MongoDB Connection Timeouts When Calling External APIs in AWS Amplify

The MongoDB connection timeouts you're experiencing in AWS Amplify, specifically when calling external APIs like Gemini AI, could be caused by several factors. Here are some insights and recommendations:

1. Network Configuration: Even with public VPCs, there might be network configuration issues preventing proper outbound connections. Ensure that your Amplify environment has the necessary network access to both MongoDB Atlas and the external APIs you're calling.

2. Connection Pooling: The issue might be related to how connections are managed. Implement connection pooling for MongoDB to reuse connections efficiently, especially when making external API calls that may cause delays.

3. Asynchronous Operations: Structure your code to handle MongoDB operations and external API calls asynchronously. This can help prevent blocking operations that might lead to timeouts.

4. Timeout Settings: While you've increased the MongoDB connection timeout, also consider adjusting other timeout settings, including those for the external API calls and any intermediate network components.

5. Resource Constraints: Although your memory usage seems low, there might be other resource constraints. Monitor CPU usage and network throughput to ensure they're not bottlenecks.

6. AWS SDK for External APIs: For calling the Gemini API using AWS SDK, you can use the AWS SDK for JavaScript and the AWS.HttpClient class. Here's a basic example:

   const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
   const httpClient = new AWS.HttpClient();
   
   const url = 'https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-2.0-flash:generateContent';
   const params = {
     key: 'YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY'
   };
   const body = JSON.stringify({
     contents: [{
       parts: [{ text: "Explain how AI works" }]
     }]
   });
   
   const request = new AWS.HttpRequest(url, 'us-east-1');
   request.method = 'POST';
   request.headers['Content-Type'] = 'application/json';
   request.body = body;
   
   httpClient.handleRequest(request, params, (response) => {
     let responseBody = '';
     response.on('data', (chunk) => {
       responseBody += chunk;
     });
     response.on('end', () => {
       console.log(responseBody);
     });
   }, (error) => {
     console.error('Error:', error);
   });

7. MongoDB Atlas Configuration: Double-check your MongoDB Atlas network settings. Ensure that the IP ranges for your AWS Amplify environment are whitelisted in MongoDB Atlas.

8. Monitoring and Logging: Implement detailed logging for both MongoDB operations and external API calls. This can help identify exactly where and when the timeouts occur.

9. Connection Warm-up: Implement a warm-up process for your MongoDB connections, especially after periods of inactivity.

10. AWS Amplify Specific Settings: Review your Amplify configuration, particularly any settings related to network access or function timeouts.

If the issue persists after trying these solutions, consider reaching out to AWS Support for a more in-depth investigation of your specific Amplify environment and its interaction with external services.
Sources
REL05-BP05 Set client timeouts - AWS Well-Architected Framework (2023-04-10)
Lambda's Provision Concurrency For Low Latency | AWS re:Post
Next.js App Deployed with Elastic Beanstalk Unable to Connect to MongoDB Atlas | AWS re:Post