aws_appsync

The three ways to execute a GraphQL query from React with AWS AppSync (and how to choose)

January 15, 2019  5 minute read  

AWS AppSync is a managed GraphQL service that can (and probably should) act as the data layer for your app. I want to take a look at how you can send a query to AWS AppSync from your React (or React Native) app. You have three basic choices: Include a query within a component using AWS Amplify. Wrap your query in the Connect component using AWS Amplify. Use the Apollo Client with the AWS AppSync SDK. Which do you choose depends on what your needs are. There is no “one size fits all”...

Early return from GraphQL Resolvers with AWS AppSync

January 03, 2019  3 minute read  

I am currently developing a “reviews” app, written in React Native and using a suite of services surrounding AWS AppSync for the data backend. Yesterday, I ran into a problem. This is how I solved that problem. First, let’s take a look at the problem. I have a query that is submitted like this: { me { id name locations { totalCount } reviews { totalCount } favorites { totalCount } } } The query is used to generate a header on a “My Information” page. Eventually, I’l...

Handling File Uploads with AWS AppSync

December 18, 2018  9 minute read  

GraphQL does not handle files. It may seem an obvious statement, but it needs to be said. GraphQL does not handle files. It handles structured data. Which isn’t to say that GraphQL does not have a role to play within file handling — just that the upload and download of files needs to be done outside the confines of GraphQL. In this article, I’m going to present one way that you can handle the upload and download of files whereby the URL of the files are presented via GraphQL using AWS AppSy...

Backend GraphQL: How to trigger an AWS AppSync mutation from AWS Lambda

October 26, 2018  14 minute read  

This blog will explore a technique that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for notifying clients of results within a serverless application. Let’s say you have built a nice mobile and web versions of a chat application that uses a GraphQL API built on top of AWS AppSync. Users authenticate with Amazon Cognito user pools Users table is stored in DynamoDB Changes to the users table are communicated to the app via subscriptions How does the users table get updated? A naive a...

Build a GraphQL Service the easy way with AWS Amplify Model Transforms

August 29, 2018  8 minute read  

Creating a functional GraphQL API is hard. You have to create a GraphQL schema, decide on authentication and database structures, implement the schema in a GraphQL service, wire up the authentication, hook up the database sources, ensure the whole thing is scalable, worry about logging and monitoring, and then write your app. AWS AppSync helps you with everything except the GraphQL schema and the app. Now, AWS Amplify is helping you with the GraphQL schema by introducing model transforms. Th...

How to deploy a GraphQL API on AWS with the Serverless Framework

August 14, 2018  8 minute read  

In previous posts, we’ve explored how to deploy a GraphQL service based on AWS AppSync and Amazon DynamoDB using AWS CloudFormation. The articles reinforce how automatic and repeatable deployments are central to moving towards a DevOps mindset. However, there are a few problems with the AWS CloudFormation template. The most notable issue is the inability to separate the schema and resolver mapping templates from the actual CloudFormation template. Overcoming this obstacle requires developers...

Build a GraphQL Weather API with OpenWeatherMap and AWS AppSync

July 20, 2018  6 minute read  

I love GraphQL even for the small apps. Generating a simple API allows me to change out back end details without re-compiling my front end. It also allows me to rotate API keys easily, handle authentication, and get in depth monitoring of the individual fields being used. So, naturally, when I am building a new weather app (don’t judge — everyone makes one), I naturally want to use a weather API based on GraphQL. Except there isn’t one. So I created one using AWS AppSync — a managed offline ...

Build a Universal Search API with GraphQL and AWS AppSync

June 19, 2018  5 minute read  

Have you ever looked at a feature of a mobile app and wondered how they do something? Me too! I like to figure out how they built those features and build them into my own apps. Take, as an example, universal search. You can find this sort of search box at the top of the Facebook app. So, how do they implement it? I’ve not seen their codebase, but I imagine it’s something similar to the following proof of concept. The schema I have a GraphQL API already built within AWS AppSync with the fol...

How developers can authenticate and authorize users with AWS AppSync

June 01, 2018  7 minute read  

AWS AppSync provides four distinct methods of authorizing users to optimize and restrict data being transferred AWS AppSync is a managed GraphQL data service that supports offline and real-time scenarios. The service allows the developer to optimize the data transfer between client and server. Any non-trivial application will need to authenticate users. It’s the only way to identify a distinct real person using the application. That association is required for private data storage and c...