Workshop

AWS Cognito + Amplify SDK Workshop

Overview

Amazon Cognito is a fully managed user authentication, authorization, and user management service that makes it easy to add sign-up, sign-in, and access control to web and mobile apps.

In this hands-on workshop, you will:

  • Create and configure a Cognito User Pool from scratch
  • Integrate the latest AWS Amplify Gen 2 (v6+) with Next.js 14 (App Router)
  • Implement a complete authentication flow:
    Sign-up → Email verification → Sign-in → Protected routes → Role-based access
  • Follow production-ready best practices (SSR support, secure token handling, clean architecture)

Final outcome: A fully functional, secure Next.js application with user authentication — ready to deploy on Vercel, Netlify, or AWS Amplify Hosting.

Workshop Contents

  1. Workshop Overview

    • What are Amazon Cognito and AWS Amplify?
    • Why use them together?

  2. Prerequisites

    • AWS account, IAM user, AWS CLI
    • Node.js 18+, npm, VS Code

  3. AWS Cognito Setup

    • Create User Pool with email sign-in
    • Configure password policy, optional MFA, App Client (no client secret)
    • Create Cognito Groups (admin / user)

  4. Next.js Project Setup & Amplify Configuration

    • Scaffold Next.js 14 with App Router + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
    • Install aws-amplify@latest
    • Configure environment variables and Amplify SSR mode

  5. Authentication Functions, UI, and Protected Routes

    • Complete Cognito helpers: signUp, confirmSignUp, signIn, signOut, getCurrentUser, etc.
    • Global AuthContext + custom useAuth hook
    • Sign-up, email verification, sign-in, and forgot password pages
    • ProtectedRoute component
    • Dashboard page displaying user info and role

  6. Full Testing & Verification

    • End-to-end test checklist
    • Common errors and troubleshooting tips

  7. Clean Up Resources

    • Delete User Pool and App Client to avoid unwanted charges

Estimated duration: 3–4 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate (basic React/Next.js knowledge recommended)

Let’s get started! → Click on 5.1 Workshop Overview to begin.