Amplify-js: What's the difference between aws-amplify and the Node.js SDK?

[satiewaltz]

Hello! Sorry if this question is a no-brainer. But after reading the documentation and website I didn't really get the purpose of this library.

What's the difference between this library and using the Node.js SDK? What are the main goals aws-amplify is trying to achieve? Is it supposed to offer a cleaner API to interact with commonly used AWS services? Again sorry and thanks!

[lunaroyster]

Disclaimer: I'm new to this too.

Reading the aws-amplify introduction, one word used is declarative.

Declarative programming is when you write your code in such a way that it describes what you want to do, and not how you want to do it.

Aws-amplify seems to abstract away features provided by aws-sdk. Looking at cognito for instance, The amplify version seems to be much simpler to use than the aws-sdk one.

I'd like some confirmation on this.

[mlabieniec]

Thanks @lunaroyster, @satiewaltz the wiki also has an overview of the inception:
https://github.com/aws/aws-amplify/wiki

[mbahar]

@satiewaltz, in addition to previous comments,

• AWS Amplify is 'client-first' with support for modern JavaScript workflows and React Native.
• Comes with ready-to-use implementations that you can be up and running in minutes. (Auth, Storage ...)

[satiewaltz]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your explanations! I now have a better understanding of the purpose behind aws-amplify, why it exists, and how it differs from the Node.js SDK. The wiki hits home about the motivations behind the library. Like how it aims to enhance development experience through a declarative API design, reduction in boilerplate code, and simplifying various methods the SDK provides. Again, thank you for the pointers and information.

Closing this issue! 🎉