Top 5 Things You Didn’t Know AWS Amplify Can Do.

1. Create GraphQL APIs with Built-In Real-Time Subscriptions

You might already know that Amplify can generate APIs for you. But did you know that with just one command, you can spin up a fully managed GraphQL API with real-time support?

Using AWS AppSync under the hood, Amplify gives you:

• Automatic schema generation
• Subscriptions (real-time data updates)
• Conflict resolution
• Offline support for web and mobile apps

Example:

amplify add api
# Choose GraphQL

Within minutes, you’ll have a production-ready GraphQL API, with support for real-time chat, live dashboards, or multiplayer game state all without setting up WebSocket servers.

2. Visually Build and Manage Frontend UI with Amplify Studio

Amplify Studio is a low-code visual interface where you can design cloud-connected UI components—and sync them directly with your React codebase.

• Drag-and-drop UI components (like cards, tables, and lists)
• Real-time sync between design and code
• Integration with Figma designs
• Data-binding to your backend API

This is a huge time-saver for dev teams working with designers, and especially powerful for quickly building admin panels or CRUD interfaces.

3. Granular Authorization Rules with Cognito + GraphQL

Amplify lets you go beyond basic login/signup flows. With just a few lines in your GraphQL schema, you can define field-level access control based on:

• User identity
• Group membership
• Ownership of records (e.g., only view your own posts)
• Public/private access levels

Example:

type Post @model @auth(rules: [
  { allow: owner },
  { allow: groups, groups: ["Admins"] }
]) {
  id: ID!
  title: String!
  content: String!
}

This enables secure, multi-user SaaS apps without needing to build a complex permissions layer from scratch.

4. Add Location-Aware Features Using Amazon Location Service.

You can integrate maps, geofencing, and location tracking into your app powered by Amazon Location Service directly through Amplify.

With this, you can:

• Show maps (MapLibre-based) in your web/mobile app
• Track device/user locations
• Trigger events based on geofence boundaries (e.g., “notify me when a delivery truck arrives”)

Perfect for logistics, fitness, or travel apps.

5. Multiple Environments and CI/CD Pipelines Built In

Did you know Amplify supports multi-environment workflows out of the box? With amplify env, you can create dev/staging/prod environments that isolate resources like APIs and databases.

Plus, Amplify Hosting includes:

• CI/CD from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or CodeCommit
• Branch-based deployments (e.g., auto-deploy preview apps from feature branches)
• Environment variables per branch

Example:

amplify env add
amplify push --env staging

This is a game-changer for teams that want better testing and deployment workflows with minimal DevOps setup.

Conclusion

AWS Amplify is far more than just a hosting and auth solution. It’s a full-stack development powerhouse that can:

• Build real-time GraphQL APIs
• Offer low-code UI building
• Enforce secure, fine-grained access rules
• Add geolocation features
• Manage multi-environment DevOps

If you’ve only scratched the surface, now’s a great time to explore what else Amplify can do.