Be Your Own Backend Developer

Presentation I gave at the Code Mobile conference in Chester.

Transcript

1. Be Your Own Backend Developer
   Abizer Nasir ❦ @abizern ❦ abizern.org
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2. I am not a backend developer
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3. This is not a swift tutorial
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5. Swift is not just an application development
   language
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6. You can create compiled binaries with the Swift
   Package Manager and run them from the command
   line.
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7. #!/usr/bin/swift
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8. Why ||Do I|| Do You Want to Be a Backend
   Developer?
   → It’s fun to add a new skill to the toolbox.
   → Provide real time data during development.
   → Hackdays.
   → Help the current backend team.
   → Become a full stack native app developer.
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9. Swift on the Server, really means Swift on Linux,
   eventually maybe even Windows.
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10. Does Swift’s performance match up?
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11. Low Memory!
    Memory Usage (MB)!
    (lower is better)!
    Swift @ IBM
    http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/u64q/performance.php?test=spectralnorm!
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12. Performant Applications!
    Duration (s)!
    (lower is better)!
    Swift @ IBM
    http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/u64q/performance.php?test=spectralnorm!
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13. Setting up a Server
    → Create an executable Package with the Swift
    Package Manager.
    → Define the dependencies for the server,
    databases, template engine, logging...
    → Define the routes and specify the port to listen to
    requests on.
    → Build and run the project.
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14. Profit
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15. Swift is not the same everywhere.
    #if os(OSX)
    import Darwin
    public let random: (Int) -> Int = { Int(arc4random_uniform(UInt32($0))) }
    #else
    import Glibc
    public let random: (Int) -> Int = {
    while true {
    let x = Glibc.random() % $0
    let y = Glibc.random() % $0
    guard x == y else { return x }
    }
    }
    #endif
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16. You could run it locally on your Mac, or another
    network attached Mac.
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17. Set up or get a Linux box, set up Swift use your own
    editor, and terminal set up.
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18. Docker seems to be the current best practice. Run
    the app in the container, edit the project in Xcode.
    IBM have an almost complete version of Foundation
    and a complete version of Dispatch that matches
    those available on macOS.
    ibmcom/swift-ubuntu
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19. If you want to see if your Foundation code will run
    on Linux, you could run a REPL inside your docker
    container and try out some code.
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20. Swift Sandbox
    Playgrounds on the Web
    https://swift.sandbox.bluemix.net/#/repl
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22. Frameworks
    There are choices. All open source
    → Kitura
    → Vapor
    → Perfect
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23. Routing
    This is the simplest part, the syntax varies between
    frameworks but essentially attach code to an
    endpoint.
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24. Kitura
    import Kitura
    // Create a new router
    let router = Router()
    router.get("/") { request, response, next in
    response.send("Hello, World!")
    next()
    }
    Kitura.run()
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25. Vapor
    import Vapor
    let drop = Droplet()
    drop.get("/hello") { _ in
    return "Hello Vapor"
    }
    drop.run()
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26. → Pick one and try it.
    → You can even run Vapor with a Kitura server.
    → There are plugins for almost anything you want to
    do. Security, databases, sockets, templates,
    Logging,
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27. Deployment
    Kitura applications can be served from IBM’s
    Bluemix. Using a provided app or a command line
    application
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28. Deployment
    Alternatively, Deploy to Heroku with a custom
    Buildpack.
    $ heroku create --buildpack https://github.com/
    kylef/heroku-buildpack-swift.git
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29. Summary
    You get to work mainly with. the language and tools
    you’re used to in a reasonably performant
    environment.
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30. Pick a framework. You’ll mostly be using
    dependencies, so there isn’t much code to rewrite.
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31. You have greater scope for your own projects, maybe
    even client projects.
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32. It’s a step towards learning other web technologies.
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33. References
    Paul Hudson’s Hacking with swift book.
    https://www.hackingwithswift.com/store/server-side-swift
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34. References
    Ray Wenderlich’s Tutorial site.
    http://raywenderlich.com
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35. References
    Swift Talks by the Objc.io
    https://talk.objc.io
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36. References
    Swift Web Weekly
    http://swiftwebweekly.com
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37. Thank You
    Abizer Nasir ❦ @abizern ❦ abizern.org
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