execution
Get execution details and status
No input parameters.
Tips
- Returns status (RUNNING, SUCCEEDED, FAILED, TIMED_OUT, ABORTED) + output (when done).
Describe State Machine
Get state machine details and definition
No input parameters.
Get Execution History
Get the step-by-step history of an execution
No input parameters.
List Executions
List executions of a state machine
No input parameters.
Tips
- Filter by stateMachineArn + statusFilter. Pages via nextToken.
List State Machines
List all state machines
No input parameters.
Send Task Failure
Report task failure with error details
No input parameters.
Tips
- Reverse – fails the waiting task with error + cause.
Send Task Heartbeat
Send a heartbeat for a long-running task
No input parameters.
Send Task Success
Report task completion with output
No input parameters.
Tips
- For callback-pattern tasks (.waitForTaskToken). taskToken from the task's input.
Start Execution
Start a state machine execution
No input parameters.
Tips
- stateMachineArn + name (unique) + input (JSON).
- Returns executionArn + startDate.
Stop Execution
Stop a running execution
No input parameters.
Tips
- Force-cancel. cause + error optional, surface in execution history.
Update State Machine
Update a state machine definition or settings
No input parameters.
FAQ
- Standard vs Express?
- Standard: durable, exactly-once, 1-year max duration, audit trail. Express: 5-minute max, at-least-once, much cheaper for high-volume short workflows.
- Why is my callback task stuck?
- waitForTaskToken pattern requires explicit Send Task Success/Failure. Forgot to send the callback = task waits up to its timeout (default 1 year).