Introduction

Here is what we’re going to build

• Quick domain intro
• Upollo architecture:

Appsync in five minutes

• What is AppSync?
• When to use AppSync?
• When not to use AppSync?
• Why GraphQL?
• How AppSync works with other AWS services?

CDK in five minutes

• Infrastructure as code – literally
• Why CDK?
• CDK constructs
• How CDK compares to other deployment tools
• Setting up CDK for local development
• Setting up your AWS account
• Testing the configuration

Part 1: Basic Development tasks

• Your first AppSync app

  • Hello World from CDK and AppSync
  • Deploying an AppSync App
  • AppSync application structure
  • Generating API Keys
  • Retrieving CloudFormation outputs with CDK
  • Trying it out from the AWS console
  • Trying it out from the command line
  • Troubleshooting Appsync
  • Accessing Data Sources from AppSync
  • What are AppSync Resolvers?
  • Troubleshooting deployments
  • How to remove deployed applications
  • Other Authentication options
  • Where to find more information?

• Building a simple GraphQL Schema

  • Modelling GraphQl Types
  • Modelling GraphqQL operations
  • Verifying your schema
  • VTL template basics
  • Passing arguments using AppSync VTL context
  • Formatting results using AppSync VTL utility functions

• Testing AppSync applications

  • Simulating AppSync for local tests
  • Automated integration-testing with AppSync
  • Securing access using IAM
  • Testing API access
  • Unit testing VTL templates

Part 2: Working with persistent data

• Connecting AppSync to DynamoDB

  • Why DynamoDB?
  • Adding a database using CDK
  • Accessing DynamoDB items using the web console
  • Accessing DynamoDB records from the command line
  • Reading from DynamoDB via AppSync: getSurveyById
  • VTL templates for DynamoDB
  • Integration testing AppSync with DynamoDb

• Working with Mutations

  • Scope for this chapter
  • Saving to DynamoDB using AppSync: createSurvey
  • Creating unique IDs in resolvers using util.autoId
  • Updating existing Dynamo records
  • Using update conditionals to preventing accidental object creation

• Single-table dynamo design

  • How Dynamo tables compare to SQL tables
  • Why single tables?
  • Modelling relations with single-table design
  • Example Upollo records
  • Migrating resolvers to single-table design: saving answers with createSurvey
  • Using Dynamo batch writes for performance

• Accessing object graphs with GraphQL

  • Using DynamoDB queries to list collections by prefix
  • Accessing object graphs using GraphQl subitem queries
  • Adding answers to getSurveyById
  • Queries for lists: getAnswersBySurveyId
  • Using pipeline resolvers to customise output
  • Sharing VTL templates between resolvers: how to read ID from stash or args with util.defaultIfNull
  • Testing hierarchical resolvers

• Performing complex updates

  • Atomically updating Dynamo item fields
  • Using DynamoDB transaction writes for consistency
  • Processing votes: addVote
  • Capturing timestamps using $util.time.nowISO8601

Part 3: Working with web clients

• Introduction to AWS Amplify

  • Using the aws-amplify React Client
  • Creating and deploying an Amplify App that connects to AppSync
  • Running graphQL queries
  • Executing GraphQl mutations

• Authenticating users with AWS Cognito

  • What is Cognito?
  • User pools
  • Hosted UI
  • Allowing Cognito access in GraphQL
  • Testing Cognito access from the AWS Web console
  • Integrating Cognito with Amplify Apps
  • Modelling data security using GraphQl
  • Restricting data reads using AppSync
  • Dealing with unauthorised access on the front end

• Realtime updates with GraphQl subscriptions

  • How GraphQl subscriptions work?
  • Declaring Subscriptions in the schema
  • Triggering subscriptions with mutations
  • Subscribing to updates using Amplify SDK

Part 4: Connecting to other services using AppSync Resolvers

• Using AWS Lambda for custom processing

  • Converting data using Lambda
  • Connecting to other AWS Services (S3)
  • Using Lambda logs for CloudWatch metrics

• Searching using ElasticSearch/OpenSearch

  • Updating ElasticSearch documents using DynamoDB streams
• Connecting to external APIs using HTTP resolvers
• Processing transient data with local resolvers
  • Triggering custom notifications

Part 5: Operating AppSync applications

• Working with deployment pipelines

  • Setting up for teamwork
  • Deploying CDK apps using AWS CodePipeline
  • Deploying AWS Amplify Apps
  • Managing dev, test, staging and production stacks
  • Configuring using SSM

• Monitoring AppSync applications

  • ClodudWatch logs
  • CloudWatch insights
  • Adding custom metrics
  • XRay

• Setting up a custom domain

  • Integrating AppSync APIs with CloudFront distributions
  • Deploying to multiple regions

Part 6: Quick reference guide

• GraphQL reference

  • Types
  • Mutations
  • Queries
  • Subscriptions
  • AppSync extensions

• VTL reference

  • What is VTL?
  • Conditions
  • Loops
  • AppSync context
  • AppSync Utility functions