Manage chat in your Amazon Connect instance across
Regions
You manage chat across AWS Regions by creating two custom chat interfaces or two out-of-the-box communication widgets: one in the source Region and another in the replica Region. You manually switch between them depending on which Region's chat interface or out-of-the-box communication widget you want to use.
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Custom chat interfaces: Configure the chat interface in the replica Region to use the API endpoint of the replica Region. For examples of custom interfaces, see the Amazon Connect open source library
on GitHub. For more information, see Customize chat with the Amazon Connect open source example. -
Out-the-box communication widgets: Create a communication widget in the replica Amazon Connect instance. For instructions, see Configure a communication widget in the replica instance.
Following are the chat configuration parameters that are required in your website or app to initiate a client side chat:
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Amazon Connect instance ID and flow ID: These parameters are the same in the source and replica Regions.
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Target AWS Region and usually an API endpoint to start the chat (that is, to acquire the participant token): These parameters are different in the source and replica Regions.
For example, the following diagram shows how the chat configuration needs to be updated to point to the API Gateway in the replica Region when chat traffic needs to be moved across Regions.
Configure a communication
widget in the replica instance
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On your source Amazon Connect instance, create a communication widget for chat if one doesn't already exist. For instructions, see Add a chat user interface to your website hosted by Amazon Connect.
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On your replica instance, create another communication widget for chat. Configure the widget with the same flow that is used in the widget on the source instance. The flow is already in the replica instance because Amazon Connect Global Resiliency copies all flows from the source to replica and keeps them continuously synchronized.
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Copy the new communication widget script that you created in the replica instance. Embed the script on the website or app that should be activated when chat traffic is forwarded to the replica instance.
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To switch traffic between Regions, replace the source instance communications widget with the replica instance communications widget in your webpage.
The following image shows an example widget script.
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If you make any changes to the communication widget in the source instance at a later time, you also need to make the same changes in the communication widget in the replica instance.
Option to add more
seamlessness
To make shifting chat traffic across Regions more seamless, and to require fewer manual changes, following is another way you can customize your chat experience:
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Add a parameter to a centrally controlled database (for example, DynamoDB Global Table). The purpose of this parameter is to define which Region is currently active.
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Update your website or application to check the status of the Region parameter in the central database.
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Depending on which Region is active, the website or application will use that Region's API endpoint or communication widget.
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This parameter should be updated at the same time that the UpdateTrafficDistribution API is called to shift voice traffic and agents across Regions where applicable.
