---
title: "AWS"
aliases:
    - tutorials/all/aws.html
    - tutorials/all/aws.md
    - chapter/tutorials/all/aws
---

The AWS IoT platform enables devices to connect to the Amazon cloud and lets applications in the cloud interact with Internet-connected things. Common IoT applications either collect and process telemetry from devices or enable users to control a device remotely. Things report their state by publishing messages, in JSON format, on MQTT topics.

For more information see this <a href="http://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot/latest/developerguide/iot-dg.pdf" target="_blank"> PDF File </a>.

## Getting Started with AWS IoT

### Creating the message broker (Amazon website):

* Sign in to the [AWS Management Console](https://aws.amazon.com/console/)
* Navigate to the IoT Console by clicking on the [AWS IoT link](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-1.png)
* In the left navigation pane, choose [Register/Manage](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-2.png)
* Click on the create button, give your [device a name and press create](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-3.png)
* Click on the device that has been created
* On the Details page, in the left navigation pane, choose [Security](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-4.png)
* On the Certificates page, choose Create certificate
* Download all the certificates, then press the Activate and the Attach a Policy buttons. [See image](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-5.png)
* Click on the Create New Policy button
* On the [Create Policy](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-6.png) page, choose a policy name and the actions to authorise.
* Go to the certificates page, click on the three dots of your certificate and attach the policy to the certificate as shown in the [diagram](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-7.png)

### Setting up the device (Pycom device):

* Download the latest sample code from the Pycom [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/pycom/aws-pycom).
* Connect to the device via FTP and put the root CA certificate, the client certificate (`*.pem.crt`) and the private key (`*.private.pem.key`) in the `/flash/cert` folder.
* Update the config file with your WiFi settings, the [AWS Host](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-8.png) and the certificate paths.
* Put the `config.py` and the `main.py` in the device flash

### Configuration (`config.py`):

This file contains the WiFi, certificate paths and application specific settings that need to be updated by the user.

```python
# WiFi configuration
WIFI_SSID = 'my_wifi_ssid'
WIFI_PASS = 'my_wifi_password'

# AWS general configuration
AWS_PORT = 8883
AWS_HOST = 'aws_host_url'
AWS_ROOT_CA = '/flash/cert/aws_root.ca'
AWS_CLIENT_CERT = '/flash/cert/aws_client.cert'
AWS_PRIVATE_KEY = '/flash/cert/aws_private.key'

################## Subscribe / Publish client #################
CLIENT_ID = 'PycomPublishClient'
TOPIC = 'PublishTopic'
OFFLINE_QUEUE_SIZE = -1
DRAINING_FREQ = 2
CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT = 10
MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT = 5
LAST_WILL_TOPIC = 'PublishTopic'
LAST_WILL_MSG = 'To All: Last will message'

####################### Shadow updater ########################
#THING_NAME = "my thing name"
#CLIENT_ID = "ShadowUpdater"
#CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT = 10
#MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT = 5

####################### Delta Listener ########################
#THING_NAME = "my thing name"
#CLIENT_ID = "DeltaListener"
#CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT = 10
#MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT = 5

####################### Shadow Echo ########################
#THING_NAME = "my thing name"
#CLIENT_ID = "ShadowEcho"
#CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT = 10
#MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT = 5
```

### Subscibe / Publish (`main.py`)

To subscribe to a topic:

* Go to the AWS Iot page, click on manage and choose your device
* From the left hand side, choose Activity and then click MQTT client.
* Choose the [topic name](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-9.png) you entered in the configuration file.
* Messages should be published as shown in the [diagram](https://github.com/pycom/pycom-docs/tree/37661883902849b1a931ee273a23ae8e0f3d773e/img/aws-10.png)

```python
# user specified callback function
def customCallback(client, userdata, message):
    print("Received a new message: ")
    print(message.payload)
    print("from topic: ")
    print(message.topic)
    print("--------------\n\n")

# configure the MQTT client
pycomAwsMQTTClient = AWSIoTMQTTClient(config.CLIENT_ID)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureEndpoint(config.AWS_HOST, config.AWS_PORT)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureCredentials(config.AWS_ROOT_CA, config.AWS_PRIVATE_KEY, config.AWS_CLIENT_CERT)

pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureOfflinePublishQueueing(config.OFFLINE_QUEUE_SIZE)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureDrainingFrequency(config.DRAINING_FREQ)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureConnectDisconnectTimeout(config.CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureMQTTOperationTimeout(config.MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT)
pycomAwsMQTTClient.configureLastWill(config.LAST_WILL_TOPIC, config.LAST_WILL_MSG, 1)

#Connect to MQTT Host
if pycomAwsMQTTClient.connect():
    print('AWS connection succeeded')

# Subscribe to topic
pycomAwsMQTTClient.subscribe(config.TOPIC, 1, customCallback)
time.sleep(2)

# Send message to host
loopCount = 0
while loopCount < 8:
    pycomAwsMQTTClient.publish(config.TOPIC, "New Message " + str(loopCount), 1)
    loopCount += 1
    time.sleep(5.0)
```

### Shadow updater (`main.py`)

```python
# user specified callback functions
def customShadowCallback_Update(payload, responseStatus, token):
    if responseStatus == "timeout":
        print("Update request " + token + " time out!")
    if responseStatus == "accepted":
        payloadDict = json.loads(payload)
        print("Update request with token: " + token + " accepted!")
        print("property: " + str(payloadDict["state"]["desired"]["property"]))
    if responseStatus == "rejected":
        print("Update request " + token + " rejected!")

def customShadowCallback_Delete(payload, responseStatus, token):
    if responseStatus == "timeout":
        print("Delete request " + token + " time out!")
    if responseStatus == "accepted":
        print("Delete request with token: " + token + " accepted!")
    if responseStatus == "rejected":
        print("Delete request " + token + " rejected!")

# configure the MQTT client
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient = AWSIoTMQTTShadowClient(config.CLIENT_ID)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureEndpoint(config.AWS_HOST, config.AWS_PORT)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureCredentials(config.AWS_ROOT_CA, config.AWS_PRIVATE_KEY, config.AWS_CLIENT_CERT)

pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureConnectDisconnectTimeout(config.CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureMQTTOperationTimeout(config.MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT)

# Connect to MQTT Host
if pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.connect():
    print('AWS connection succeeded')

deviceShadowHandler = pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.createShadowHandlerWithName(config.THING_NAME, True)

# Delete shadow JSON doc
deviceShadowHandler.shadowDelete(customShadowCallback_Delete, 5)

# Update shadow in a loop
loopCount = 0
while True:
    JSONPayload = '{"state":{"desired":{"property":' + str(loopCount) + '}}}'
    deviceShadowHandler.shadowUpdate(JSONPayload, customShadowCallback_Update, 5)
    loopCount += 1
    time.sleep(5)
```

### Delta Listener (`main.py`)

```python
# Custom Shadow callback
def customShadowCallback_Delta(payload, responseStatus, token):
    payloadDict = json.loads(payload)
    print("property: " + str(payloadDict["state"]["property"]))
    print("version: " + str(payloadDict["version"]))

    # configure the MQTT client
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient = AWSIoTMQTTShadowClient(config.CLIENT_ID)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureEndpoint(config.AWS_HOST, config.AWS_PORT)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureCredentials(config.AWS_ROOT_CA, config.AWS_PRIVATE_KEY, config.AWS_CLIENT_CERT)

pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureConnectDisconnectTimeout(config.CONN_DISCONN_TIMEOUT)
pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.configureMQTTOperationTimeout(config.MQTT_OPER_TIMEOUT)

# Connect to MQTT Host
if pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.connect():
    print('AWS connection succeeded')

deviceShadowHandler = pycomAwsMQTTShadowClient.createShadowHandlerWithName(config.THING_NAME, True)

# Listen on deltas
deviceShadowHandler.shadowRegisterDeltaCallback(customShadowCallback_Delta)

# Loop forever
while True:
    time.sleep(1)
```