RABLing, Serializing and JBuilding better APIs

When building JSON APIs for mobile apps, we find ourselves wanting a more expressive and powerful solution. This is especially true when the JSON representation is complex or doesn't match the exact schema defined within the database. In this presentation, we demo not One, not Two but Three different ways of generating APIs in rails: RABL, Active Model Serializers and JBuilder, and highlight what we've learnt from each one of them.

Transcript

1. RABLING, SERIALIZING & JBUILDING BETTER APIS Michelle D’Souza & Eric Chernuka Thursday, October 24, 13
2. Thursday, October 24, 13
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4. Example App: Movies Thursday, October 24, 13
5. :genre has_many :movies :movie has_many :ratings :user has_many :ratings Thursday, October 24, 13
6. to_json Thursday, October 24, 13
7. If you’re using “to_json” you’re doing it wrong Thursday, October 24, 13
8. JSON APIS THINGS TO CONSIDER ‣ Should responses include a root? ‣ Which attributes to include? ‣ Which associations to embed? ‣ Should responses include data not representative of the model? ‣ How can I avoid duplication? Thursday, October 24, 13
9. RABL Thursday, October 24, 13
10. Why RABL? ‣ Treats APIs like views ‣ Fast creation. Why not RABL? ‣ Confusing DSL ‣ Going custom can become challenging Thursday, October 24, 13
11. ActiveModel Serializers Thursday, October 24, 13
12. ‣ Do not have to “craft” each API ‣ Easy to define schemas ‣ Very Ruby-like syntax ‣ RSpec Testing ‣ No view layer Why ActiveModel Serializers? Thursday, October 24, 13
13. Jbuilder Thursday, October 24, 13
14. Why JBuilder? ‣ Built into Rails 4 ‣ Easier syntax ‣ Better performance than RABL Thursday, October 24, 13
15. mdsouza@appcolony.ca @ericchernuka ec@appcolony.ca Thursday, October 24, 13
16. https://github.com/michdsouza/ jsonapis Thursday, October 24, 13