September 2018 Summaries

The use of batching client GraphQL queries can be a useful solution to reduce network requests and improve performance in modern apps. However, it may also introduce issues such as slow loading times, increased complexity, and reduced debugging capabilities. Batching is not always necessary and should only be considered if performance issues persist after implementing other optimization techniques. Manual batching can be done by combining smaller queries into one larger query, but this approach also has its drawbacks, including reduced whole-query caching capabilities. Automatic batching can sometimes be fixed by debatching expensive operations using a tool like Apollo Engine. Ultimately, the decision to use batching depends on the specific needs and constraints of the application.

Sashko Stubailo shares his experience deploying a full-stack Apollo app with Netlify, a platform that makes it easy to integrate data from any backend into a React app. The author uses Netlify Functions, a new way to deploy server-side code to AWS Lambda alongside the frontend, and sets up an "Hello world" API and frontend for the Apollo app on Netlify. He then adds Apollo Client to the React frontend and deploys the entire project to Netlify, which automatically scales up without requiring any special configuration. The author highlights Netlify's killer feature, deploy previews, which allows developers to see a preview of their application deployed for every single PR on their repository, making it easy to check that everything worked correctly in the production environment.

GraphQL is a query language for APIs that has gained popularity due to its flexibility and scalability. To ensure that developers adopt this technology, Moon Highway's Eve Porcello and Alex Banks have written the book "Learning GraphQL", which aims to provide a comprehensive and fun learning experience. The authors' goal is to get people excited about building awesome products with GraphQL. The book covers core topics like schema design and the GraphQL query language, as well as advanced topics like database integration and managing APIs in production. Additionally, Moon Highway has partnered with Apollo to become the company's first Official Training Partner, and will host fullstack bootcamps at the upcoming GraphQL Summit in San Francisco.

GraphQL is quickly replacing REST as the standard for which data is queried, fetched and transformed between the frontend and backend. It offers numerous benefits such as querying many resources in one request, new generation of ergonomic developer tools, improved performance especially on slow network connections, and reduced payload size and less round trips to the server. To integrate GraphQL into your product architecture, it's recommended to deploy it as a layer between your apps and existing APIs. GraphQL isn't about throwing away existing infrastructure but leveraging it to the fullest. A simple example of layering GraphQL over an existing REST API is demonstrated using Apollo Server, which provides built-in support for GraphQL subscriptions, powerful error handling tools, schema stitching, file uploads, mocking, schema directives, and easy monitoring integration.