The Battle of the AWS Managed Services: Amplify <-> Application Composer <-> Cloud Formation
Tags: amplify, applicationcomposer, managedservices, cloudformation
Published: 2023-10-30 11:14:07


AWS Amplify, AWS Application Composer, and AWS CloudFormation are three different AWS services that help developers build and manage cloud applications. Each service has its own unique strengths and use cases, so it is important to choose the right one for your specific needs.

**AWS Amplify** is a full-stack development framework that helps developers build, ship, and host web and mobile applications on AWS. Amplify provides a wide range of features and services, including:

- Backend services:
 Amplify provides pre-built backend services, such as authentication, storage, and API management, which can be easily integrated into your application.

- Frontend libraries: 
Amplify provides a library of pre-built frontend components for popular web and mobile frameworks, such as React, Angular, and NativeScript.

- Deployment and hosting:
 Amplify makes it easy to deploy and host your application on AWS, with CI/CD integration and built-in security features.

**AWS Application Composer** is a visual builder for modern applications on AWS. Application Composer makes it easy to design and deploy your application architecture without having to write any code. With Application Composer, you can drag and drop AWS services onto a canvas to create a visual representation of your application. Application Composer will then generate the necessary infrastructure as code (IaC) templates for you.

**AWS CloudFormation** is a template-based service for provisioning and managing AWS resources. CloudFormation templates are written in JSON or YAML, and they define the resources that you want to create and how you want them to be configured. CloudFormation can be used to provision any AWS resource, including EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and Lambda functions.

Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between AWS Amplify, AWS Application Composer, and AWS CloudFormation:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ofjm4psde7z8w0qh8jks.png)

If you are a full-stack developer and you want to have more control over your application architecture, then AWS Application Composer is a good option. Application Composer makes it easy to design and deploy your application architecture without having to write any code.

If you are an experienced developer and you need more flexibility in how you provision and manage your AWS resources, then AWS CloudFormation is a good option. CloudFormation allows you to define your infrastructure as code, which gives you more control over your environment.

**Example use cases**

Here are some example use cases for each service:

**AWS Amplify**

1. Building a web application using React and hosting it on AWS
2. Developing a mobile app using NativeScript and using AWS Amplify for authentication and storage
3. Creating a serverless backend for your web or mobile application

**AWS Application Composer**

1. Designing and deploying a serverless application architecture using AWS Lambda, Amazon EventBridge, and Amazon S3
2. Creating a multi-tier architecture with EC2 instances, RDS databases, and S3 buckets
3. Deploying a complex application architecture with multiple microservices and interconnected resources

**AWS CloudFormation**

1. Provisioning and managing the infrastructure for a new AWS account
2. Creating a template for a development environment that you can deploy to multiple AWS accounts
3. Creating a template for a production environment that meets your specific compliance requirements


**Conclusion**

AWS Amplify and AWS Application Composer are powerful tools that can help you build and manage cloud applications. The best service for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. Both of them are evolving services and new features and capabilities are being added all the time. It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest developments so that you can choose the best service for your needs.