Using Amazon Cognito Sync with identity pools - Amazon Cognito
Managing datasetsBulk publish dataActivate push synchronizationSet up Amazon Cognito StreamsSet up Amazon Cognito Events
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Using Amazon Cognito Sync with identity pools

Amazon Cognito Sync is an Amazon Web Service and client library that makes it possible to sync application-related user data across devices. Amazon Cognito Sync can synchronize user profile data across mobile devices and the web without using your own backend. The client libraries cache data locally so that your app can read and write data regardless of device connectivity status. When the device is online, you can synchronize data. If you set up push sync, you can notify other devices immediately that an update is available.

Managing datasets

If you have implemented Amazon Cognito Sync functionality in your application, the Amazon Cognito identity pools console enables you to manually create and delete datasets and records for individual identities. Any change you make to an identity's dataset or records in the Amazon Cognito identity pools console isn't saved until you select Synchronize in the console. The change isn't visible to the end user until the identity calls Synchronize. The data being synchronized from other devices for individual identities is visible once you refresh the list datasets page for a particular identity.

Create a dataset for an identity

Amazon Cognito Sync associates a dataset with one identity. You can populate your dataset with identifying information about the user that the identity represents, then sync that information to all of your user's devices.

To add a dataset and dataset records to an identity

  1. Choose Identity pools from the Amazon Cognito console. Select an identity pool.

  2. Choose the Identity browser tab.

  3. Select the identity that you want to edit.

  4. In Datasets, choose Create dataset.

  5. Enter a Dataset name and select Create dataset.

  6. If you want to add records to your dataset, choose your dataset from identity details. In Records, select Create record.

  7. Enter a Key and Value for your record. Choose Confirm. Repeat to add more records.

Delete a dataset associated with an identity

To delete a dataset and its records from an identity

  1. Choose Identity pools from the Amazon Cognito console. Select an identity pool.

  2. Choose the Identity browser tab.

  3. Select the identity that contains the dataset that you want to delete.

  4. In Datasets, choose the radio button next to the dataset that you want to delete.

  5. Select Delete. Review your choice and select Delete again.

Bulk publish data

Bulk publish can be used to export data already stored in your Amazon Cognito Sync store to a Amazon Kinesis stream. For instructions on how to bulk publish all of your streams, see Amazon Cognito Streams.

Activate push synchronization

Amazon Cognito automatically tracks the association between identity and devices. Using the push sync feature, you can make sure that every instance of a given identity is notified when identity data changes. Push sync makes it so that, whenever the dataset changes for an identity, all devices associated with that identity receive a silent push notification informing them of the change.

You can activate push sync in the Amazon Cognito console.

To activate push synchronization

  1. Choose Identity pools from the Amazon Cognito console. Select an identity pool.

  2. Choose the Identity pool properties tab.

  3. In Push synchronization, select Edit

  4. Select Activate push synchronization with your identity pool.

  5. Choose one of the Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) Platform applications that you created in the current Amazon Web Services Region. Amazon Cognito publishes push notifications to your platform application. Select Create platform application to navigate to the Amazon SNS console and create a new one.

  6. To publish to your platform application, Amazon Cognito assumes an IAM role in your Amazon Web Services account. Choose to Create a new IAM role if you want Amazon Cognito to create a new role for you with basic permissions and a trust relationship with your identity pool. Enter an IAM role name to identify your new role, for example myidentitypool_authenticatedrole. Select View policy document to review the permissions that Amazon Cognito will assign to your new IAM role.

  7. You can choose to Use an existing IAM role if you already have a role in your Amazon Web Services account that you want to use. You must configure your IAM role trust policy to include cognito-identity.amazonaws.com. Configure your role trust policy to only allow Amazon Cognito to assume the role when it presents evidence that the request originated from an authenticated user in your specific identity pool. For more information, see Role trust and permissions.

  8. Select Save changes.

Set up Amazon Cognito Streams

Amazon Cognito Streams gives developers control and insight into their data stored in Amazon Cognito Sync. Developers can now configure a Kinesis stream to receive events as data. Amazon Cognito can push each dataset change to a Kinesis stream you own in real time. For instructions on how to set up Amazon Cognito Streams in the Amazon Cognito console, see Amazon Cognito Streams.

Set up Amazon Cognito Events

Amazon Cognito Events allows you to run an Amazon Lambda function in response to important events in Amazon Cognito Sync. Amazon Cognito Sync raises the Sync Trigger event when a dataset is synchronized. You can use the Sync Trigger event to take an action when a user updates data. For instructions on setting up Amazon Cognito Events from the console, see Amazon Cognito Events.

To learn more about Amazon Lambda, see Amazon Lambda.