The document discusses building serverless applications with GraphQL. It provides an overview of GraphQL and how it works, as well as how GraphQL can be implemented in a serverless architecture using AWS AppSync. Some key benefits of the GraphQL and serverless approach include pay-per-use scaling, rapid development, and avoiding infrastructure maintenance. AWS AppSync is presented as a managed GraphQL platform that can connect to different data sources and provide real-time capabilities and offline support.

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STOCKHOLM

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Building ServerlessApplications with
GraphQL
Marcia Villalba
Full stack developer - Rovio
@mavi888uy

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About Marcia
@mavi888uy
bit.ly/foobar-youtube
My courses
Find me online
marcia.dev

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Have you seen something like this before?

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POST v1/order
POST v2/order
GET /order/{orderId}
GET /orderDescription/{orderId}
GET /orderItems/{orderId}
GET /order/{orderId}
GET /provider/{orderId}
GET /customer/{customerId}
Bad documentation

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As a consumer of those APIs
As a maintainer of those APIs

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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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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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Query language
Runtime

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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

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Resolvers
SQL database
1. Translate GraphQL request
SELECT video_id, video_name FROM videos
2. Translate datasource response back
video_id | video_name
1. | Star Wars
Client
GraphQL request
GraphQL response

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Why to use GraphQL?
• Strong types in the request and responses
• No more overfetching and underfetching
• Enables rapid product development
• API evolution
• Transport layer agnostic

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Serverless
A 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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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
• Not worrying about infra
• All about providing value

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

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Serverless and GraphQL

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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/)

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AWS AppSync

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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

47. Marcia VillalbaServerless Architecture Conference

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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

53. Thank you!
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Marcia Villalba
@mavi888uy

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