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🔴 Netflix Backend in React Native & AWS Amplify (Tutorial for Beginners)

notJust․dev・99 minutes read

A full-stack developer creates a Netflix clone using React Native, AWS Amplify, and Expo with a focus on authentication, GraphQL API, and media storage. The project showcases setting up authentication, creating data models, integrating social sign-in, and managing content on the backend for rapid development and efficient deployment.

Insights

  • The live stream focuses on building a Netflix clone with React Native, Expo, TypeScript, and AWS Amplify, emphasizing authentication setup, GraphQL API creation, and offline functionality.
  • The presenter, an experienced full-stack developer, showcases the UI of the Netflix clone, details setting up AWS Amplify in the project, and highlights the benefits of tools like Expo and AWS Amplify for rapid application development.
  • The backend setup includes creating data models for categories, movies, seasons, and episodes, establishing connections between them, managing data through an admin UI, and utilizing AWS Amplify for faster development and better scalability compared to custom backends.

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Recent questions

  • How can I set up authentication for users?

    To set up authentication for users, you can utilize AWS Amplify services like Cognito. By using the "amplify add auth" command, you can easily add authentication to your project and select default configurations for user sign-up and sign-in. Additionally, you can integrate social providers like Google, Apple, and Facebook for user registration. After configuring authentication, make sure to wrap your application with the "withAuthenticator" function to enable user authentication seamlessly. Finally, execute "amplify push" to push all changes to the cloud and create the necessary authentication services for your application.

  • What is the process of creating a data model for movies?

    Creating a data model for movies involves defining the necessary attributes for each movie entity. You will need to include fields such as ID, title, year, number of seasons, plot, cast, creator, and seasons. Additionally, each movie will require a poster, which will be a URL to an image. To further structure your data, you will also need to define a new object type called "season" with attributes like ID, name, and episodes. Episodes, in turn, will have attributes such as ID, title, poster, duration, plot, and video ID. By establishing connections between movies and categories, movies and seasons, as well as episodes and seasons, you can create a comprehensive data model for managing movie information effectively.

  • How can I deploy changes to the Netflix Amplify backend?

    To deploy changes to the Netflix Amplify backend, you can access the admin UI provided by AWS Amplify. Navigate to the "Data" section and select "Save and Deploy" to deploy any additional changes made to your data model. You can create the data model directly or through the schema editor, saving and deploying changes to reflect the modifications in your backend. By following these steps, you can ensure that your backend is up to date with the latest changes and configurations made to your data model.

  • What are the benefits of using tools like Expo and AWS Amplify?

    Utilizing tools like Expo and AWS Amplify offers several advantages for developers. Expo provides a streamlined development environment for building React Native applications, allowing for rapid prototyping and easy deployment. On the other hand, AWS Amplify simplifies backend development by offering services like authentication, data storage, and GraphQL APIs out of the box. By leveraging these tools, developers can speed up the development process, improve application performance, and scale their projects efficiently. Additionally, using Expo and AWS Amplify can help reduce development costs and enable developers to focus on building innovative features for their applications.

  • How can I troubleshoot issues with video playback in the Netflix clone project?

    Troubleshooting issues with video playback in the Netflix clone project involves checking for errors, adjusting settings, and ensuring proper video formats. If you encounter playback issues, make sure that the video URLs are set dynamically based on the selected episode. Additionally, verify that the video player is configured correctly and that the storage permissions allow authenticated user access for media files. By troubleshooting playback problems systematically, you can ensure a seamless viewing experience for users and address any technical challenges that may arise during video playback in the Netflix clone project.

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Summary

00:00

Building Netflix Clone with AWS Amplify & Expo

  • The live stream focuses on building a Netflix clone, specifically implementing the back-end after creating the UI in a previous video.
  • The main tasks for the day include setting up authentication for users, creating a GraphQL API for data, and implementing offline functionality using AWS Amplify.
  • Media storage with AWS S3 will be utilized to store the movies for the clone.
  • Front-end technologies being used are React Native with Expo and TypeScript, while the back-end will be handled by AWS Amplify, utilizing Cognito for authentication, AppSync for GraphQL API, and Amazon S3 for storage.
  • The sponsorship by Expo is mentioned, highlighting the support for creating more content without any obligation to provide positive feedback.
  • The presenter, a full-stack developer with experience at Amazon, shares his passion for coding and helping others through tutorials.
  • To follow along, viewers need React Native and Expo set up, an AWS account with AWS CLI configured, and dummy data accessible from a provided link.
  • The UI of the Netflix clone is showcased, demonstrating the home screen with categories and movies, detailed movie information, and the ability to play episodes.
  • The process of setting up an AWS Amplify project in the React Native project is detailed, including initializing Amplify, installing necessary libraries, configuring Amplify, and running the application.
  • The benefits of using tools like Expo and AWS Amplify for rapid development and deployment are emphasized, with a focus on speed and efficiency in building applications.

24:10

"Streamlining Authentication Setup with Amplify Services"

  • The process involves saving time by updating and initializing Amplify correctly.
  • Implementing authentication is the next step, which is simplified with Amplify's services.
  • Adding the authentication service involves using the "amplify add" command and selecting default configurations.
  • Social providers like Google, Apple, and Facebook can be integrated for sign-up.
  • The process includes setting up authentication with a username and basic configurations.
  • Libraries for Expo and AWS are necessary for the process.
  • Wrapping the application with the "withAuthenticator" function is essential for authentication.
  • Executing "amplify push" pushes all changes to the cloud, creating necessary services.
  • Creating an account involves signing up with a secure password and email confirmation.
  • Logging out is achieved by calling "authentication.signOut" and can be easily implemented in the application.

50:04

Movie Database Schema and Admin UI Setup

  • A model called "category" is created with a required ID and a title of type string.
  • The next step involves defining a model for movies, including an ID, title, year, number of seasons, plot, cast, creator, and seasons.
  • Each movie will also require a poster, which will be a URL to an image.
  • Seasons will be a new object type called "season" with an ID, name, and episodes.
  • Episodes will have an ID, title, poster, duration, plot, and video ID.
  • A connection is established between movies and categories, allowing movies to belong to a category.
  • Another connection is set up between movies and seasons, indicating which movie a season belongs to.
  • An additional connection is created between episodes and seasons, linking episodes to a specific season.
  • The schema includes queries for getting category information, listing categories, and more.
  • An admin UI is set up to manage data sources, database schema, and data, allowing collaboration with other users.

01:21:16

"Netflix Amplify Backend Setup and Management"

  • To access the Netflix Amplify backend, press "Amplify" and then "Open Admin UI" for automatic login.
  • The backend setup includes data model configuration, login, sign up, and GraphQL API access.
  • To enable content management, deploy additional changes by navigating to "Data" and selecting "Save and Deploy."
  • Create the data model either directly or through the schema by saving and deploying changes.
  • The UI allows managing users, groups, and environments, with guidance on adding resources like analytics and functions.
  • Consider using Amplify for faster development, better performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness compared to custom backends.
  • Troubleshoot issues like slow loading, errors, and data deployment in the Amplify console.
  • Manually add categories and movies through the Amplify console by creating mutations for each.
  • Generate data store models from the schema to facilitate querying and managing data.
  • Query and display categories and related movies by fetching and setting them in the component state.

01:56:51

Filter, display, and troubleshoot movie data efficiently.

  • Filter movies based on category ID to keep only relevant movies
  • Set filtered movies into state for display
  • Update data in flat list to display movies from state
  • Define time for movie display
  • Console log results for verification
  • Discuss transcoding for lower resolution, not implemented currently
  • Resolve issue of infinite loop caused by missing empty array in useEffect
  • Plan to open movies in new window and set display time
  • Fetch movie details and episodes based on movie ID
  • Implement fetching of seasons and episodes for selected movie
  • Troubleshoot display issues with season names and episodes in iOS simulator

02:37:13

"Creating and Displaying Episodes with Amplify"

  • The code involves setting the current season ID and state for episodes.
  • Querying and using normal text for the native text.
  • Creating episodes by querying all seasons and creating a movie with a poster and title.
  • Adding a mutation to create episodes with a duration, plot, and poster.
  • Setting a season ID, title, and video URL for the episodes.
  • Displaying episodes for different seasons and fixing issues with displaying videos.
  • Implementing a video player and defining types for episodes.
  • Configuring storage for media with Amplify Storage.
  • Setting up storage with authenticated user access only and read-only permissions.
  • Explaining the use of CloudFront as a CDN for caching media files.

03:19:28

Automating S3 Image Uploads and Custom URLs

  • Uploading images to S3 initially required manual effort, but later automation was possible through custom dashboards.
  • Users in platforms like Twitter can create, upload, and view files in storage, enhancing user interaction.
  • Customizing image URLs can be done by checking if a movie poster starts with "movie.poster" and setting it accordingly.
  • Recommendations for beginners in learning Ragna include starting with platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Spotify.
  • Creating episodes and seasons, uploading videos, and managing content in the application were demonstrated.
  • Implementing video playback from S3 storage required setting up the video URL dynamically based on the episode.
  • Troubleshooting issues with video playback involved checking for errors, adjusting settings, and ensuring proper video formats.
  • Utilizing AWS Amplify for backend setup, authentication, offline-first GraphQL API, and data management was highlighted.
  • Integration of storage for movies and posters in an S3 bucket with a CDN for efficient content delivery was explained.
  • Future plans for the Netflix clone project include implementing subscriptions and payment features in the upcoming episodes.
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