The most visited Front-end Web and Mobile blog posts in 2024

As we kick off 2025, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the top posts from 2024. Without further ado, here are the 10 front-end web and mobile blog posts of 2024.

Fullstack TypeScript Reintroducing AWS Amplify – This blog post announces the general availability of AWS Amplify Gen 2, a fullstack TypeScript experience for building cloud-connected apps. It highlights key features including zero-config authentication, type-safe cloud data integration, and PubSub APIs for real-time multiplayer use cases. The post walks through building a real-time multiplayer application, demonstrating how to deploy a frontend, set up authentication, create a cloud API, and implement real-time cursor sharing between users. It emphasizes Amplify’s integration with AWS services, improved developer experience with TypeScript, and the ability to create isolated development environments. The post also addresses migration concerns for existing Gen 1 users and positions Amplify within the broader fullstack TypeScript ecosystem.

Announcing AWS AppSync Events serverless WebSocket APIs to power real time web and mobile experiences at any scale – This blog post announces AWS AppSync Events, a new feature that enables developers to create serverless WebSocket APIs for real-time event broadcasting at scale. The service simplifies the process of building and managing WebSocket infrastructure, allowing developers to easily publish events to millions of subscribers. Key features include easy setup, serverless architecture, support for event-driven architectures, and integration with existing AWS services like Amazon EventBridge. The post explains how to create an API, define channel namespaces, and use event handlers for custom logic. It also demonstrates how to integrate AWS AppSync Events with web applications and highlights future plans for the service, including bi-directional WebSockets and additional data source support.

Build fullstack AI apps in minutes with the new Amplify AI Kit – This blog post announces the general availability of the AWS Amplify AI kit, a tool designed to help fullstack developers quickly build web apps with AI capabilities such as chat, conversational search, and summarization. The kit allows developers to create AI functionality without extensive cloud architecture or machine learning experience. It uses TypeScript for backend definition and offers two types of AI routes: conversation and generation. The kit integrates seamlessly with Amplify’s existing features, providing type-safe clients and React hooks for easy implementation. It also allows for connecting AI functionality to existing data models and includes features for generative UI. The post emphasizes the serverless nature of the architecture and the ease of deployment.

Deploy Next js 14 SSR apps with AWS Amplify Hosting s Amazon Linux 2023 Support – This blog post announces that AWS Amplify Hosting now defaults to Amazon Linux 2023 for newly deployed applications. This update enables the use of newer versions of Node.js, Ruby, and Python. The post highlights that Node.js 18 and 20, as well as Python 3.10 and 3.11, are pre-installed in the default build image. It provides a step-by-step guide on how to upgrade existing applications from Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023. The update particularly benefits developers using Next.js 14, allowing easier deployment without custom configuration. The post concludes by encouraging users to deploy their SSR or static apps using Amplify Hosting and join the Community Discord for feedback.

Use Generative AI and Next js with AWS Amplify to build a Fullstack Recipe Generator – This blog post guides readers through creating an AI-powered recipe generator using AWS Amplify Gen 2, Next.js, and Amazon Bedrock with Claude 3. The app allows users to input ingredients and receive AI-generated recipes. The tutorial covers prerequisites, setting up Amazon Bedrock access, cloning the repository, and implementing the backend using GraphQL and custom handlers. It explains how to connect Amplify with Amazon Bedrock, handle user inputs, and generate recipes. The post also walks through running the app locally and deploying it using Amplify Hosting. It concludes by showing how to clean up resources and encourages readers to explore Amplify Gen 2 further.

Amplify Functions Create serverless functions using TypeScript powered by AWS Lambda – AWS Amplify has launched Functions for Gen 2, enabling developers to create serverless functions using TypeScript, powered by AWS Lambda. This feature allows for seamless integration with other Amplify resources and custom AWS services. Functions can be defined and authored in TypeScript, with automatic bundling via esbuild. Key benefits include quick iteration through hot-swapping, typed environment variables and handlers, simplified secret management, and easy extension to other AWS services via CDK. The post guides developers through defining functions, configuring access to resources, handling custom queries, and interacting with services like Amazon Bedrock. This release streamlines serverless development within the Amplify ecosystem, enhancing productivity and flexibility for front-end developers.

New in AWS Amplify Integrate with SQL databases OIDC SAML providers and the AWS CDK – This blog post announces four new capabilities in AWS Amplify Gen 2, focusing on extensibility. These include integration with existing SQL databases (PostgreSQL or MySQL), authentication with any OpenID Connect or SAML provider, customization of Amplify-generated AWS service resources, and the ability to add any of the 200+ AWS services to an app. The post provides examples of integrating with a PostgreSQL database, setting up OIDC authentication, customizing S3 bucket lifecycle rules, and adding Amazon Bedrock for AI capabilities. These features aim to give developers more flexibility and power in building and customizing their applications while leveraging AWS services.

Bring your own SSL certificate to AWS Amplify Hosting – This blog post announces the general availability of Custom SSL Certificates on AWS Amplify Hosting, allowing users to configure their Amplify domains with their own SSL certificates from AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). The feature enables users to use certificates from third-party authorities, configure TLS versions and encryption algorithms, and share certificates across multiple domains. The post provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to request or import an ACM certificate and associate it with an Amplify domain. It covers the process of provisioning a certificate in the US East (N. Virginia) Region, either by requesting a new one or importing an existing one, and then using it with an Amplify domain.

Building a Secure GraphQL API with AWS Amplify and AWS AppSync – This blog post describes how to build a secure GraphQL API using AWS Amplify and AWS AppSync, addressing Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) challenges in client-side web development. It outlines a high-level architecture integrating Amazon CloudFront with AWS AppSync to enforce domain-specific access to GraphQL APIs. The post provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a new AWS CDK project, configuring Amplify and AppSync, and implementing CloudFront distribution settings. It also covers updating the Amplify app configuration and testing the implementation. The solution aims to simplify CORS configuration, enhance security, and improve user experience for developers building robust web applications.

Best practices for AWS AppSync GraphQL APIs – This blog post discusses best practices for building GraphQL APIs using AWS AppSync. It covers four main areas: security, performance, coding standards, and deployment. Key recommendations include choosing appropriate authentication methods, implementing caching strategies, using pipeline resolvers and JavaScript for coding, and adopting Infrastructure as Code for deployment. The post emphasizes the benefits of AWS AppSync as a fully managed service that integrates well with other AWS services. It also highlights the importance of using AWS Amplify for simplified deployment and CI/CD pipelines. Overall, the article provides a comprehensive guide for developers to optimize their AWS AppSync GraphQL APIs.