Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice on integrating a chat feature into my app, which mainly focuses on trading goods. I'm using a Postgres database for the overall app structure. I've managed to set up a local containerized Express server that handles typical CRUD operations and socket connections for chat, with chat data stored in DynamoDB and metadata in Postgres. However, I'm unsure how to replicate this setup effectively in AWS.
I know that AppSync and GraphQL could be great options, but I've had mixed experiences with GraphQL, so I'd prefer to steer clear of it for now. My understanding is that I could either:
1. Use two API gateways—one for standard CRUD operations and another as a WebSocket gateway to eliminate the need for an Express server. I found this guide on creating WebSocket APIs for chat applications that could be useful.
2. Set up a single API gateway that connects to a load balancer, then to ECS (like my existing local setup) with Dynamo/Postgres backing. I'm worried about issues like session stickiness and connection pooling, plus it could get bloated having everything in one place.
If anyone has experience with a similar integration, I'd really appreciate your suggestions!
1 Answer
You might want to consider using IVS Chat for your chat integration. It’s designed for interactive applications and could fit well with your needs. Here’s a link to the [getting started guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ivs/latest/ChatUserGuide/getting-started-chat.html) for more info!
How did I not know about this already?! Checking it out now. Thanks dude!