Amplify

🧠 What Is AWS Amplify?

AWS Amplify is a full-stack serverless platform that enables frontend and mobile developers to build, deploy, and host modern applications with built-in tools for:

• ✅ Authentication

• ✅ APIs (GraphQL/REST)

• ✅ Storage (S3, DynamoDB)

• ✅ Hosting (CI/CD for React, Angular, Next.js, Vue, etc.)

• ✅ Functions (Lambda)

• ✅ Analytics, PubSub, Predictions (AI/ML)

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🧱 Core Components

Component	Purpose
Amplify CLI	Configure backend services using terminal (Node.js based)
Amplify Console	Web-based UI for CI/CD + Hosting + Backend Management
Amplify Libraries	Prebuilt JS/Flutter/iOS/Android libraries for connecting frontend
Amplify Hosting	Fully managed CI/CD + global CDN for web apps
Amplify Studio	Visual low-code interface for UI + backend + content (Figma integration)

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🚀 Why Use Amplify?

Feature	Benefit
🧠 Quick Backend Setup	Add Auth, API, Storage in minutes
⚙️ No Backend Expertise	Focus on frontend, Amplify handles infra
🔐 Secure by default	Uses Cognito, IAM, least-privilege access
🌍 Global Hosting	Frontend deployed via CloudFront
🔄 CI/CD Integration	Auto-deploy from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
🔗 Seamless AWS Integration	Easily connect to Lambda, DynamoDB, S3, etc.

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🧪 Example Workflow

npm install -g @aws-amplify/cli
amplify configure          # One-time AWS setup
amplify init               # Initialize Amplify in project
amplify add auth           # Add authentication (Cognito)
amplify add api            # Add REST or GraphQL API
amplify add storage        # Add S3 or DynamoDB
amplify push               # Deploy backend

Then use the generated code with:

npm install aws-amplify

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⚒️ Key Features Breakdown

1. Authentication

• Backed by Amazon Cognito

• Prebuilt UI components (React, Vue, Angular)

• Social login (Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon)

• MFA, custom user attributes

2. API (GraphQL or REST)

• GraphQL powered by AWS AppSync

• REST powered by API Gateway + Lambda

• Auto-generate resolvers, models, and CRUD operations

3. Storage

• S3 for file/object storage

• DynamoDB for NoSQL

• Built-in access control with IAM/Cognito

4. Functions

• Add AWS Lambda functions to your app

• Trigger from APIs, storage events, or on-demand

• Supports local testing and environment variables

5. Hosting (CI/CD)

• Connect Git repo → Amplify builds & deploys frontend + backend

• Built-in previews for PRs

• Custom domains + HTTPS + global CDN (CloudFront)

6. Analytics

• User tracking via Amazon Pinpoint

• Session, event tracking, engagement funnels

7. AI/ML with Predictions

• Text-to-speech (Polly)

• Text translation (Translate)

• Image recognition (Rekognition)

• Sentiment analysis (Comprehend)

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🖥️ Amplify Studio

A visual app builder where you can:

• Create UI from Figma designs

• Add backend models visually

• Bind UI components to data sources

• Manage users and content via Admin UI

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🌐 Supported Frontend Frameworks

Framework	CI/CD Hosting	Libraries
React / Next.js	✅	✅ Amplify JS
Angular	✅	✅ Amplify JS
Vue	✅	✅ Amplify JS
Flutter	❌ (no hosting)	✅ Amplify Dart
iOS/Android	❌ (no hosting)	✅ Amplify Native SDKs

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🧩 Integration with Other AWS Services

Service	Integration Role
Cognito	Authentication & User Pools
AppSync	GraphQL APIs
S3	File uploads/downloads
Lambda	Business logic
DynamoDB	NoSQL storage
CloudFront	CDN for frontend
CloudWatch	Logs & Monitoring

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🛡️ IAM & Security

• IAM roles generated per environment

• Least privilege access policies auto-generated

• Environments: dev, prod, staging

• Supports custom roles and permissions

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🧱 Terraform Support

Amplify is designed to be CLI and UI-driven, but Terraform can manage Amplify apps and hosting:

resource "aws_amplify_app" "myapp" {
  name       = "my-react-app"
  repository = "https://github.com/user/repo"
  oauth_token = var.github_token
}

resource "aws_amplify_branch" "main" {
  app_id = aws_amplify_app.myapp.id
  branch_name = "main"
}

Backend resources (like Cognito, AppSync) are better managed via CloudFormation or Terraform separately.

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💰 Pricing Overview

Component	Pricing Basis
Hosting	Per build minute + per GB served
Auth (Cognito)	Free tier, then per MAU
AppSync (GraphQL)	Per request and data volume
Storage (S3)	Standard S3 pricing
Lambda	Pay-per-request/compute time
Predictions (ML)	Based on API used (e.g., Polly, Rekognition)

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✅ TL;DR Summary

Feature	AWS Amplify
Ideal For	Frontend developers needing full-stack infra
Backend Services	Auth, APIs, Storage, Functions
Deployment	CI/CD with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
Hosting	Static or SSR with global CDN (CloudFront)
AI/ML Support	Text, speech, translate, image
Learning Curve	Low for frontend devs
Security	Built-in via Cognito and IAM
Terraform Support	Hosting only (backend infra via other tools)

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