This document discusses ArangoDB Foxx, a feature of ArangoDB that allows developers to define REST APIs and build single page web applications directly against the ArangoDB database using JavaScript. Foxx allows defining controllers with routes, parameterizing routes, generating documentation, and structuring models. It aims to provide a streamlined way for front-end developers to interface directly with the database without overhead typically involved in separating concerns across servers. The document outlines several Foxx features and capabilities including authentication, asset handling, and sharing code through a repository.

1. RWTH Aachen, Computer Science Student on branch master
triAGENS GmbH, Developer
moonglum moonbeamlabs
by Lucas Dohmen
Create APIs on your database
ArangoDB Foxx

2. Single Page
Web Applications

3. The Idea
• What if we could talk to
the database directly?
• It would only need an API
• What if we could define
this API in JavaScript?

4. Single Page
Web Applications

5. Single Page
Web Applications
This doesn‘t mean its a Rails/… Killer

6. Client Server DB

7. Client Server DB
with Foxx

8. Who is that guy?
• ArangoDB Core Team
• ArangoDB Foxx &
Ruby Adapter
• Student on the master
branch
• hacken.in & nerdkun.de

9. Who is that guy?
• ArangoDB Core Team
• ArangoDB Foxx &
Ruby Adapter
• Student on the master
branch
• hacken.in & nerdkun.de
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10. What is ?
• Free and Open Source…
• … Document and Graph Store…
• … with embedded JavaScript…
• … and an amazing query language
More about
ArangoDB at
Ruby UG Munich
next week

11. /
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12. • …a feature of ArangoDB 1.4 (currently in
alpha, release: End of September)
• …an easy way to define REST APIs on top of
ArangoDB
• … a toolset for developing your single page
web application
• … not requiring any special code on the client
side – use it with Backbone, Ember, Angular…
Foxx is…

13. Why another solution?
• ArangoDB Foxx is streamlined for API
creation – not a Jack of all trades
• There‘s no communication overhead
between (serverside) application and
database
• It is designed for front end developers: Use
JavaScript, you already know that

14. Foxx.Controller

15. Foxx = require("org/arangodb/foxx");
controller = new Foxx.Controller(appContext);
controller.get("/users", function(req, res) {
res.json({
hello: "world"
});
});

16. Parameterize
the routes
• You may want a route like `users/:id`…
• …and then access the value of `id` easily

17. Foxx = require("org/arangodb/foxx");
controller = new Foxx.Controller(appContext);
controller.get("/users ", function(req, res) {
res.json({
hello:
});
});
req.params("name");
/:name

18. • In your Foxx.Controller you describe your
routes
• But your application can consist of multiple
Foxx.Controllers
• … and you also want to deliver assets and
files
Manifest.json

19. {
"name": "my_website",
"version": "1.2.1",
"description": "My Website with a blog and a shop",
"thumbnail": "images/website-logo.png",
"controllers": {
"/blog": "apps/blog.js",
"/shop": "apps/shop.js"
},
"assets": {
"application.js": {
"files": [
"vendor/jquery.js",
"assets/javascripts/*"
]
}
}
}

20. More
• Define a setup and teardown function to
create and delete collections
• Define lib to set a base path for your require
statements
• Define files to deliver binary data unaltered

21. Documentation
as a first class citizen

22. Annotate your Routes
• For Documentation
• But it is also used for validation

23. controller.get("/users/:name", function(req, res) {
res.json({
hello: req.params("name");
});
}).pathParam("name", {
description: "Name of the User",
dataType: "string"
});
/** What's my name?
*
* This route knows it.
*/

24. Automatically generate
Swagger Docs

25. Models & Repositories
• Foxx also helps you structure the M part of
MVC
• We don‘t have time for that today
• But you can see a demonstration in our
demo app
• … or come to me later ;)

26. Foxx Apps Repo
• Look at demo applications
• Install components from a central repository
• Share your ideas

27. Foxx Demo App:
Aye-Aye

28. Foxx Authentication
https://github.com/moonglum/foxx_authentication

29. Foxx:
The Future

30. A Glance into
the Future
• Configure filters for your assets:
• UglifyJS2
• Later: Coffee, Sass, Client Templates…
• Configurable Logging
• Yo Generator

31. Thanks
• Please try ArangoDB Foxx
• We to get feedback

32. Contact
• lucas@arangodb.org
• @moonbeamlabs on Twitter

33. Thanks
• Database icon designed by Romeo Barreto
from The Noun Project
• Browser icon designed by Fernando
Vasconcelos from The Noun Project
• Logos from Node.js, Ruby on Rails, Django
and Symfony from the respective projects
• All other icons are from Font Awesome