Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Building a multi-Region serverless application with AWS AppSync (FWM310)

Summary

Ozioma Uzebu, a Senior Solutions Architect at AWS, presents on building multi-region serverless applications using AWS AppSync.
The talk covers the basics of GraphQL and AWS AppSync, including benefits such as eliminating over-fetching/under-fetching, decoupling front-end and back-end development, and built-in support for real-time APIs.
Multi-region deployment of AWS AppSync is discussed, including reasons for and against it, such as complexity, cost, data replication, and testing.
Use cases for multi-region deployment include business continuity/disaster recovery, improved latency for geographically dispersed users, and data residency requirements.
Routing options for multi-region AppSync are explored, including Amazon Route 53 with API Gateway or CloudFront with Lambda@Edge.
The architecture for non-critical and critical workloads is detailed, including active-active patterns and the use of DynamoDB Global Tables for data replication.
Subscription support in multi-region setups is addressed using local resolvers and DynamoDB streams.
Management of regional failures and authorization methods suitable for multi-region deployments are discussed.
A demo showcases an active-active AppSync deployment, routing control with Amazon Route 53 Application Recovery Controller, and failover/failback procedures.
Resources for getting started with multi-region AppSync deployments are provided, including a CDK app on GitHub and a blog post.

AWS AppSync is a powerful tool for building serverless applications with GraphQL, offering benefits like efficient data fetching and real-time updates.
Multi-region deployment of AppSync can be complex and costly but is necessary for certain use cases such as disaster recovery, low latency, and compliance with data residency laws.
The choice of routing strategy and data replication method is critical in a multi-region setup, with options like Amazon Route 53, API Gateway, CloudFront, and DynamoDB Global Tables available.
Subscription support across regions requires careful architecture, utilizing local resolvers and AWS services like DynamoDB streams and Lambda functions.
Managing regional failover involves monitoring, alarms, and the use of services like Amazon Route 53 Application Recovery Controller to switch traffic between regions.
Authorization in a multi-region context should avoid single points of failure, with AWS Lambda Authorizer being a recommended solution.
AWS provides resources such as CDK templates and blog posts to help developers get started with multi-region AppSync deployments.