Constructing Open Source SDKs for Ops Teams with REST and GraphQL

Operations teams are the front line team that have to install, configure, manage, and maintain a complex set of infrastructure and services. Getting a solid, well-documented SDK into their hands can turn manual, painful processes into simple automation tasks. However, as many APIs are shifting from REST to GraphQL, new approaches to tooling are often required. In this session, you’ll hear about how a small team of engineers builds and maintains a collection of open source SDKs focused on operations teams and how they added support for GraphQL endpoints.

1. Constructing Open Source SDKs for Ops Teams with REST and GraphQL Chris Wahl
2. Chris Wahl ❖ Chief Technologist @ Rubrik ❖ Author of Networking for VMware Administrators ❖ Open Source Enabler at Rubrik Build ❖ he/him Twitter: @ChrisWahl GitHub: chriswahl LinkedIn: /wahlchris Blog: Wahl Network
3. @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 3 https://twitter.com/AxolotlCure/status/1136284938830045184
4. This is a story about toil And a lot of learning through triumph and mistakes @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 4
5. “ ” The kind of work tied to running a production service that tends to be manual, repetitive, automatable, tactical, devoid of enduring value, and that scales linearly as a service grows - Toil @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 5
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7. Life of an operator • At the end of the release cycle • “Here’s a thing, make it work, keep it working” • Myriad of systems to understand and maintain while being short staffed @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 7
8. “ ” I need a one-liner or script to accomplish this task so I can copy and paste it into my environment, solve my problem, and get back to putting out a hundred other fires - Systems Administrators @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 8
9. Abuse from Crude Tools Tools like AutoIt • Script GUI actions using a DSL • The ultimate “sad panda” @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 9
10. Key Ingredients @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 10 RESTful API Operator Audience Free Time SDK
11. Initial Research • Our audience preferred Microsoft PowerShell • Auto generation of SDK was ugly • Our swagger specification was non-standard • Decided to craft a bespoke SDK @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 11
12. The Mission • Give operators a familiar tool to manage our product and remove toil • Use my background as an operator to control the UX • Selfishly: Learn how to build an SDK @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 12
13. Project Plan • Everything in GitHub as an open source project • MIT licensing (Legal ) • One project per repository • Official product support for projects • Unit tests for new features • External CI: AppVeyor, Azure Pipelines • Internal CI: CircleCI • Integration of Jira and GitHub via Zapier @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 13
14. People use this thing? The mysterious tale of unloved APIs @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 14
15. Our API’s Original Purpose • Distributed systems to chat with each other • Supply the GUI with an interface @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 15 me
16. This created friction • There were no API versions • Breaking changes were normal • Standards for model, params, enums, etc. did not exist • The product surface area was rapidly expanding @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 16
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19. We Made Versions! • Internal • meant for testing and developing new features and for providing command and control endpoints for the software itself. • Versioned (Vn) • meant for public consumption with a declaration on versioning, deprecation, and when breaking changes would be introduced. @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 19
20. “ ” API versioning does not prevent breaking changes. It just helps control when, where, and how the break occurs. Someone must still update their code. - Me @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 20
21. More Cleanup • Placed major integrations at the parent (root) level • Leveraged HTTP methods to simplify workflows • Used Boolean field naming conventions @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 21 Ugly: POST to “/add_node” and “/remove_node/{id}” Pretty: POST to “/node” and DELETE to “/node/{id}” Start with ‘has’, ‘is’ or ‘should’ to make it clear that it is a Boolean field Examples: ‘hasRootAccess’, ‘isAdmin’ and ‘shouldDoSomething’
22. “ ” The sooner you start to code, the longer the program will take. - Roy Carlson @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 22
23. Internal Became the Hypnotoad • No incentives for versioning • Over 95% of the API resided in Internal @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 23
24. The Universal Solvent Embracing our audience further @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 24
25. Too Much Complexity • Each function with the SDK was a closed loop • The community found it too difficult to contribute • A new architecture was needed @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 25
26. SDK Design Goal API File • Gather information for each supported endpoint • Supply the SDK with methods, params, status codes, etc. • Version the data for backwards compatibility Generic Functions • Functions look at the API File to understand their purpose • Functions can alter their state based on the target product version @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 26
27. @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 27 Product versions 1.0+ Product versions 5.0+
30. Enablement and Communication Too focused on the technology Not enough focus on the hygiene Lots of questions from our customers General fear of GitHub and coding More was needed @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 30
32. Choose Your Own Adventure
33. Educational Workshops for Operators
34. Communication Efforts @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 34 The rules of versioning and deprecation. Future deprecation of endpoints / resources. New or updated endpoints / resources.
35. And then GraphQL appeared There goes the neighborhood @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 35
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37. “ ” You haven't mastered a tool until you understand when it should not be used. - Kelsey Hightower @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 37
38. Initial Research in 2017 • Dramatic speed improvements for the GUI • As more objects are added, REST continues to fall behind • Simple to query all objects and use cursor / pagination • More flexibility with our returned values @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 38 Stress tested load times 95th percentile load times with GraphQL: 3.256 seconds 95th percentile load times with REST: 6.619 seconds
39. Since Then • Added GraphQL to our on-premises product. • Reporting • Dashboards • Various other components • Constructed a SaaS platform with GraphQL as the standard API • Started from scratch • Using what we learned • Lots of tweaking @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 39
40. Challenges • Schema is in flux • There are no versions • Documentation holy wars • We’re all still learning GraphQL • Graph-Que-What? @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 40
41. Current State • Schema tools (Voyager, GraphiQL) for visualization • Internal construction of new SDKs • Existing auth methods (e.g. tokens) are valid globally @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 41 Base platform will continue with REST and GraphQL SaaS platform will remain entirely GraphQL Using GitHub private repos for development
43. SDK Development Let use cases drive stack-ranking Mimic a near-identical UX Educate and enable in parallel Invite early-adopters and give them checklists @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 43
44. Takeaways @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 44
45. If we could do it all over again • Increased collaboration with engineering and support • Create incentives to document and polish the API • Make documentation a top priority • Educate internal stakeholders on API usage • Bring operators into your SDK build process @ChrisWahl | #DevWeek2019 45 Use cases, UX, testing, feedback
46. Thank you Twitter: @ChrisWahl GitHub: chriswahl