Amazon Web Services for Mobile Developers

Building Apps with AWS

Abhishek Mishra

• Publisher: Sybex
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781119377856
• eBook ISBN: 9781119377863
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Software Development
• Index: Computer Science

A practical, real-world introduction to AWS tools and concepts

Amazon Web Services for Mobile Developers: Building Apps with AWS presents a professional view of cloud computing and AWS for experienced iOS/Android developers and technical/solution architects. Cloud computing is a rapidly expanding ecosystem, and working professionals need a practical resource to bring them up-to-date on tools that are rapidly becoming indispensable; this book helps expand your skill set by introducing you to AWS offerings that can make your job easier, with a focus on real-world application. Author and mobile applications developer Abhishek Mishra shows you how to create IAM accounts and try out some of the most popular services, including EC2, Lambda, Mobile Analytics, Device Farm, and more. You'll build a chat application in both Swift (iOS) and Java (Andoid), running completely off AWS Infrastructure to explore SDK installation, Xcode, Cognito authentication, DynamoDB, Amazon SNA Notifications, and other useful tools. By actually using the tools as you learn about them, you develop a more intuitive understanding that feels less like a shift and more like a streamlined integration.

If you have prior experience with Swift or Java and a solid knowledge of web services, this book can help you quickly take your skills to the next level with a practical approach to learning that translates easily into real-world use.

• Understand the key concepts of AWS as applied to both iOS and Android developers
• Explore major AWS offerings for mobile developers, including DynamoDB, RDS, EC2, SNS, Cognito, and more
• Learn what people are talking about when they use buzzwords like PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, and APaaS
• Work through explanations by building apps that tie into the AWS ecosystem

Any job is easier with the right tools, and Amazon Web Services for Mobile Developers: Building Apps with AWS gets you acquainted with an ever-expanding toolkit for mobile app development.

PART I
Introduction to Amazon Web Services

• CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Cloud Computing and Amazon Web Services
• CHAPTER 2: Regions, Availability Zones, and Edge Locations
• CHAPTER 3: AWS Identity and Access Management
• CHAPTER 4: Amazon EC2
• CHAPTER 5: Amazon S3
• CHAPTER 6: Amazon DynamoDB
• CHAPTER 7: AWS Lambda

Chapter 1
Introduction to Cloud Computing and Amazon Web Services

WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER

• 
  Introduction to the basics of cloud computing.
• 
  Introduction to the AWS Ecosystem and key services covered in this book.
• 
  Learn to sign up for an account under the AWS free tier.

Hello, and welcome to the exciting world of cloud computing with Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this chapter, you learn about what cloud computing is, read about common models of abstraction used when discussing cloud based services, and discover a high-level overview of Amazon’s offerings in the cloud computing space. The chapter wraps up by walking you through signing up for an AWS account.

Broadly speaking, the word cloud, when used in the context of cloud computing, implies some type of shared computing resource accessed over the Internet. Cloud computing as we know it today was born in 2006 when Amazon launched its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service, which allowed users to create a virtual server in the cloud and deploy their software onto this server within minutes. Amazon EC2 is one of the core services offered by AWS today. Soon after in 2008, Microsoft launched its Azure service. This was followed by competing offers from other players, including Rackspace, Google, Oracle, and Apple.

If you have never heard of AWS, you may be surprised to learn that Amazon, a company that started out as an online book retailer, is the leading provider of cloud computing services.

Before diving in to the anatomy of AWS, the following sections introduce you more fully to cloud computing and its service and deployment models.

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is defined by the U.S National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

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Peter Mell and Timothy Grance, “The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing,” NIST Special Publication 800-145. September 2011. (http://nvlpubs.nist .gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf)

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NIST defines five essential characteristics in this model. Each of these is briefly examined next:

• Broad network access: A consumer should be able to access services from anywhere.
• Resource pooling: A provider’s computing resources are pooled to support multiple customers.
• On-demand self-service: A consumer should be able to provision computing resources (such as virtual servers) as needed, with minimal human interaction.
• Measured service: A consumer should be able to use computing resources on a pay-as-you-use basis.
• Elasticit...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• About the Technical Editor
• Introduction
• PART I Introduction to Amazon Web Services
• PART II AWS for iOS Developers
• PART III AWS for Android Developers
• EULA