Presentation given in Serverless Architecture Conference in the Hague - Netherlands.

1. Serverless 💚 GraphQL
Marcia Villalba
@mavi888uy
A Match make in heaven

2. Who I am?
@mavi888uy
Unicorn.Codes

3. Marcia VillalbaServerless Architecture Conference
Have you seen something
like this before?

4. Marcia VillalbaServerless Architecture Conference
POST v1/order
POST v2/order
GET /order/{orderId}
GET /orderDescription/{orderId}
GET /orderItems/{orderId}
Lots of unnecessary information sent to client
Not matching objects
GET /order/{orderId}
GET /provider/{orderId}
GET /customer/{customerId}
Bad documentation

5. Marcia VillalbaServerless Architecture Conference
🤯
As a consumer of those APIs
As a maintainer of those APIs

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💜
💚
💚
💚
💜
💜

8. What is graphql?
Let’s talk about the most important concepts

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GraphQL is a specification
Not a framework
Not a database
Not a server

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Query language
Runtime

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Graphql
Ask for what you need
an get exactly that

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Graphql
Get many resources in
one request

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Graphql
Evolve your API without
versions

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Graphql
Describe what you can
do using a type system

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Graphql
Connect to multiple
datasources
Heroes database
Planets HTTP service
Species noSQL
database

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Graphql
query language

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Graphql language
Everything is a type
Fields can be scalar or
other types

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Graphql language
There are special types

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Graphql language
Entry point to the
graphql query

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Graphql language
The client can write a
query like this
And get exactly what it
needs

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Graphql language
Very complete language
Read more about it here: https://graphql.org/learn/

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Graphql
Runtime

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How graphql works?
1. Describe your data

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How graphql works?
2. Connect all the types
and fields to different
datasources
Videos table
Channels table

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How graphql works?
3. Client ask for what it
needs

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How graphql works?
4. The server fetches the
information from the
different datasources
Videos table
Channels table

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How graphql works?
5. Returns the data

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What are datasources?
Can be anything!
•A Database
•Another service with an API
•A HTTP request that return data
•A call to a search service
•…

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Resolvers
Provide the instructions
from turning GraphQL
operations into data
SQL database
HTTP service
noSQL database

30. serverless
Brief introduction

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No managing infrastructure
Pay for what you use
Automagical scale

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BACKEND AS A SERVICE
(BAAS)
Function as a service
(FAAS)
Serverless

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Backend as a service (BAAS)
Backend as a service means a
generic application component
that is hosted by you or someone
else, that you can bundle into your
own application using an API.

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Function as a service (FaaS)
•Born in 2014 with AWS Lambda
•Next evolution of cloud computing
•New way to execute and design applications
•Function as a service platform

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https://read.acloud.guru/the-serverless-spectrum-147b02cb2292

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Benefits of serverless
•Pay for what you use
•Not reinventing the wheel
•Fast development
•High integration with different services
•Not worrying about infra
•All about providing value

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- Steve Jobs
“The line of code you don’t write is the line of code
you never have to debug”

38. serverless and
graphql
Why they are a match made in heaven?

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Graphql & serverless
Implement your own GraphQL server
Use an existing GraphQL server library
Use an existing GraphQL platform

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Existing GraphQL platforms
•Apollo Platform (https://www.apollographql.com/
platform/)
•GraphCMS (https://graphcms.com/)
•GraphCool (https://www.graph.cool/)
•AppSync (https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/)

41. AWS AppSync
A Serverless GraphQL platform

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Managed graphql
platform by aws

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appSync
•Provides authentication
•Visual tool for queries
•Automatic connection with DynamoDB tables
•Different datasources - AWS Lambda, Elastic
Search, Aurora DB, HTTP
•Real time and off-line support

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Creates a schema

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Connect to different datasourcesCreates a schema

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Connect to different datasourcesCreates a schema Updates data in real time in
different devices

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Infrastructure as code
•Serverless Framework
•Serverless Framework plugin for AppSync (https://
github.com/sid88in/serverless-appsync-plugin)

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Lets go to the code…

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AWS Cloud
Client AWS AppSync
AWS Lambda
Amazon
DynamoDB
VLT mappers for
request and
response
VLT mappers for
request and
response

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How the client uses this?
•AWS Amplify
•Client library for building cloud apps
•More info: https://aws-amplify.github.io/docs/js/
api#aws-appsync-sdk

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Configure the client

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Run a query

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Things to have in mind
•If you do a DynamoDB scan be careful of
performance
•Calling a cold AWS Lambda
•Doing an HTTP call ads latency to the response
•Think about when calling other services from AWS
Lambda how much latency you are adding to the
whole system

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Conclusion
•Fast development
•Easily maintainable
•Secure applications
•Scalable applications
•Pay as much as we use

57. @mavi888uy

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New course!
•Serverless Applications with GraphQL on AWS
•Follow me on twitter to get notified when it is out:
@mavi888uy