Developing with Spring and Alexa
Create a Skill with the Axios HTTP Client Library
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Talking Application Tutorial
Many voice applications begin and end with the voice user interface. Indeed, thousands of Alexa Skills have been published that don’t integrate with a backend of any kind. At most, the skill relies on a database like DynamoDB or Airtable for data persistence.
Adding voice as the front-end to an otherwise voiceless application’s API expands the capabilities of voice assistants. Perhaps even more importantly — adding voice gives users a convenient, hands-free user interface. Users are able to choose between voice and the web or mobile UIs available for that application.
In the following video, I show you how to develop an Alexa skill that uses the Axios HTTP client library to consume a Spring-based API. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that I show you how to do the development of both ends locally with Spring Boot DevTools and the Alexa SDK local debugger. This approach allows rapid development without deploying either to the cloud.
Check it out and let me know what you think! You can leave comments and questions by clicking the Comments icon.
If you enjoyed this post with video tutorial, you might also enjoy Build Talking Apps for Alexa by Craig Walls, now available in beta from The Pragmatic Bookshelf:
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