Which solution will meet this requirement with the LEAST operational overhead?
Enable API caching and throttling on the API Gateway API.
Set up AWS WAF on the API Gateway API. Create a rule to filter users who have a subscription.
Apply fine-grained IAM permissions to the premium content in the DynamoDB table.
Implement API usage plans and API keys to limit the access of users who do not have a subscription.
Explanations:
Enabling API caching and throttling improves performance and rate limiting but does not enforce user subscriptions for accessing premium content. It does not restrict access based on subscription status.
AWS WAF can filter requests based on specific criteria, but it is not designed for managing user subscriptions directly. Implementing WAF rules for subscription status would involve complex logic and additional management overhead.
Applying fine-grained IAM permissions to the DynamoDB table is not practical for controlling access based on user subscriptions. IAM permissions are better suited for resource-level access controls rather than user-specific features like subscriptions.
Implementing API usage plans and API keys allows the application to manage access based on user subscriptions effectively. This approach provides a straightforward way to limit access to premium content with minimal operational overhead, as it leverages built-in API Gateway features for managing user access.
I classify that the answer is:
Implement API usage plans and API keys to limit the access of users who do not have a subscription.