Abstract
GraphQL is a client/server API specification for submitting queries, updates and subscribing to data, and it’s been an interesting replacement technology for JSON in single page applications.
Originally created for the Facebook application in 2012, it began life serving the graph of connections between people, posts, and other related data. Ultimately, Facebook open-sourced the relay server and the API was published as a standard. This was followed by other client-and-server-side implementations such as Prisma’s Apollo client and server, and the cloud service GraphCool. Implementations exist for other languages such as Java, Python and Ruby.
In this talk, Chariot’s SPA mentor/trainer Ken Rimple lays out the case for GraphQL, explains how it works (focusing on Apollo’s client and server APIs as well as GraphQL Java in Spring for examples) and demonstrates its use in an application. He’ll discuss tooling, schema design, conceptual challenges, and implementing queries, subscriptions and mutations from both a client and server perspective.
About Ken:
Ken almost started coding at an early age when he used a battery, two wires and an old flashcube to make a flashlight (those in the other room saw a blinding flash, then heard screams of agony). Dodging this early accident, he never stops learning how to break things. He is Chariot’s Training Services director, and writes and teaches courses focusing on Single Page JavaScript application platforms such as React and Angular. He also teaches/works with Spring, Java and Maven, among other technologies, has amassed 10 years of podcast episodes at the Chariot Solutions TechCast, writes tutorials, and speaks about JavaScript development at conferences. He is the co-author of Spring Roo in Action from Manning. He loves photography and music, plays guitar in a rock and roll band, and lives alone with four kids, a wife, two dogs and his tinnitus.