IDE extension for AWS Application Composer enhances visual modern applications development with AI-generated IaC

Today, I’m happy to stock nan integrated improvement situation (IDE) hold for AWS Application Composer. Now you tin usage AWS Application Composer straight successful your IDE to visually build modern applications and iteratively create your infrastructure arsenic codification templates pinch Amazon CodeWhisperer.

Announced as preview astatine AWS re:Invent 2022 and mostly disposable in March 2023, Application Composer is simply a ocular builder that makes it easier for developers to visualize, design, and iterate connected an exertion architecture by dragging, grouping, and connecting AWS services connected a ocular canvas. Application Composer simplifies building modern applications by providing an easy-to-use ocular drag-and-drop interface and generates IaC templates successful existent time.

AWS Application Composer besides lets you activity pinch AWS CloudFormation resources. In September, AWS Application Composer announced support for 1000+ AWS CloudFormation resources. This provides you nan elasticity to specify configuration for your AWS resources astatine a granular level.

Building modern applications pinch modern tools
The IDE hold for AWS Application Composer provides you pinch nan aforesaid ocular drag-and-drop acquisition and functionality arsenic what it offers you successful nan console. Utilizing nan ocular canvas successful your IDE intends you tin quickly prototype your ideas and attraction connected your exertion code.

With Application Composer moving successful your IDE, you tin besides usage nan various devices disposable successful your IDE. For example, you tin seamlessly merge IaC templates generated real-time by Application Composer with AWS Serverless Application Model (AWS SAM) to negociate and deploy your serverless applications.

In summation to making Application Composer disposable successful your IDE, you tin create generative AI powered codification suggestions successful nan CloudFormation template successful existent clip while visualizing nan exertion architecture successful divided view. You tin brace and synchronize Application Composer’s visualization and CloudFormation template editing broadside by broadside successful nan IDE without discourse switching betwixt consoles to iterate connected their designs. This minimizes manus coding and summation your productivity.

Using AWS Application Composer successful Visual Studio Code
First, I request to instal nan latest AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code plugin. If you already person nan AWS Toolkit plugin installed, you only request to update nan plugin to commencement utilizing Application Composer.

To commencement utilizing Application Composer, I don’t request to authenticate into my AWS account. With Application Composer disposable connected my IDE, I tin unfastened my existing AWS CloudFormation aliases AWS SAM templates.

Another method is to create a caller blank file, past right-click connected nan record and select Open pinch Application Composer to commencement designing my exertion visually.

This will supply maine pinch a blank canvas. Here I person some codification and ocular editors astatine nan aforesaid clip to build a elemental serverless API utilizing Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and Amazon DynamoDB. Any changes that I make connected nan canvas will besides beryllium reflected successful existent clip connected my IaC template.

I get accordant experiences, specified arsenic erstwhile I usage nan Application Composer console. For example, if I make immoderate modifications to my AWS Lambda function, it will besides create applicable files successful my section folder.

With IaC templates disposable successful my section folder, it’s easier for maine to negociate my applications pinch AWS SAM CLI. I tin create continuous integration and continuous transportation (CI/CD) pinch sam pipeline aliases deploy my stack pinch sam deploy.

One of nan features that accelerates my improvement workflow is nan built-in Sync characteristic that seamlessly integrates pinch AWS SAM bid sam sync. This characteristic syncs my section exertion changes to my AWS account, which is adjuvant for maine to do testing and validation earlier I deploy my applications into a accumulation environment.

Developing IaC templates pinch generative AI
With this caller capability, I tin usage generative AI codification suggestions to quickly get started pinch immoderate of CloudFormation’s 1000+ resources. This besides intends that it’s now moreover easier to see modular IaC resources to widen my architecture.

For example, I request to usage Amazon MQ, which is simply a modular IaC resource, and I request to modify immoderate configurations for its AWS CloudFormation assets utilizing Application Composer. In nan Resource configuration section, alteration immoderate values if needed, past take Generate. Application Composer provides codification suggestions that I tin judge and incorporated into my IaC template.

This capacity helps maine to amended my improvement velocity by eliminating discourse switching. I tin creation my modern applications utilizing AWS Application Composer canvas and usage various devices specified arsenic Amazon CodeWhisperer and AWS SAM to accelerate my improvement workflow.

Things to know
Here are a mates of things to note:

Supported IDE – At launch, this caller capacity is disposable for Visual Studio Code.

Pricing – The IDE hold for AWS Application Composer is disposable astatine nary charge.

Get started pinch IDE hold for AWS Application Composer by installing nan latest AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code.

Happy coding!
— Donnie