AWS Amplify: JavaScript Open Source Library with React, React Native Extensions | Hacker News Reader

AWS Amplify: JavaScript Open Source Library with React, React Native Extensions

aws.amazon.com

178 pointsnslog26 comments

I'm not sure this is ready for prime time:

1.54MB - https://github.com/aws/aws-amplify/blob/master/packages/aws-...

I'm looking at the source itself, looks like it's got everything and the kitchen sink; I'm seeing XML datastructures, lodash-like utils, HTTP API handling, local storage (probably from the caching they mentioned), a script interpreter, buffers (very large section), etc. It's just go a lot of Stuff in it. Strong NIH feeling.

That's why they're not limiting access to Prime subscribers yet ;)

Hi, this has been updated and the new size is 524KB which you can see here: https://github.com/aws/aws-amplify/tree/master/packages/aws-... and https://www.npmjs.com/package/aws-amplify

That's a good start!

One bigger issue is you're storing built assets in source control. This is considered bad practice, as it creates a lot of noise in commits and bogs down git clients with tons of unnecessary blobs. git is for source code, npm is for transpiled code and UMD bundles.

You should "retcon" your repo, by removing them from history with filter-branch (the same process as with sensitive data removal: https://help.github.com/articles/removing-sensitive-data-fro...), make sure they're .gitignore'd, and only publish the built assets in your npm packages (use the "files" option in package.json).

Amplify sure lives up to its name...

This feels wrong

Could be integral part of their CodeStar / Cloud IDE push. Components with AWS specific functionality can then be developed and sold through a marketplace.

For those making single-purpose, ad-revenue backed projects. Quite possible there is more to gain in selling say a dating app interface, than the app itself ;)

AWS re:invent conference starts next week so expect details then. As well as a Kubernetes engine. Golang support for Lambda Functions. And much more...

I don't understand what is the value compared to AWS SDK + create-react-native. Can someone give me on example of before Amplify / after Amplify?

More push-button. This can bootstrap an app with a fully-featured backend at once. Utilizing all AWS services of course.

They are probably feeling the heat from Firebase which is a much more robust offering than the hodgepodge of services you get from AWS and are trying to get some mindshare with mobile devs.

I wonder if maybe it includes components to actually implement UI for things like signin, signout forgot password etc - that would be very helpful.

update: yes that's what it seems to do but appears to be missing forgot password/change password.

Hey Andrew, it does have 'Forgot Password' UI. On the signIn form there is a link to 'Forgot Password'

Thanks, Richard

This may help a little bit: https://github.com/aws/aws-amplify/issues/19

Nice. Would be cool to see a Vue.js tailored version of the library, similar to their React add on.

+1... also don't think that we would wait long for that.

So this appears to go head-to-head with Expo (https://expo.io/) which is a project / company that I was getting behind. Hopefully this is just a rising the tide and all the boats float. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_rising_tide_lifts_all_boats for background on the expression)

I trust this AWS library because its not google. Facebook shutting down parse is another example of who I wont trust. I'm not sure how to figure out which services google will decide to sunset.

It's pretty hard to shut down open source

It’s very expensive to turn it back on though .

more likely, this goes head-to-head with flutter, firebase and other things that google tie to their platform.

Agreed, looks like a Firebase competitor.

Unsure I'd agree. It looks like Amplify is providing you with all the components you need to build on top of all AWS cloud services.

I particularly like their approach which makes it easy to use AWS but the ability to move away from AWS should you want to.

"AWS Amplify is a JavaScript library for frontend and mobile developers building cloud-enabled applications. The library is a declarative interface across different categories of operations in order to make common tasks easier to add into your application. The default implementation works with Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources but is designed to be open and pluggable for usage with other cloud services that wish to provide an implementation or custom backends."

https://github.com/aws/aws-amplify

A live demo would help.

I'd be happy with just complete API docs. As of at least two days ago the API docs contained a single link to the same page.

That's agile in action right there. It's an MVP. docs will come.

I guess this is sarcastic? I get why you are saying this but...isn't it OK that they release it, then bulk out the docs, work on the payload size, reduce the dependencies etc?

Surely once it helps someone with an immediate need it's worth releasing even if it's not completely ready?

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