Amplify Documentation

https://docs.amplify.aws

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.17.0 or later, but below 22.0.0
• Yarn classic

Set up the docs repo

1. Fork this repo and git clone it.
2. In your terminal, navigate to the repo from where it was just cloned. This should be located at the /docs directory.
3. From your command line, run yarn && yarn dev.
4. http://localhost:3000/ should open automatically.

How to contribute

We welcome contributions to the documentation site! Here's how to do it:

1. Follow our style guide, especially if writing longer pieces.
2. Verify your changes locally.
3. Make a PR to our main branch.
   1. Please include any issues your PR addresses.
   2. If any files have been deleted with your PR, please add the redirects required to redirects.json and ensure that the redirects-needed label has been added.
      • Please see the Amplify Hosting user guide for guidance on values and ordering.
      • Please note that there is a manual step for the Docs Engineering team to complete before the redirects are live.

What's next? After your PR is reviewed and all tests pass, it will be merged and the branch will be deleted.

Branches

• main - at parity with our production site docs.amplify.aws
• gh-pages - DO NOT DELETE!

Authoring pages

Our docs are generated using Next.js. Refer to their docs on how to create pages as a primer.

The source for each page is in src. This folder is the only directory you need to touch to edit or create pages.

The pages/index.tsx file located inside this folder will be rendered as a page at the route /. The pages//index.mdx** file will be rendered as a page at the route **/[platform]**.

To have the page render properly and display in the sidebar, place your page and its route in src/directory/directory.mjs.

IMPORTANT: Every page has to have a title, description, and platforms meta field and must import the getCustomStaticPaths util and export getStaticPaths and getStaticProps as shown in the example below:

import { getCustomStaticPath } from '@/utils/getCustomStaticPath';

export const meta = {
  title: 'Add social provider sign-in',
  description:
    'Learn how to set up social sign-in providers like Facebook, Google, Amazon, or Sign in with Apple.',
  platforms: [
    'javascript',
    'react-native',
    'flutter',
    'swift',
    'android',
    'angular',
    'nextjs',
    'react',
    'vue'
  ]
};

export const getStaticPaths = async () => {
  return getCustomStaticPath(meta.platforms);
};

export function getStaticProps(context) {
  return {
    props: {
      platform: context.params.platform,
      meta
    }
  };
}

The markdown body is parsed as MDX and can include any valid HTML or JSX.

Internal links

When linking to other pages within the docs.amplify.aws site, do not use relative links. For example, instead of [here is my link](../manage-mfa/), use [here is my link](/[platform]/build-a-backend/auth/manage-mfa/). Please note that when linking to a page with a pathname beginning with a platform—[platform] in the link—the URL will render conditionally based off the user's selected platform as a condition of the MDXLink component.

Fragments

To incorporate new platform-specific content within a page, please use Inline Filters.

Please note: we do allow fragments in some cases where content is intended to be reused and cannot be via InlineFilters

When editing content that hasn't been migrated to InlineFilters, you may see the following pattern:

import js from '/src/fragments/lib/datastore/js/conflict.mdx';

<Fragments
  fragments={{ javascript: js, angular: js, nextjs: js, react: js, vue: js }}
/>;

This pattern incorporates fragment files into a page and conditionally renders content based off selected platform added as a condition to the Fragments tag.

This fragment would exist in: src/fragments/lib/datastore/js/conflict.mdx

Inline Filters

We are incorporating the use of <InlineFilters> to add platform-specific content within the context of one page rather than in fragments. These filters allow you to still specify content by platform and they reference platforms using the same naming convention as our fragments. You can enclose your platform-specific content by updating the opening tag:

<InlineFilter filters={["javascript", "react-native", "angular", "nextjs", "react", "vue", "android", "swift", "flutter"]}>

</InlineFilter>

If you are updating content on a page, please note any inline filter tags which may be indicating a specific platform as you make your edits.

Accordion

Accordion – This single-use accordion hides peripheral content until the reader selects to expand the section. This helps you keep your pages focused on the need-to-know information upfront, while also providing readers an option to dive deeper when they choose. These accordions can provide peripheral content such as additional context for beginners, advanced deep dives for those who want to off-road, and troubleshooting guidance for errors users may encounter.

Here is an example of its usage:

<Accordion title='Review recommended accordion usage' headingLevel='4' eyebrow='Learn more'>

- Title – Make your title descriptive to help readers know what the accordion contains before they click.
- Eyebrow – Update this text to reflect the purpose of the accordion. We recommend:
  - Learn more – Used to add additional context that is not needed upfront but is useful for users to review when they choose.
  - Troubleshooting – Used when adding details to troubleshoot specific errors within context.
  - Walkthrough – Used when adding a step-by-step example for those who need more direct guidance.

</Accordion>

Tab-switchable Blocks

BlockSwitcher allows you to organize blocks of content into tabs. This is useful for presenting a reader different instructions based upon framework (e.g., Vue.js vs. React) or language (e.g., Java vs. Kotlin). Here's an example of its usage:

<BlockSwitcher>

<Block name="JavaScript">

```js
const a = 'a';
```

</Block>

<Block name="TypeScript">

```ts
const a: 'a' = 'a';
```

</Block>

<Block name="Rust">

```rust
let mut a = String::from("a");
```

</Block>

</BlockSwitcher>

Video

Videos can be added using the <Video /> component and referencing a path to the video file. The video should be an .mp4 file and should exist in the /public directory

<Video src="/path/to/video.mp4" description="Video - [video description]" />

Accessibility testing

We run automated accessibility testing on pages affected by a pull request in both light and dark mode. Some common violations and their solutions are listed here:

Element has insufficient color contrast

Text colors must have a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against their background. Avoid adding custom styling to text; our design system should ensure that accessible color combinations are in use.

Heading order invalid

Headings should be properly nested. This means, for example, an <h3> element must be nested beneath an <h2> element on the page, an <h4> must be nested beneath an <h3> and so on. Use markdown syntax to create your headings.

Debug client-side code with browser developer tools

Prerequisites

• React Dev Tools
  • Chrome
  • Firefox

To debug

1. Set up the repo and run it with the dev script mentioned above in the "Getting Started" section.

2. On your localhost page, go to the page with the React component you want to debug and open up the developer tools.

3. To know which source file to breakpoint on, we need to find the name of the component first.

   • Open up the dev tools and use the React dev tools to find the component. Do this by using the "Select an element on the page to inspect it" tool under the "Components" tab.

   • Search for the variable/component name inside the source code to find the file you want to debug.

   • Place the breakpoint inside the file under the "Sources" tab in the browser's dev tools.

     • Note that since the Amplify Docs site is built with Next.js, file paths will start with "webpack://_N_E/./"

4. Refresh your localhost site and the breakpoint should hit in the browser's dev tools. You should be able to debug the code.

Another way to find which file you want to debug is to search for strings/paragraphs seen in the Amplify docs site. Search for the strings in your code editor and you'll find that they will be in a .mdx file. You should see the components that are being rendered and be able to find the file name you want to debug.

More info on debugging can be found here: https://nextjs.org/docs/advanced-features/debugging