Amazon Managed Blockchain (AMB) Cheat Sheet

• A fully managed service designed to help you build resilient Web3 applications on both public and private blockchains
• Reduces the overhead required to create and manage blockchain networks and access blockchain data
• Currently supports Ethereum, Polygon, Bitcoin, and Hyperledger Fabric blockchains
• Enables multiple parties to securely transact and share data on a distributed and immutable ledger without a trusted central authority

Key Terms and Concepts

Blockchain Basics

• Blockchain – A distributed, immutable digital ledger that logs transactions across a peer-to-peer network without requiring a trusted central authority
• Node – A computer that maintains a copy of the blockchain and helps validate and relay transactions
• Peer Node – In AMB, a compute resource that processes transactions, maintains a copy of the ledger, and runs chaincode/smart contracts
• Consensus Mechanism – The method by which all participants agree on the current state of the ledger (e.g., proof-of-work, proof-of-stake)

Transaction and Smart Contract Terms

• Transaction – A record of data exchange or value transfer between parties on the blockchain
• Smart Contract – Self-executing code stored on the blockchain that automatically enforces agreement terms when conditions are met

Network and Identity Terms

• Public Blockchain – An open network anyone can join, read, and write to (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon)
• Private/Permissioned Blockchain – A restricted network where participants must be invited and authenticated (e.g., Hyperledger Fabric)
• Member – An organization or entity that participates in a Hyperledger Fabric network on AMB
• Membership – Your identity and authentication within an AMB Hyperledger Fabric network
• Channel – A private communication pathway between specific members in a Hyperledger Fabric network

Wallet and Token Terms

• Wallet – Software that stores private keys and enables users to send/receive cryptocurrency and interact with blockchains
• Token – A digital asset created on a blockchain; can represent currency, ownership, or access rights (fungible tokens are interchangeable; non-fungible tokens are unique)
• Non-Fungible Token (NFT) – Unique tokens representing ownership of distinct items (e.g., digital art, collectibles)

API and Technical Terms

• JSON-RPC – A remote procedure call protocol using JSON format; the standard way to interact with blockchain nodes
• API – A set of protocols that allows different software applications to communicate
• Mainnet – The primary, production blockchain network where real transactions with actual value occur
• Testnet – A separate blockchain network for testing purposes where tokens have no real value

Amazon Managed Blockchain Key Components

AMB Access

• Provides instant and serverless access to multiple blockchains
• Two types of blockchain infrastructure services:
  • Multi-tenant (Serverless) – Shared blockchain node infrastructure behind an API layer (Bitcoin, Polygon)
  • Dedicated (Single-tenant) – Create your own public Ethereum blockchain nodes or private Hyperledger Fabric networks for exclusive use
• Build Web3-ready applications without deploying or managing specialized blockchain infrastructure

AMB Query

• Serverless access to standardized, multi-blockchain datasets with developer-friendly APIs
• Access real-time and historical data from multiple blockchains
• No specialized blockchain infrastructure or ETL (extract, transform, and load) needed
• Supports use cases like:
  • Populating wallet transaction history
  • Retrieving token balances (fungible and non-fungible tokens)
  • Reviewing historical blockchain data
  • Getting contextual information about transactions

Amazon Managed Blockchain Supported Blockchains

Public Blockchains

Ethereum

• Deploy dedicated Ethereum full nodes using go-ethereum (Geth) execution client and Lighthouse consensus client
• Supports Mainnet and select testnets (e.g., Sepolia)
• Use JSON-RPC APIs for Execution and Consensus layers
• Build and test smart contracts, perform NFT transactions, and query blockchain data

Bitcoin

• Serverless JSON-RPC API access to Bitcoin Mainnet and Testnet
• Fleet of Bitcoin Core full nodes (non-mining) managed by AWS
• Supports common JSON-RPC operations for reading data and submitting transactions
• Wallet functionality disabled – you manage your own Bitcoin addresses

Polygon

• Serverless access to the Polygon blockchain (EVM-based scaling solution)
• Supports Polygon Mainnet and Mumbai Testnet
• High transaction throughput with low transaction fees
• Proof-of-stake consensus mechanism
• Commonly used for NFTs, Web3 games, and tokenization

Private Blockchains

Hyperledger Fabric

• Deploy private, permissioned blockchain networks in minutes
• Create multi-party networks across multiple AWS accounts
• Members can vote on network governance (adding/removing members)

Amazon Managed Blockchain Key Features

Network Creation and Management

• Launch blockchain networks in minutes using AWS Management Console
• Configure network membership and peer nodes easily
• Invite other AWS accounts to join your blockchain network
• Create additional members in your account for testing (simulated multi-party network)

Voting API (Hyperledger Fabric)

• Members can vote on proposals for adding or removing network members
• Democratic governance without custom development

Scalability

• Add peer nodes to process transactions more quickly
• APIs available to create new nodes based on application demand
• Peer node instance families: bc.t3, bc.m5, and bc.c5 with varying CPU and memory combinations

Managed Infrastructure

• Secure networking and reliable syncs to blockchain networks
• Durable elastic storage for ledger data
• Encryption at rest and in transit
• Secure access to open-source APIs

Hyperledger Fabric Network Editions

Amazon Managed Blockchain Security

Encryption

• All data encrypted at rest and in transit
• TLS 1.2 required (TLS 1.3 recommended)
• AWS KMS technology secures Hyperledger Fabric’s certificate authority

Access Control

• IAM permissions policies – Control who can access AMB resources and actions
• VPC endpoint services (AWS PrivateLink) – Private connectivity to AMB resources
• EC2 Security Groups – Virtual firewalls for inbound/outbound traffic control
• Signature Version 4 (SigV4) – Authentication for Ethereum and Bitcoin JSON-RPC calls

Network Isolation

• Interface VPC Endpoints for private access to Hyperledger Fabric components
• Members can interact with each other’s peer nodes through VPC endpoints

Additional Best Practices

• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for each account
• Set up API and user activity logging with AWS CloudTrail
• Use AWS encryption solutions and default security controls

Amazon Managed Blockchain Pricing

AMB Access Ethereum (Dedicated)

• Peer nodes – Per-second billing (1-minute minimum)
• Peer node storage – GB-month increments
• Requests – Per API call (accrued in 32 KB or 500 ms increments)
• Data transfer – Standard AWS data transfer charges

AMB Access Serverless (Bitcoin, Polygon)

• API requests – Pay per request, grouped by API complexity tiers (Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large)
• No hourly charges or minimum number of API requests
• Polygon preview is currently free of charge

AMB Query

• API requests – Pay per request, tiered by compute and data requirements (Small, Medium)
• No subscriptions, minimum quotas, or overage charges

AMB Access Hyperledger Fabric

• Membership – Hourly rate (billed per second) includes CA and shared network costs
• Peer nodes – Per-second billing (1-minute minimum)
• Peer node storage – GB-month increments
• Data written – Per payload size of transactions
• Data transfer – Standard AWS data transfer charges

Amazon Managed Blockchain Use Cases

Digital Asset Wallets

• Build multichain cryptocurrency wallets
• Populate transaction history with AMB Query APIs
• Broadcast transactions with AMB Access nodes

NFT Applications

• Create token-gated experiences
• Verify event ticket NFTs using historical token balance APIs
• Build NFT marketplaces

Cryptocurrency Exchanges

• Facilitate Bitcoin/Ethereum transactions
• Track asset balances
• Perform data analytics across multiple blockchains

Supply Chain Tracking

• Use private Hyperledger Fabric networks for consortium members
• Track provenance information on an immutable ledger
• Multi-party transaction verification

Digital Asset Custody

• Secure Bitcoin management on behalf of users
• Verify deposits and read historical transaction information
• Reduce infrastructure footprint

DeFi Applications

• Wrap Bitcoin for use on other blockchains
• Build lending and borrowing protocols
• Cross-chain asset management

Amazon Managed Blockchain Integrations

• AWS KMS – Key management for certificate authority
• Amazon VPC – Private endpoint connectivity
• AWS CloudTrail – Logging and auditing API calls
• AWS IAM – Authentication and authorization
• Amazon EC2 – Run Hyperledger Fabric client applications

AMB vs Amazon QLDB

Important Notice: Amazon QLDB reached end of support on July 31, 2025 and is no longer available. AWS recommended migrating to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL as an alternative for audit and ledger use cases. For blockchain and decentralized transaction needs, use Amazon Managed Blockchain.

Amazon Managed Blockchain Regional Availability

• AMB Access (Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric) – US East (N. Virginia), Asia Pacific (Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo), Europe (Ireland, London)
• AMB Query – US East (N. Virginia)
• AMB Access (Bitcoin, Polygon) – US East (N. Virginia)

References

• https://aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/latest/hyperledger-fabric-dev/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/latest/ethereum-dev/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/latest/ambbtc-dg/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managed-blockchain/latest/ambq-dg/