What is a AWS Amplify? Secrets Unlocked

The businesses are swiftly moving from on-premises development to cloud-centric models.

A forecast by Statista reveals that the annual spending of companies on cloud infrastructure is constantly growing. This survey estimates the figure will hit 133.7 billion USD by 2026. 

Similarly, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is at the top if we talk about the leading cloud computing service providers. With 200+ products and services, AWS is a well-known CSP.

It guarantees quick, efficient, and secure creation, deployment, and hosting of mobile and web applications. 

In this regard, AWS Amplify is a full-stack and one of the preeminent products of this cloud platform. However, if you are unaware of this fantastic AWS service, simply read this guide.

This article will discuss all aspects of AWS Amplify, from functioning to its advantages, limitations, alternatives, and pricing structure.

What is AWS Amplify?

Amplify is a full-stack platform you can use to develop highly scalable web and mobile applications.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) released this service in 2017. It provides complete support to build backends and cloud-linked UIs seamlessly. 

Hereof, this platform offers plenty of features that let developers administer content outside the AWS console and deploy dynamic and static applications.

Furthermore, you don’t need technical skills to perform server-side functionalities and connect them with the client side. 

Although Amplify confers functionalities like authentication, API support, built-in CLI, and code libraries but, developers also prefer it because of its excellent UX.

Yes, the presence of a unified user experience across multiple OS and devices makes it a dominant solution.

Ideal for: AWS Amplify is best for building and shipping native mobile, cross-platform, static, single-page, and server-side rendering web applications. 

Renowned Clients: Neiman Marcus, Amazon Music, QsrSoft, Noom, HyperTrack, and Busby are featured customers of Amplify. 

How does AWS Amplify Work?

AWS Amplify operates as a JS library that enables you to construct and carry out cloud-based applications. In this regard, it depends on the following modules:

Libraries

Amplify grants users open-source Android, Flutter, JavaScript, and Swift libraries.

With the full backing of AWS services, these libraries are utilized to craft backends for mobile and web applications. Y

ou can also utilize this component with Amplify CLI and Studio to design new backends or work on current projects.

This functionality basically permits you to link, include, and communicate with further AWS products.

So, it becomes convenient to integrate authentication, storage, APIs, notifications, and further traits with your application.  

UI Components

It is a predefined set of open-source UI tools that deal with cloud-linked workflows. This tool supplies UI elements for data storage within app communication and authentication.  

Amplify UI supports a variety of popular programming technologies, including Android, Vue, React, Angular, Flutter, React Native, etc.

You can categorize UI components into the base, input, navigation, data display, utility, and feedback elements. 

CLI Toolchain

Amplify CLI or Command Line Interface enables you to deploy and manage the server side of your application through your device.

The workflow of CLI is beneficial to deploy cloud functions in this regard. Similarly, you can obtain all resources in the form of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) patterns. 

Moreover, this component is beneficial to extend backend instances. Yes, the CLI Toolchain makes the app’s scalability smooth for businesses. You can efficiently employ new resources anytime using this trait.

Amplify Studio

Amplify Studio is the new name of Admin UI that guarantees the smooth execution of server-side operations. Hereof, Amplify Studio grants a visual interface to manage the backends of applications.

Moreover, it empowers the developers to share data access with teammates without an AWS account. So team members can handle apps effortlessly. 

Hosting

The operations of Amplify are incomplete without a secure and fast hosting service. Indeed, a 12-month free hosting service for web applications is another appealing component of this AWS product.

Advantages of Using AWS Amplify 

AWS Amplify offers several advantages to users. Let’s talk about the significant benefits:

Easy & Fast UI-Driven Development

With all development tools and UI kits at your fingertips, it becomes robust to build, deploy, and host applications using Amplify.

The incredible Amplify offerings, like UI components and CLI, significantly accelerate development speed.

In addition, agile development leads to less time to market and gives businesses a competitive edge over rivals. 

Free to Start

Whether you want to create a backend or frontend UI, it is free to begin your development venture.

Yes, you can start your app crafting and deploying journey with $0 using AWS Amplify. In this regard, you can conduct frontend development with always free tags. 

Backend development also commences with no cost. But when you cross the threshold, you must move to the pay-as-you-go pricing model. 

Backend Support

Ready-to-use backend components and automated configurations also make Amplify an attractive developer solution.

Built-in CLI commands authorize you to add features to your backend easily. By the same token, you can manage server-side operations effortlessly under this cloud ecosystem. 

Web-Based Analytics

A web-based dashboard to track app analytics is another amazing advantage of Amplify.

This platform is not only applicable to creating and hosting applications but also to seeing the app’s performance and tracking user engagements.

With this feature, app managers can seamlessly attain and retain app users. Besides, this dashboard informs the dev teams of the app’s health and overall performance. 

No Cloud Expertise Required

AWS Amplify is one of the finest low-code app development platforms and is very easy to use.

In particular, Amplify Studio enables you to manage applications using a visual interface.

Developers don’t need specific expertise to deal with Amplify. 

So, dev teams can focus on UX and business competencies. Amplify takes responsibility for complicated server-side operations. 

Flexible Pricing

With a free starting tagline, the pricing structure of Amplify is predictable and easy to understand.

Likewise, you can access frontend UI components forever free if you have an initial subscription to AWS. Backend instances are also free up to a predefined limit. 

After reaching this limit, AWS Amplify bills you for utilized resources only. Then, Amplify follows a pay-as-you-go model.

You can also request a pricing quote to know the cost before using this cloud computing service. 

AWS Amplify Limitations

With numerous advantages, AWS Amplify also has some drawbacks. Let’s talk about these downsides one by one:

Steep Learning Curve

Although AWS Amplify needs fewer coding efforts to deploy applications but, new developers usually complain about its steep learning curve.

It is troublesome for beginners to understand its ecosystem, dev, and documentation methods. 

Consistent Changes

This CSP keeps evolving around too many new changes and system updates. Therefore, dev teams should be updated with recent happenings more often. 

Cost

This is a fully managed CSP where businesses and developers have less control over infrastructure.

So, sometimes, the charges of this BaaS solution can hit you hard. Yes, its cost can exceed the estimated amount of managing the backend on your own.  

Traffic Distribution

You can’t employ load balancers to handle traffic, which is a significant downside of using AWS Amplify. The unavailability of load balancers makes you address high traffic and latency problems inefficiently.

How does Amplify integrate with other AWS Services?

Amplify provides UI components for cloud-linked workflows, code libraries, and CLI toolchains to integrate with other AWS services.

Likewise, without tailoring the user interface of the current application, you can utilize libraries jointly or autonomously to connect with other AWS services.

In simple words, you just need a few lines of script to join an existing application with Amplify. 

Correspondingly, if we talk about the most recent ways, Amplify CLI, AWS SDK, and Lambda empower you to connect with various AWS services easily.

Hereof, you must install and set up the CLI, add functions & policy, and proceed with push.      

The Top Features of AWS Amplify 

Followings are the most exciting features of AWS Amplify:

Authentication

Highly tailored pre-built registration and sign-in templates make user authentication easy for developers.

Amplify offers a fully managed user management system to businesses and dev teams where they can seamlessly encrypt passwords and enable multi-factor authorization and email verification. 

Moreover, with the backing of Amazon Incognito, you can log in using all popular social media platforms.

Storage

Storage is another feature of Amplify that lets you administer and backlog user content like photos, files, and videos.

You can store them in the cloud or a device with complete protection. The storage module helps categorize user content into public, private, or secure buckets in this regard. 

Correspondingly, Amazon S3 ensures app scalability. Yes, you can extend or reduce the storage limits as per the needs of your application. 

Functions

Amplify CLI empowers you to build, set up, or test Lambda functions for your project.

You can utilize functions for any runtime, and it has the ability to work with REST or GraphQL APIs. Hereof, you simply need to launch the @function command in Amplify CLI. 

DataStore

This is a powerful storage engine backed by GraphQL and AWS AppSync. With GraphQL, DataStore authorizes cross-platform applications to connect data spontaneously.

On the other hand, AWS AppSync is responsible for delivering data in both online and offline situations without scripting extra code.  

Analytics

Real-time tracking of all app types and user data is another advantage of using AWS Amplify. This BaaS vendor offers this property under the ‘analytics’ feature.

Hereof, Amazon Kinesis, and Pinpoint help Amplify in streaming detailed user and app insights. This trait is beneficial to know trends and customer engagements. 

Push Notifications

With the robust backing of Amazon Pinpoint, Amplify improves user retention rates using push notifications.

This is basically a marketing approach where a short notification appears on the screen of customers’ devices. The message could be related to a new service, product, or upcoming event. 

AWS Amplify Pricing 

AWS Amplify is a free-to-start BaaS platform that uses a pay-as-you-go mechanism for premium ventures. Let’s overview its pricing structure based on the following three services:

Create a Backend

It costs nothing to start creating backends for multi-platform applications with Amplify. You can freely use Amplify CLI, Studio, and Libraries hereof.

However, the charges will apply when your backend resources cross a specific limit. Luckily, you only have to pay for utilized instances.   

Build a Frontend UI

The development of frontend UIs is forever free with AWS Amplify. All UI components and Amplify Studio are for nothing when it comes to client-side development.

Host An App

Hosting is chargeless if your requirements are around 1k build minutes, 5 GB data storage, 15 GB data transfer, 500k requests, and 100 GB request hours monthly.

However, if your needed instances increase, you must pay $0.01 per build minute and $0.023/GB monthly for data storage. Correspondingly, Amplify quotes $0.30 for 1 million requests and $0.15/GB for data transfer.  

Moreover, inserting credit card details before creating an account on AWS is mandatory.

AWS Amplify Alternatives 

Are you finding the best AWS Amplify alternatives? Have a look at the following suggestions:

Back4app

Back4app is an open-source and free-to-start Amplify alternative which was founded in 2015.

This CSP comes with complete frontend and backend development support through its CaaS and BaaS offerings.

You can explore all Amplify-like features here, including authentication, cloud functions, storage, database management, and push notifications. 

In addition, this platform doesn’t ask to insert credit card details from users, which gives it an edge over AWS Amplify. 

Backendless

If you are looking for a visual app development platform to build applications, Backendless is an exciting option.

It enables you to craft codeless UI logic and powerful server-side functionalities. Caching, cloud code, geolocation, and real-time database management are critical features of Backendless.

Firebase

Firebase is also a full-suite cloud-based app development solution that works under the banner of Google LLC.

It helps create, deploy, and host highly secure and scalable mobile and web applications. Cloud Firestore, remote configuration, cloud storage, and hosting are appealing traits of this BaaS vendor. 

Conclusion

AWS Amplify is one of the top-notch offerings of Amazon Web Services that businesses like to use because of its server-side and frontend properties. This guide displays all significant details related to AWS Amplify, from pros to pricing and alternatives.