Introduction to Basejump

Build REST APIs on RethinkDB without writing code

Transcript

1. Basejump
   Build a REST API
   on RethinkDB
   

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2. Ryan Paul
   RethinkDB
   Evangelist
   @segphault
   

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3. API Anatomy
   Dissecting an API backend
   

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4. API Anatomy
   • Server to parse & handle requests
   • Routing to manage endpoints
   • Validation to sanitize user input
   • Persistence to store & retrieve data
   

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5. API Anatomy
   RethinkDB NodeJS
   JOI
   Koa Vue
   Browser
   REST API
   Koa Router W3C Fetch
   Real-world RethinkDB stack
   

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6. API Anatomy
   Persistence Runtime
   Validation
   Server Frontend
   Framework
   Browser
   REST API
   Router REST Client
   Real-world RethinkDB stack
   

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7. API Anatomy
   • Lots of layers between persistence
   and requests
   • More boilerplate than business
   logic
   • Repetitive code that is difficult to
   reuse
   

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8. API Anatomy
   router.post("/api/event/:id/messages", function*(id) {
   this.checkBody("message").notEmpty();
   if (this.errors)
   this.throw(400, {success: false, errors: this.errors});
   yield r.table("messages").insert({
   created: r.now(),
   text: this.request.body.message,
   sender: sender,
   event: id});
   this.body = {success: true};
   });
   

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9. Can we abstract away
   the boilerplate?
   

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10. Project Basejump
    Attach queries to endpoints
    

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11. Basejump
    • Visual tool for prototyping API
    backends
    • Dynamic routing middleware for
    attaching queries to endpoints
    • Powered by declarative JSON
    description format
    

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12. Basejump
    

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13. {A} 1ST
    

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14. Basejump Router
    • Database agnostic routing middleware
    • Uses Node’s VM module to execute code
    • Integrates seamlessly with Koa and
    Socket.io
    • Swagger-based format to describe
    routes and actions
    

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15. Swagger
    

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16. Swagger
    • Standard format for describing
    APIs — can use YAML or JSON
    • Uses JSON Schema for validation
    • Supported by many tools &
    frameworks
    • Extensible via vendor properties
    

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17. Swagger
    paths:
    /test:
    get:
    parameters:
    - {in: query, name: count, type: number}
    x-action: >
    r.table("test")
    .orderBy(r.desc("time"))
    .limit(params.count)
    post:
    parameters:
    - in: body
    name: body
    schema:
    $ref: "#/definitions/test"
    x-action: >
    r.table("test").insert(params.body)
    

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18. Embed Basejump
    • Embed in your own Node app
    • Pass custom objects into the execution
    context
    • Inherit and override the request handler
    • Custom pre & post processing on input
    and output
    

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19. Embed Basejump
    const app = require("koa")();
    const router = require("basejump-router");
    const r = require("rethinkdbdash")();
    app.use(require("kcors")());
    app.use(require("koa-bodyparser")());
    app.use(router.middleware.koa({
    swagger: "routes.yaml",
    context: {r: r}
    }));
    app.listen(8000);
    

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20. Project Basejump
    Status & Future Plans
    

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21. Basejump
    • Not ready for adoption quite yet
    • API and data format still subject
    to change
    • New features might necessitate
    additional format churn
    

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22. Feature Roadmap
    • Support for embedding in Express
    • Interactive Schema editing
    • Pluggable view system
    • Route collections and blueprints
    • Authentication and user management
    • Live API debugging
    

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23. Feature Ideas
    • Generate client libraries for mobile & web
    • Use schemas to generate input forms &
    data dashboard
    • Support for file uploads & multipart
    mime
    • Automatically generate tables and
    indexes from schemas
    

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24. How does it
    compare to Fusion?
    

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25. How does it
    compare to Fusion?
    Horizon?
    

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26. Basejump vs Horizon
    • Basejump: backend-first
    development & REST APIs
    • Horizon: frontend-first
    development & WebSockets
    

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27. Basejump & Horizon
    • Embed Basejump and Horizon
    middleware in the same Node app
    • Expose Basejump routes through
    Horizon custom endpoint
    • Converge authentication and
    schema validation?
    

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28. • RethinkDB website:

    http://rethinkdb.com
    • Basejump Router:

    http://github.com/segphault/
    basejump-router
    • Follow me on Twitter:

    @segphault
    Resources
    

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