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AWS AppSync

AWS AppSync builds managed GraphQL APIs with resolvers for AWS and HTTP data sources, real-time subscriptions, authorization modes, caching, and supported offline synchronization patterns.

Explore pricing models, common use cases, infrastructure support, and the AWS services that commonly work with AWS AppSync.

AWS AppSync pricing and cost programs

Pricing model: API operation and realtime usage

On-Demand
Available
Reserved Instances or reserved capacity
Not applicable
Savings Plans
Not applicable
Spot
Not applicable

Billing dimensions: Queries and data operations · Realtime updates · Caching · Data transfer

Programs and modes: GraphQL APIs · Events · Caching

GraphQL operations, Events, realtime connections, and cache resources have separate dimensions.

Free Tier: Available — verify current offers

Pricing reviewed 2026-07-25. Reviewed against the linked official AWS pricing page. Recheck regional rates and program terms before purchase.

Official AWS pricing

Official AWS sources reviewed 2026-07-21.

Why implement AWS AppSync?

  • Provides a single typed GraphQL endpoint that can aggregate DynamoDB, Lambda, relational, OpenSearch, EventBridge, and HTTP data sources without operating GraphQL servers.
  • Supports real-time subscriptions, multiple authorization modes, pipeline resolvers, caching, custom domains, logging, tracing, and private APIs.
  • Lets clients request the fields they need while the schema becomes a discoverable contract across frontend and backend teams.

How to implement AWS AppSync

  1. Design the schema and operations around domain boundaries, ownership, pagination, nullability, error behavior, and expected query cost rather than mirroring storage tables directly.
  2. Choose Cognito, IAM, OIDC, Lambda authorization, or carefully scoped API keys; attach least-privilege data-source roles and implement unit or pipeline resolvers with validation and conditional writes.
  3. Configure subscriptions, caching, conflict handling where required, custom domain and WAF, field-level logs and tracing with sensitive-data controls, then test authorization at every field and tenant boundary.

AWS AppSync best practices

  • Use the authentication method appropriate to each client, enforce fine-grained authorization in resolvers, grant data-source roles the minimum resources and actions, and use HTTPS for HTTP resolvers.
  • Bound list results with pagination, avoid unbounded nested reads and N+1 access, use batch or pipeline resolvers, cache only safe responses, and monitor resolver latency plus error rates.
  • Version schemas through additive evolution and deprecation, validate configuration propagation during releases, redact sensitive logs, protect public endpoints with WAF where appropriate, and load-test subscription fan-out.

AWS AppSync use cases and server impact

  • GraphQL backends for web and mobile applications
  • Real-time collaborative and notification features
  • Unified API over multiple AWS data sources

Replaces managed GraphQL gateway and subscription servers, while schema quality, resolver efficiency, tenant authorization, and downstream data correctness remain application work.

Official implementation resources

Commonly paired AWS services