EyeJack Backend

EyeJack is an augmented reality (AR) platform for artists. With the EyeJack Creator, the goal was to build the easiest way to create AR art. I was approached to build on the work done for the EyeJack Creator, and deliver a technology platform that can support current and future business requirements. In particular, we wanted to remove legacy cruft and standardise various services, support rapid iterative development allowing the team to introduce new features for users to manage their artworks and support payment plans.

The solution was a serverless backend implementation built on AWS leveraging a range of services including AppSync, Cognito, Lambda, API Gateway and DynamoDB. This reduced complexity and maintenance effort significantly, and greatly improved the team's velocity and cadence.

Authentication

Access to the API is controlled by a AWS Cognito user pool and federated identities. Client applications only have privileges to access specific parts of the API to support required functionality. Cognito based access is also enforced for AppSync mutations and subscriptions.

GraphQL based API

A serverless GraphQL based API, using AWS AppSync, is the API end point for all desktop and mobile clients. The application also uses pipeline resolvers for complex operations, and Lambda functions implement integrations with external services such as Stripe.

API Gateway & Cloud functions

In additional to Lambda-based resolvers for the API, I also implemented cloud functions to handle post user sign-up, invoice and subscription lifecycle updates, as well as webhooks from Stripe.

Database

The data layer is implemented with DynamoDB. It was designed with the necessary secondary indexes, to support the required queries. Many-to-many relationships are supported by adjacency list patterns.