Tag: RESTful APIs

Unlocking the Potential of Cypress: A Guide to Debugging, API Testing, and TDD

Cypress boasts a groundbreaking feature that is redefining the debug approach for elusive test failures in continuous integration (CI). Known as Test Replay, this feature enables us to interact with the Document Object Model (DOM) at the exact point of failure. It also allows us to inspect network events, console logs, and JavaScript errors without the need to reproduce the issue locally in CI.

The Power of Test Replay

Cypress Co-Founder Brian Mann gleefully introduced Test Replay during an exclusive webinar. The feature has been highly anticipated as it allows developers to understand the root cause of failures more profoundly than ever. This is truly a new era in debugging.

Scaling Your Test Suite

Running your test suite in a CI/CD pipeline is vital to ensuring code quality and preventing regressions. But when your team or product grows rapidly, it can be challenging to maintain the performance and coverage of your test suite. Enter Cypress Cloud. This tool supercharges your testing with Cypress in CI by offering best practices for establishing a test run strategy, optimizing execution time, interpreting the impact of code changes, and finding and fixing test failures.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) With Cypress

TDD involves converting requirements into tests and then implementing code changes until the tests pass. This process leads to cleaner and more resilient code as well as accelerated development. Cypress engineers Adam Stone-Lord and Jordan Powell explained how Cypress Component Testing can make the TDD approach more approachable and productive.

Using Cypress for API Testing

Cypress is becoming a go-to tool for developers to test their applications. Its intuitive user interface and powerful features revolutionize how developers conduct API testing. Ely Lucas and Filip Hric during a webinar discussed how Cypress can make testing applications easier and more efficient.

Finally, it goes without saying that the capabilities of Cypress extend beyond the scope of this blog post. There are webinars dedicated to Operating Application Pipelines, Interacting with Google Chrome, Maintaining a Culture of Quality, and so much more. So, feel free to delve deeper and explore the world of Cypress.

To stay updated with the latest happenings in our community, visit our official website community.cypress.io and join the ongoing conversation at discord.gg/cypress.

Happy Testing!

Tags: #Cypress #Debugging #Testing #APIs #TDD
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Migrating Netflix to GraphQL: A Seamless Transition

Introduction

In this blog post, we will explore the journey of how Netflix successfully migrated its mobile apps to GraphQL, completely overhauling the client to API layer. This migration was achieved with zero downtime and involved careful planning, testing, and leveraging the power of GraphQL. Let’s dive into the details and learn from Netflix’s experience.

Phase 1: GraphQL Shim Service

To kickstart the migration process, Netflix created a GraphQL Shim Service on top of the existing Monolithic Falcor API. This approach allowed the client engineers to quickly adopt GraphQL without being blocked by server-side migrations. They could explore GraphQL client-side concerns like cache normalization, experiment with different GraphQL clients, and investigate client performance. The GraphQL Shim Service acted as a bridge, enabling a seamless integration into the existing system.

Phase 2: Deprecating Legacy API Monolith

Building on the success of the GraphQL Shim Service, Netflix moved towards deprecating the Legacy API Monolith and embraced GraphQL services owned by domain teams. This transition utilizes Federated GraphQL, a distributed approach where specific sections of the API are managed and owned independently by domain teams. This not only enables better scalability but also empowers teams to take ownership of their respective domains.

Testing Strategies

During the migration process, Netflix employed various testing strategies to ensure a safe and successful transition to GraphQL. Let’s explore some of these strategies in more detail:

AB Testing

AB Testing, a widely used technique at Netflix, played a crucial role in evaluating the impact of migrating from Falcor to GraphQL. By comparing metrics such as error rates, latencies, and time to render between the legacy Falcor stack and the GraphQL Shim Service, Netflix could assess the customer impact of the new system. This provided valuable insights into the performance and correctness of GraphQL.

Replay Testing

To ensure the functional correctness of the migration, Netflix developed a dedicated tool called Replay Testing. This tool was designed to verify the migration of idempotent APIs from the GraphQL Shim Service to the Video API service. By capturing and comparing response payloads, Netflix could identify any differences and ensure that the functionality remained intact. This meticulous validation process helped mitigate any potential issues during the transition.

Sticky Canaries

While Replay Testing focused on functional correctness, Netflix also wanted to ensure that the migration delivered improved performance and business metrics. To achieve this, they turned to a powerful Netflix tool called Sticky Canary. By assigning customers to either canary or baseline hosts for the duration of an experiment, Netflix could gather insights into latency, resource utilization, and overall quality of experience (QoE) metrics. This enabled them to fine-tune and optimize the new GraphQL services based on real-world performance data.

Conclusion

Netflix’s migration to GraphQL was a resounding success, thanks to careful planning, strategic testing, and a step-by-step approach. By creating a GraphQL Shim Service and gradually deprecating the legacy API monolith in favor of domain-owned GraphQL services, Netflix was able to seamlessly transition to a more scalable and flexible system. Through AB Testing, Replay Testing, and Sticky Canaries, they ensured both functional correctness and improved performance metrics.

Migrating to GraphQL is not a small undertaking, but with the right strategies in place, it can be achieved without disrupting the user experience. Netflix’s experience serves as a valuable lesson for any organization considering a migration to GraphQL.

Tags: Netflix, GraphQL, Migration, API
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The Complete Full-Stack Developer Roadmap

Are you aspiring to become a full-stack developer? This comprehensive career roadmap will guide you through the necessary steps to master the skills required for a successful career in full-stack development. From core programming languages to cloud-native technologies, this roadmap covers it all. So, let’s dive in and embark on your journey to becoming a full-stack developer!

Agile and Scrum: Embrace Change and Collaboration

As a full-stack developer, agility is a crucial trait. Understanding and practicing Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, is essential to respond quickly to changing project requirements. Emphasize collaboration and communication over rigid processes and tools, and prioritize working software over excessive documentation. Foster customer collaboration to ensure that the end product meets their expectations.

HTML and CSS: Building Blocks of Web Development

HTML and CSS serve as the foundation for building websites. As a full-stack developer, you must have a deep understanding of these core technologies. Mastering HTML enables you to troubleshoot websites, update WordPress templates, and navigate PHP code snippets. CSS proficiency allows you to fix responsive websites and perform SEO optimization. These skills are essential for a full-stack developer to create visually appealing and functional user interfaces.

JavaScript: The Language of the Web

To truly excel as a full-stack developer, mastery of JavaScript is a must. JavaScript is one of the primary programming languages for web browsers, enabling you to create interactive and dynamic web applications. In recent years, TypeScript, a statically-typed superset of JavaScript, has gained popularity for its ability to enhance JavaScript development. Make sure to delve deep into JavaScript fundamentals, libraries, and frameworks like React and Angular.

Git: Version Control for Efficient Collaboration

Git has become the de facto standard for version control in the software development industry. Every full-stack developer should be proficient in essential Git operations such as committing code, merging branches, and managing repositories on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or BitBucket. Embrace Git workflows to collaborate effectively with other developers and ensure the integrity and manageability of your codebase.

Mobile App Development: Extending Your Reach

Full-stack development encompasses mobile app development as well. To cover all bases, familiarize yourself with mobile application development frameworks and languages. Swift is the language for developing applications for iOS devices, while Kotlin is the language of choice for Android development. Alternatively, you can use a cross-platform framework like React Native to build apps for both iOS and Android simultaneously.

Building RESTful APIs: Connecting Clients and Servers

Developing RESTful APIs is a crucial skill for full-stack developers. Master the art of designing and building API gateways that allow clients to access server resources. Understand how to consume RESTful APIs from client-side applications and secure them through authentication and encryption. Create scalable, reliable APIs that facilitate seamless communication between clients and servers using JSON as the data exchange format.

SQL and Relational Databases: Managing Data Effectively

While NoSQL databases are gaining popularity, relational databases remain the backbone of many enterprise-scale applications. Full-stack developers should have a solid understanding of structured query language (SQL) and the principles of relational database management. Learn to work with large-scale databases that store vast amounts of data, and grasp optimization techniques to ensure efficient data retrieval and manipulation.

Middle Tier Technologies: Bridging the Gap

The middle tier acts as a bridge between the client and backend database tiers. As a full-stack developer, you need to familiarize yourself with middle-tier programming languages and associated technologies. Java is a popular choice for integrating with application servers and cloud APIs. Python shines when it comes to machine learning or AI projects, while JavaScript provides a versatile option that spans different layers of the stack.

Cloud-Native Deployment with YAML: Infrastructure as Code

Cloud-native development is revolutionizing the way applications are built and deployed. Familiarize yourself with YAML, the standard app configuration language for cloud-native technologies. Use YAML to configure infrastructure as code with tools like Terraform, implement continuous integration and deployment pipelines with platforms like GitHub Actions, deploy applications using containers with Docker and Kubernetes, and manage network gateways on AWS.

Getting Close to the Metal: Low-Level Programming

While many full-stack developers focus on high-level languages, some projects may require low-level programming skills. Rust, Go, and C are languages that allow you to code components for operating systems, embedded systems, hypervisors, cryptography, and security. These languages eliminate the need for an abstraction layer, providing direct control over hardware resources.

Committing to the 12-Factor App: Cloud-Native Best Practices

To stay ahead in the world of cloud-native development, commit to the 12-Factor App principles. These practices provide guidelines for building scalable, resilient, and maintainable cloud-native applications. Whether deploying microservices, serverless functions, or lambda procedures, ensure your applications adhere to the 12 factors and take full advantage of cloud-native environments.

Tags: full-stack development, web development, JavaScript, Agile, Git, mobile app development, RESTful APIs, SQL, cloud-native, YAML

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