Course / Module 1 / What is AWS Amplify?

What is AWS Amplify?

AWS Amplify is a set of tools and services that helps frontend and mobile developers build full-stack applications on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Understanding AWS Amplify

At its core, AWS Amplify provides a way for developers to add cloud-powered features to their applications without being experts in cloud infrastructure. Instead of manually configuring AWS services like databases, authentication, and APIs, Amplify lets you define what you need using simple TypeScript code.

AWS Amplify

A development platform that provides a set of tools and services for building secure, scalable full-stack applications. It abstracts away the complexity of directly working with AWS services.

What Problems Does Amplify Solve?

Building modern web applications typically requires:

  • User Authentication – Sign-up, sign-in, password reset, multi-factor authentication
  • Data Storage – A database to store and retrieve application data
  • APIs – A way for your frontend to communicate with your backend
  • File Storage – Storing user uploads like images and documents
  • Hosting – Deploying your application so users can access it

Traditionally, setting up these services on AWS required deep knowledge of services like Cognito, DynamoDB, AppSync, S3, and CloudFront. You'd need to configure IAM roles, security policies, and connect everything together manually.

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The Amplify Difference

Amplify lets you define your backend requirements in code (TypeScript), and it automatically provisions and configures the necessary AWS services for you.

The Components of AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify consists of several interconnected parts:

1. Amplify CLI (ampx)

A command-line tool that helps you create, configure, and manage your Amplify backend. In Gen 2, the CLI command is ampx (previously it was amplify in Gen 1).

npx ampx sandbox

2. Amplify Libraries

JavaScript/TypeScript libraries that you use in your frontend code to interact with your backend services. These include:

  • aws-amplify – Core library with auth, data, storage modules
  • @aws-amplify/ui-vue – Pre-built Vue components (like Authenticator)
  • @aws-amplify/backend – Backend definition library (used in amplify/ folder)

3. Amplify Hosting

A fully managed hosting service for web applications with features like:

  • Git-based deployments (connect to GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
  • Automatic preview environments for pull requests
  • Custom domains with SSL certificates
  • Server-side rendering (SSR) support for Nuxt

4. Amplify Studio

A visual interface in the AWS Console for managing your Amplify application, viewing data, managing users, and more.

When to Use AWS Amplify

✅ Amplify is Great For

  • Startups and small teams who need to move fast
  • Frontend developers who aren't AWS experts
  • Applications that need auth, database, and API quickly
  • Projects where infrastructure should be managed, not maintained
  • Full-stack TypeScript applications

⚠️ Consider Alternatives If

  • You need very specific AWS service configurations
  • You have an existing complex AWS infrastructure
  • You require services Amplify doesn't support
  • You need SQL databases (Amplify uses DynamoDB/NoSQL)

A Quick Look at Amplify Code

Here's a preview of what Amplify Gen 2 code looks like. Don't worry if you don't understand it yet—we'll cover each part in detail later.

Defining an authentication resource:

// amplify/auth/resource.ts
import { defineAuth } from '@aws-amplify/backend';

export const auth = defineAuth({
  loginWith: {
    email: true,
  },
});

Defining a data model:

// amplify/data/resource.ts
import { a, defineData, type ClientSchema } from '@aws-amplify/backend';

const schema = a.schema({
  Todo: a.model({
    content: a.string().required(),
    completed: a.boolean().default(false),
  }).authorization(allow => [allow.owner()]),
});

export type Schema = ClientSchema<typeof schema>;
export const data = defineData({ schema });

Notice how readable this is! You're defining what you want (a Todo model with content and completed fields), and Amplify handles creating the DynamoDB table, GraphQL API, and all the necessary infrastructure.

Summary

  • AWS Amplify is a development platform for building full-stack cloud applications
  • It abstracts AWS complexity, letting you define backend resources in TypeScript
  • The main components are the CLI, Libraries, Hosting, and Studio
  • Amplify is ideal for frontend developers and rapid development