AWS AppSync vs Hasura Cloud: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will outline the key differences between AWS AppSync and Hasura Cloud.

1. Data Source Support: AWS AppSync offers a wide range of data source support, including AWS services like DynamoDB, Lambda, and Elasticsearch, as well as other popular databases. On the other hand, Hasura Cloud primarily focuses on providing support for Postgres database.

2. Real-time Capabilities: AppSync supports real-time subscriptions through WebSocket protocol, allowing developers to build applications that can receive real-time updates. Hasura Cloud, on the other hand, natively supports real-time capabilities by tracking database events and notifying clients in real-time.

3. Customization Flexibility: With AWS AppSync, you can use GraphQL resolvers to customize how the data is fetched or updated from different data sources. It offers the flexibility to add custom logic and transformation during these operations. Hasura Cloud, on the other hand, provides an automatic and declarative approach for typical database operations without requiring custom resolvers.

4. Authentication and Authorization: AWS AppSync provides built-in support for authentication and authorization by integrating with AWS Cognito, allowing you to easily secure your API endpoints. Hasura Cloud also provides authentication and authorization capabilities, but it allows you to use different authentication providers like JWT, API keys, and custom webhooks, providing more flexibility in implementing access controls.

5. Serverless Architecture: AppSync follows a serverless model, taking care of scalability and infrastructure management, which allows developers to focus on building their applications. Hasura Cloud also provides a serverless experience, completely managing the infrastructure and providing auto-scaling capabilities.

6. Multi-Cloud Compatibility: AppSync runs on AWS, making it tightly integrated with other AWS services. It provides features like Lambda resolvers and authentication with AWS Cognito that are tightly coupled with AWS ecosystem. Hasura Cloud, on the other hand, is cloud-agnostic and can be deployed on different cloud providers or even on-premises, providing more flexibility in terms of infrastructure choice.

In Summary, AWS AppSync offers extensive data source support, customizable resolvers, and tight integration with AWS services, while Hasura Cloud primarily focuses on PostgreSQL as its data source, provides automatic resolvers, gives more flexibility in authentication methods, and can be deployed on various cloud platforms.