AWS Amplify & Cloud Alternatives
AWS Amplify · Azure Static Web Apps · Firebase · Supabase · Vercel · Netlify
Compared
TypeScript-first
Manage
to start
Introduction: Why Serverless Full-Stack?
Building a modern full-stack application used to mean provisioning servers, configuring load balancers, managing databases, and deploying containers. Today, platforms like AWS Amplify, Firebase, Supabase, Vercel, and Azure Static Web Apps abstract all of that complexity away, letting developers focus purely on application code.
This post compares the major platforms in 2026 — their architectures, strengths, pricing models, and how to get started with AWS Amplify Gen 2, which now uses a fully TypeScript-first approach for defining backend resources.
📊 Platform Feature Comparison
| Platform | Auth | Database | Storage | Functions | CI/CD | Vendor Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Amplify Gen 2 | Cognito | DynamoDB/RDS | S3 | Lambda | ✅ Built-in | 🔶 High |
| Firebase | Firebase Auth | Firestore/RTDB | GCS | Cloud Functions | ✅ Built-in | 🔴 Very High |
| Supabase | GoTrue | PostgreSQL | S3-compatible | Edge Functions | ⚠️ Manual | 🟢 Low (open source) |
| Vercel | Auth.js / NextAuth | Any (via API) | Vercel Blob | Edge/Serverless | ✅ Git-based | 🔶 Medium |
| Azure Static Web Apps | Azure AD/B2C | Cosmos DB/SQL | Azure Blob | Azure Functions | ✅ GitHub Actions | 🔶 High |
| Netlify | Netlify Identity | FaunaDB | Netlify Blobs | Netlify Functions | ✅ Built-in | 🔶 Medium |
AWS Amplify Gen 2: TypeScript-First Backend
AWS Amplify Gen 2 (released 2024) fundamentally changed the developer experience by letting you define your entire backend — authentication, data models, storage, functions — in TypeScript using the @aws-amplify/backend library. Infrastructure as Code is generated automatically from your TypeScript definitions.
# Install Amplify CLI
npm create amplify@latest my-amplify-app
# Project structure
my-amplify-app/
├── amplify/
│ ├── auth/
│ │ └── resource.ts # Cognito config
│ ├── data/
│ │ └── resource.ts # AppSync + DynamoDB schema
│ ├── storage/
│ │ └── resource.ts # S3 bucket config
│ └── backend.ts # Root backend definition
├── src/ # Your React/Vue/Next app
└── package.json
import { type ClientSchema, a, defineData } from '@aws-amplify/backend';
const schema = a.schema({
Todo: a
.model({
content: a.string().required(),
isDone: a.boolean().default(false),
priority: a.enum(['LOW', 'MEDIUM', 'HIGH']),
dueDate: a.date(),
owner: a.string(),
})
.authorization(allow => [
allow.owner(), // Only creator can access
allow.groups(['Admins']).to(['read', 'update']),
]),
});
export type Schema = ClientSchema<typeof schema>;
export const data = defineData({
schema,
authorizationModes: {
defaultAuthorizationMode: 'userPool',
},
});
import { defineAuth } from '@aws-amplify/backend';
export const auth = defineAuth({
loginWith: {
email: true,
phone: false,
externalProviders: {
google: {
clientId: secret('GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID'),
clientSecret: secret('GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET'),
},
callbackUrls: ['http://localhost:3000', 'https://myapp.com'],
logoutUrls: ['http://localhost:3000', 'https://myapp.com'],
},
},
multifactor: {
mode: 'OPTIONAL',
totp: true,
},
userAttributes: {
preferredUsername: { required: false, mutable: true },
},
});
Using Amplify in React Frontend
import { generateClient } from 'aws-amplify/data';
import { type Schema } from '../amplify/data/resource';
const client = generateClient<Schema>();
export function TodoList() {
const [todos, setTodos] = useState<Schema['Todo']['type'][]>([]);
useEffect(() => {
// Real-time subscription with TypeScript types
const sub = client.models.Todo.observeQuery().subscribe({
next: ({ items }) => setTodos([...items]),
});
return () => sub.unsubscribe();
}, []);
const createTodo = async (content: string) => {
await client.models.Todo.create({ content, isDone: false });
};
const toggleDone = async (todo: typeof todos[0]) => {
await client.models.Todo.update({ id: todo.id, isDone: !todo.isDone });
};
return (
<div>
{todos.map(todo => (
<div key={todo.id} onClick={() => toggleDone(todo)}>
{todo.isDone ? '✅' : '⬜'} {todo.content}
</div>
))}
<button onClick={() => createTodo('New task')}>Add Todo</button>
</div>
);
}
Firebase vs Amplify: Key Differences
🤔 Platform Decision Guide
- Already using AWS (IAM, EC2, RDS)
- Need SQL + GraphQL data layer
- Enterprise compliance requirements
- Multi-region deployment needed
- Large team, complex auth needs
- Mobile-first (Android/iOS)
- Real-time data sync is critical
- Rapid prototyping / hackathons
- Already on Google Cloud
- Offline-first mobile apps
- Need a real PostgreSQL database
- Want open-source / self-hostable
- Row-level security matters
- Migrating from Firebase
- Cost-conscious startups
- Next.js or Nuxt.js project
- Frontend-focused team
- Best-in-class DX / preview deploys
- Edge computing / low latency
- Bring your own database
Azure Static Web Apps with Functions
Azure Static Web Apps provides a unified deployment for your static frontend and Azure Functions backend API, with built-in GitHub Actions CI/CD. It integrates natively with Azure AD for enterprise authentication.
name: Azure Static Web Apps CI/CD
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, closed]
branches: [main]
jobs:
build_and_deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- uses: Azure/static-web-apps-deploy@v1
with:
azure_static_web_apps_api_token: ${{ secrets.AZURE_STATIC_WEB_APPS_API_TOKEN }}
repo_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
action: "upload"
app_location: "/" # Root of your React/Vue app
api_location: "api" # Azure Functions folder
output_location: "dist" # Build output folder
Supabase: The Open-Source Firebase Alternative
Supabase provides a full backend platform built on PostgreSQL, with real-time subscriptions, row-level security, edge functions, and an S3-compatible storage API. Unlike Firebase's NoSQL Firestore, Supabase gives you a real relational database with full SQL support.
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
const supabase = createClient(
process.env.SUPABASE_URL!,
process.env.SUPABASE_ANON_KEY!
);
// Query with real-time subscription
const channel = supabase
.channel('todos-changes')
.on('postgres_changes', {
event: '*',
schema: 'public',
table: 'todos',
}, payload => {
console.log('Change received!', payload);
})
.subscribe();
// Full-text search with PostgreSQL
const { data, error } = await supabase
.from('articles')
.select('*')
.textSearch('content', 'typescript amplify')
.eq('published', true)
.order('created_at', { ascending: false })
.limit(10);
// Auth with row-level security
const { data: { user } } = await supabase.auth.signInWithPassword({
email: 'user@example.com',
password: 'secure-password',
});
💰 Approximate Monthly Cost at Scale (10K MAU)
* Costs vary significantly by usage patterns, data volume, and AWS region pricing
Summary & Recommendations
There is no single "best" platform — the right choice depends on your team's existing cloud expertise, database requirements, and vendor flexibility preferences. For enterprise teams already invested in AWS, Amplify Gen 2's TypeScript-first approach offers significant productivity gains. For startups wanting an open-source Firebase alternative with real SQL, Supabase is compelling. For Next.js teams prioritizing DX and edge performance, Vercel remains the gold standard.
Whichever platform you choose, the serverless full-stack approach eliminates infrastructure burden and lets your team ship faster. Start with the free tier, profile your usage, and scale only when needed.