This is part of a series of posts on building mobile apps with React Native and AWS services. You can read the parent post here.

Get Started With GraphQL on React Native (using Amplify)

1- Introduction:

GraphQL has gained significant popularity as a powerful query language for APIs. It offers a flexible and efficient way to fetch and manipulate data, making it an excellent choice for building modern applications. When combined with AWS Amplify, a development platform provided by Amazon Web Services, GraphQL becomes even more accessible and easier to integrate into your projects. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use GraphQL with AWS Amplify to supercharge your React Native app development.

2- What is AWS Amplify?

AWS Amplify is a comprehensive development platform that enables developers to build full-stack applications. It simplifies the process of creating, deploying, and managing scalable cloud services. Amplify provides a wide range of features, including authentication, storage, functions, and APIs, making it an ideal choice for building serverless and scalable applications.

3- Why use GraphQL with AWS Amplify?

By integrating GraphQL with AWS Amplify, developers can leverage the benefits of both technologies. AWS Amplify handles the heavy lifting of provisioning and managing the backend infrastructure, while GraphQL simplifies data fetching and manipulation. With Amplify’s built-in support for GraphQL APIs, developers can easily create, deploy, and interact with GraphQL services in their applications.

4- Prerequisites

Before diving into the implementation, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm installed on your development machine.
• A basic understanding of React Native and GraphQL concepts.
• An AWS account with appropriate permissions.

5- Setting Up AWS Amplify

To get started with AWS Amplify, follow these steps:

Installing Amplify CLI:

Begin by installing the Amplify Command Line Interface (CLI) globally using the following command:

npm install -g @aws-amplify/cli

Configuring Amplify:

Run the amplify configure command to configure the Amplify CLI. Follow the prompts to sign in to your AWS account and set up the necessary permissions.

Section 5: Creating a GraphQL API with AWS Amplify To create a GraphQL API using AWS Amplify, perform the following steps:

Initializing Amplify in your project: In your React Native project directory, run the following command:

amplify init

Follow the prompts to configure your Amplify project, including the project name, environment, and default text editor.

Adding a GraphQL API:

To add a GraphQL API to your project, run the command:

amplify add api

Select the GraphQL option when prompted, and provide a name for your API.

Customizing your GraphQL schema:

Amplify will create a default GraphQL schema file for your API. Modify the schema file according to your application’s data requirements and business logic.

6- Integrating GraphQL into Your React Native App

To integrate GraphQL into your React Native app, follow these steps:

Installing Amplify Libraries:

In your React Native project directory, install the necessary Amplify libraries:

npm install aws-amplify aws-amplify-react-native

Configuring Amplify in Your App:

Import the Amplify modules in your app’s entry file (e.g., index.js or App.js):

import Amplify from 'aws-amplify';
import config from './aws-exports';
Amplify.configure(config);

Ensure that the aws-exports.js file is correctly configured with your Amplify project details.

Using the Amplify GraphQL API:

Import the necessary Amplify components in your React Native components, such as API and graphql. Use the API component to interact with your Amplify GraphQL API:

import { API, graphql } from 'aws-amplify';

const fetchData = async () => {
  try {
    const response = await API.graphql(graphqlOperation(query));
    // Handle the response data
  } catch (error) {
    // Handle errors
  }
};

You can use the graphql HOC to integrate GraphQL queries and mutations with your React Native components.

7- Building and Running Your React Native App

Connect your Android or iOS device to your development machine or start an emulator. In the project directory, run the following commands:

npx react-native run-android

for Android, or

npx react-native run-ios

for iOS. This will build and launch your React Native app on the connected device or emulator.

8- What’s next

Although GraphQL saves you time and make development more fun, it comes with some limitations that as a developer you should be aware of before start using it. In this post we list a few of these limitations so that you can make a more informed decision.