Although a new technology when it comes to system design patterns, GraphQL borrows and builds on top of patterns that have been around for a while.

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System Design and Architecture
@GraphQL

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–The GraphQL Website
“GraphQL is a query language for your API, and a
server-side runtime for executing queries by
using a type system you define for your data.”

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GraphQL influences our architecture uniquely,
yet it builds on well known design patterns.
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- Api Gateway
- Integration Database
- Data Federation
- Backend for Front End
The Usual Suspects

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API Gateway
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🚦

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- service client coupling
- many round trips
- redundant edge functions

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- client specific API
- request routing
- API composition
- unique edge functions

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- unique point of failure
- development bottleneck
- rollout strategy

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The Integrated Database
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- immediate synchronisation
- no integration layer
- faster rollout

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- Bounded Context Violation
- complexity in development
- deep client coupling

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Which amount?

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– Martin Fowler, Database Styles 2004
“The resulting links between applications and
databases end up being brittle and thus difficult
to change.”

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The Data Federation Pattern
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- different heterogeneous data sources
- uniform consumer interface
- improved governance
- unique business domain mapping
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- difficult requirement reconciliation
- non trivial merging strategies
- need of more generic data structures
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Apollo Federation
- separation of concerns
- graph orchestration
- sophisticated tooling

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– Phil Calcado, Some thoughts on GraphQL vs. BFF 2019
“ .. it is hard for me to believe that you can
combine the needs of many different
applications, owned by different teams, with
different users and use cases, in a single
schema”

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Backend For Frontend
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Thank @you !
🧙

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#discussion