How to Deploy Your App to AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify is Amazon's platform for building and deploying fullstack web and mobile applications. It abstracts away much of the complexity of AWS, giving you a Vercel-like experience backed by the world's largest cloud provider. Amplify supports React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, and static sites. It provides built-in CI/CD, hosting, and optional backend services like authentication and APIs.

Navigate to the AWS Amplify console and click 'Create new app'. Connect your Git provider and select your repository. Amplify will attempt to auto-detect your framework and configure build settings. For Next.js apps, Amplify supports both SSR and static export modes. Review the detected settings carefully, as incorrect build configurations are the most common cause of failed deployments.

Amplify uses an `amplify.yml` file to define your build pipeline. This file specifies the build commands, artifact directories, and caching strategies. You can create this file in your repository root or configure it through the Amplify console. A typical React build might use `npm ci` for installation and `npm run build` for the build step. Setting up proper caching for `node_modules` can significantly speed up your builds.

In the Amplify console, go to your app settings and find the Environment Variables section. You can add variables that will be available during build time. For runtime environment variables in SSR apps, you will need to configure them differently using Amplify's backend integration. Be careful about which variables are exposed to the client bundle versus kept server-side.

Amplify makes it easy to connect custom domains that you own. Navigate to Domain Management in your app settings and add your domain. If your domain is registered with Route 53, the DNS configuration is nearly automatic. Amplify also supports branch-based deployments, meaning your staging branch can deploy to staging.yourdomain.com while main deploys to your production URL.

Beyond hosting, Amplify offers backend services including authentication via Cognito, GraphQL and REST APIs, and file storage with S3. These services can accelerate your development, but they also add complexity and AWS lock-in. Evaluate whether you truly need these services or if simpler alternatives like Supabase would better serve your needs. For many startups, the hosting portion of Amplify is the most valuable part.

AWS is powerful but notoriously complex. IAM permissions, build configuration issues, and networking problems can turn a simple deployment into a multi-day project. SpringCode has deep experience with AWS deployments and can set up your Amplify project with proper monitoring, error tracking, and cost optimization so you do not get surprised by unexpected AWS bills.