Is Your API Game Stuck in the Past? Here's How to Embrace the Future

Hey, it's Justin & Kevin - Welcome to Bug Driven Development’s first issue!

Are you tired of the same old RESTful APIs? It's time to embrace the dark side of API development with RPC and GraphQL.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is like the cool uncle that always shows up with a six-pack and a bag of chips. RPC is a protocol that allows a client to call a method on a remote server over a network. It's fast, lightweight, and easy to work with - like your uncle who never takes life too seriously. But beware, RPC can be a bit limiting in its capabilities, especially when it comes to more complex data structures or situations that require more advanced functionality.

On the other hand, GraphQL is like the bartender that can make you any drink you want - as long as you know what you're asking for. GraphQL is a query language for APIs that allows clients to specify exactly what data they need and how it should be structured. Plus, with the ability to stitch together multiple APIs, you can create a unified data layer that's tailored to your specific use case.

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility - or, in this case, some potential pitfalls to watch out for. With GraphQL, it's important to be mindful of performance and caching, as well as potential security concerns. Additionally, due to the flexibility of the query language, it's important to ensure that the API schema is designed in a way that promotes safe and efficient queries.

So, if you're ready to embrace the dark side of API development, give RPC and GraphQL a try. Just don't forget to choose the right tool for the job - like picking the right drink for the right occasion. Choose wisely, and you'll be rewarded with powerful, flexible APIs that can help take your applications to the next level. (Or, you know, just impress your friends at the next office happy hour. We're not saying that's not important.)

Learn more here

Here are some guides that could be helpful to dive deeper into APIs

1. Best Practices for Designing a Pragmatic RESTful API by Vinay Sahni: [https://www.vinaysahni.com/best-practices-for-a-pragmatic-restful-api]

   1. Want to create a RESTful API that won't make developers want to pull their hair out? Check out this article by Vinay Sahni.

2. An Introduction to GraphQL by Tania Rascia: [https://www.taniarascia.com/introduction-to-graphql/]

   1. Need to make APIs faster than The Flash? Check out Tania Rascia's tutorial on using GraphQL.

3. gRPC - Best Practices by Manuel: [https://kreya.app/blog/grpc-best-practices/]

   1. Don't let RPC's quirks get you down. Check out Manuel's best practices for mastering gRPC.

Links in Tech

Some additional reads we liked this week

• Software is a hell of a drug - doing more with less (https://twitter.com/gregisenberg/status/1628016701991182336)

• See how well you age by transforming your face using 100% free and privacy-friendly AI. (https://extrapolate.app/)

• How Levels.fyi scaled to millions of users with Google Sheets as a backend (https://www.levels.fyi/blog/scaling-to-millions-with-google-sheets.html)

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Justin + Kevin

P.S. What new things about Software Development did you learn this week?