What is AWS Amplify?
AWS Amplify is a fully managed development platform for modern web and mobile applications. The service combines frontend hosting with automatic CI/CD, serverless backend resources, and integrated authentication in a unified platform.
With Amplify Gen 2, developers define backend resources such as data, authentication, and functions code-first in TypeScript on top of the AWS CDK, instead of configuring them separately through a CLI. Amplify targets frontend teams that want to ship production-ready applications quickly without building deep backend expertise, while still being able to reach the broader AWS service catalog via CDK when needed.
Core Features
- Git-based Deployment: Automatic builds and deployments on every commit, including preview environments for feature branches.
- Framework Support: Support for React, Vue, Angular, Next.js, and other popular frontend frameworks.
- Backend-as-Code: Define data, authentication (Cognito), and functions in TypeScript, automatically provisioned via the AWS CDK.
- Per-Developer Sandbox: Isolated cloud sandbox environments for fast, independent iteration across the team.
- Global CDN: Delivery via Amazon CloudFront with managed SSL certificates.
Typical Use Cases
Single-Page Applications: React, Vue, or Angular apps with automatic deployment from Git repositories and dedicated preview environments for branches.
Mobile Backends: APIs for iOS and Android apps with authentication, data storage, and automatically generated SDKs.
Full-Stack Serverless: Complete web applications with frontend, API, database, and authentication without managing servers, ideal for startups and MVPs.
Benefits
- Integrated CI/CD pipeline without external tools.
- Code-first backend definition with full access to the AWS ecosystem via CDK.
- Pay-per-use pricing model without base fees.
- GDPR-compliant operation possible with the right configuration in EU regions.
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with AWS Amplify: architecture design, migration of existing frontend applications, backend integration, and cost optimization.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What does AWS Amplify cost?
Amplify charges for build minutes based on instance size, starting at $0.01 per minute for the standard instance, plus hosting and traffic costs. New accounts get a free allowance of build minutes, storage, and data transfer for six months under the AWS Free Tier. Backend costs for Lambda, DynamoDB, and other AWS services are billed separately at standard rates.
What is Amplify Gen 2?
Amplify Gen 2 is the current generation of the platform, using a TypeScript-based, code-first backend definition built on the AWS CDK. Developers define data, auth, and functions in TypeScript files instead of a separate CLI configuration, get their own per-developer sandbox environments, and can tap into over 200 additional AWS services when needed.
Does Amplify support server-side rendering?
Yes, including for Next.js. Amplify Hosting can automatically build and deploy SSR-capable frameworks; static content is cached via CloudFront while dynamic requests are rendered server-side.
Can I use existing AWS resources with Amplify?
Yes. Amplify can be combined with existing AWS resources such as DynamoDB tables, Lambda functions, S3 buckets, and Cognito user pools, particularly through the CDK extensibility of Amplify Gen 2. You are not limited to infrastructure generated solely by Amplify.
Can AWS Amplify be used in a GDPR-compliant way?
Yes. Choose EU regions for backend resource data residency and review your CloudFront delivery configuration. AWS offers a Data Processing Addendum as a basis for GDPR compliance; the specific setup depends on your architecture.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of AWS (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by AWS.