June 2023 Summaries

A recording of the stream is available for viewing. During this session, Jeff Auriemma and Lenz Weber-Tronic discussed Apollo Client, a popular GraphQL client library. They covered various topics such as caching in Apollo Client, type policies, and error reporting. The conversation also touched on React Native and Hermes engine support, which will enable the use of weak maps to save memory. Additionally, Lenz shared his experience with learning C++ and TypeScript, and the importance of understanding compiler-level concepts for effective type design. The discussion was informative and provided valuable insights into Apollo Client's features and best practices.

Federated subscriptions in GraphOS provide a scalable solution for real-time data at scale, addressing the challenges of traditional microservice architectures and REST. By introducing a new transport protocol, WebSocket deduplication, and updated query planning, federated subscriptions enable a single subscription to serve data from multiple separate services, improving performance and reliability for infrastructure teams. This approach allows feature developers to build with data that lives across dozens or even hundreds of separate services using a single subscription, reducing the need for lockstep coordination across backend teams. With federated subscriptions, clients can use a single subscription to access the appropriate data, while backend teams can contribute fields from real-time data sources without tight coupling across teams. The new protocol for client-to-router communication and deduplication mechanism significantly reduce the work required for app developers to use federated subscriptions, making it easier to deliver real-time API infrastructure at scale.

The Apollo Kotlin plugin for Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA has been announced, providing an improved development experience with features such as on-the-fly code generation, migration helpers, and navigation to GraphQL definitions. The plugin is now available in a preview release, allowing users to try it out and provide feedback before its official release. Users can install the plugin through the JetBrains Marketplace or by adding a dedicated repository to their settings. The plugin aims to simplify the use of Apollo Kotlin, making it easier for developers to build great apps with GraphQL.

The Apollo Client team has introduced two new features: the `@nonreactive` directive and the `useFragment` hook. The `@nonreactive` directive allows developers to mark specific fields or fragments in a query that should not trigger a re-render if their cached value changes, while the `useFragment` hook enables live binding into the Apollo Client cache for a GraphQL fragment, allowing child components to re-render without needing to re-render the parent. These features can be used together to selectively re-render individual list items by default, eliminating the need for memoization in some cases. By applying the `@nonreactive` directive to fields or fragments on the parent component's query and using the `useFragment` hook with child components, developers can achieve predictable behavior and performance when rendering lists.

The GraphOS team has introduced a new feature that standardizes GraphQL schema linting policies, aiming to ensure consistency across teams, tools, and workflows. This addition uses the Rover CLI tool to validate schema syntax, enforcing formatting and naming rules such as camelCase field names, suffixed input type names, and specific directive usage. The linter checks are available for all GraphOS Enterprise and Serverless plans, running automatically on new schema changes or manually using the Rover CLI. To integrate linting into CI/CD pipelines, developers can install the Rover CLI as part of their existing workflows. The feature also allows configuring linter settings in GraphOS Studio, including customizing rule severity and ignoring deprecated definitions. With this update, GraphOS aims to promote consistency at every stage of graph development, enabling developers to work more efficiently while maintaining high-quality codebases.

Apollo Router is a free and open-source runtime for federated graphs, developed by Apollo. It provides performance and security features, but some advanced features are only available with a GraphOS subscription. The router's functionality can be configured in YAML, and it supports Rhai scripting and native Rust plugins. Apollo aims to remain commercially viable while facilitating open and collaborative development on the project through the use of an Elastic License v2. The company plans to involve its community in shaping the future of Apollo Router, with a goal of transparency and collaboration.