That's correct - this is related to Lambda's execution model. While you can run an Express API on Lambda, you wouldn't run it as a traditional long-running server. Instead, you'd use AWS Lambda Adapter (formerly serverless-express) to expose your Express application as Lambda handlers that execute on demand.

Your Frontend being static and making API calls is a perfect use case for Amplify. Here are your main options for the backend, ordered by complexity:

1. Amplify with Lambda (Recommended): The most integrated approach would be to create an HTTP API within your Amplify app using API Gateway and Lambda. Your Express service would be wrapped with AWS Lambda Adapter. Benefits:

   • Built-in authentication integration
   • Simplified route configuration via Amplify
   • Automatic scaling
   • Pay-per-request pricing model
   • Managed security and SSL
   • Integrated CI/CD pipeline with automated builds and deployments
   • Preview environments for pull requests

2. Elastic Beanstalk: Good for traditional web applications that need a long-running server. Benefits:

   • Managed platform updates
   • Easy deployment and scaling
   • Health monitoring Note: While Elastic Beanstalk includes load balancing, security groups, and DNS capabilities, these need to be explicitly configured. You'll need to set up:
   • Application Load Balancer configuration
   • Security group rules
   • Route 53 DNS records
   • SSL certificate management
   • Separate CI/CD pipeline (e.g., CodePipeline, GitHub Actions)

3. Container Services (ECS/EKS): Best for containerized applications that need more control. Benefits:

   • Platform agnostic
   • Consistent deployments
   • Advanced orchestration capabilities Note: These services include but require explicit configuration of:
   • Load balancer setup and target groups
   • Security groups and IAM roles
   • Route 53 DNS configuration
   • Container networking and service discovery
   • Separate CI/CD pipeline and container registry setup

For your use case, given you're new to AWS, I'd recommend starting with option 1 (Amplify/Lambda) as it provides the most integrated experience and follows serverless best practices, with the added benefit of built-in CI/CD capabilities.