WISPY 🌱

An experimental lightweight (remote procedure call) API pattern.

Idea

Execute functions or piece of code living in your API end without any hassles of creating multiple endpoints (REST) or managing complex schemas (GraphQL). Server essentially exposes functions or methods which can be called by client with standard JSON payload along with passing any parameters to it.

Comparisons

• Uses JSON unlike string based GQL in GraphQL or URL in REST
• Only one endpoint or route on server unlike in REST (similar to GraphQL)
• No strict schema unlike GraphQL
• Simple customizable payload in JSON format unlike in SOAP which uses XML and strict structure
• Option to select the fields you want the API to return (similar to GraphQL)
• Option to subscribe to live updates (Subscriptions via websockets) like in GraphQL

Technology	Message format	Endpoints	Field selection	Strict Schema	Subscriptions
Wispy	JSON	One	Yes	No	Yes
GraphQL	GQL	One	Yes	Yes	Yes
REST	JSON	Multiple	No	No	No
SOAP	XML	One	Yes	Yes	No

Examples

1. Create

cURL

curl http://localhost:8000 \
  -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation": "productCreate", "params": {"name": "Product 1", "description": "Good product."}}'

fetch

async function productCreate() {
  try {
    const config = {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        "operation": "productCreate", 
        "params": {
          "name": "Product 1", 
          "description": "Good product."
        }
      })
    }
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000', config)
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log(data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

Result

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Product created successfully.",
  "data": {
    "_id": "5b914211aaabdc51bf1839a9",
    "name": "Product 1",
    "description": "Good product.",
    "createdAt": "2018-09-06T15:04:49.111Z",
    "updatedAt": "2018-09-06T15:04:49.111Z",
    "__v": 0
  }
}

2.1 Read

cURL

curl http://localhost:8000 \
  -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation": "productList"}'

fetch

async function productList() {
  try {
    const config = {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ "operation": "productList" })
    }
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000', config)
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log(data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

Result

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "",
  "data": [
    {
      "_id": "5b91146bcc58ba33ee349e28",
      "name": "Hercle, habena dexter!, clabulare!",
      "description": "Tremble oddly like a unrelated pathway.",
      "createdAt": "2018-09-06T11:50:03.910Z",
      "updatedAt": "2018-09-06T11:50:03.910Z",
      "__v": 0
    },
    {
      "_id": "5b9113b3cc58ba33ee349e26",
      "name": "Passion is a small captain.",
      "description": "This turbulence has only been evacuated by a reliable proton.",
      "createdAt": "2018-09-06T11:46:59.167Z",
      "updatedAt": "2018-09-06T11:49:52.799Z",
      "__v": 0
    }
  ]
}

2.2 Read with fields selection

cURL

curl http://localhost:8000 \
  -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation": "productList", "fields": ["_id", "name"]}'

fetch

async function productList() {
  try {
    const config = {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        "operation": "productList", 
        "fields": ["_id", "name"]
      })
    }
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000', config)
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log(data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

Result

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "",
  "data": [
    {
      "_id": "5b91146bcc58ba33ee349e28",
      "name": "Hercle, habena dexter!, clabulare!"
    },
    {
      "_id": "5b9113b3cc58ba33ee349e26",
      "name": "Passion is a small captain."
    }
  ]
}

3. Update

cURL

curl http://localhost:8000 \
  -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation": "productUpdate", "params": {"_id": "5b914211aaabdc51bf1839a9", "name": "Product 1", "description": "Good product it is."}}'

fetch

async function productUpdate() {
  try {
    const config = {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        "operation": "productUpdate", 
        "params": {
          "_id": "5b914211aaabdc51bf1839a9", 
          "name": "Product 1", 
          "description": "Good product it is."
        }
      })
    }
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000', config)
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log(data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

Result

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Product updated successfully.",
  "data": {
    "n": 1,
    "nModified": 1,
    "ok": 1
  }
}

4. Delete

cURL

curl http://localhost:8000 \
  -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation": "productRemove", "params": {"productId": "5b914211aaabdc51bf1839a9"}}'

fetch

async function productRemove() {
  try {
    const config = {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        "operation": "productRemove", 
        "params": { "productId": "5b914211aaabdc51bf1839a9" }
      })
    }
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:8000', config)
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log(data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

Result

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Product removed successfully.",
  "data": {
    "n": 1,
    "ok": 1
  }
}

Setup and Running

• Prerequisites

  • Node
  • MongoDB

• Clone repo git clone git@github.com:atulmy/wispy.git wispy

• Configurations

  • Create .env for API cd api and cp .env.example .env
  • Modify /api/.env for PORT (optional)
  • Modify /web/.env for PORT / API URL (optional)

• Setup

  • API: Install packages and database setup cd api and npm run setup
  • Web: Install packages cd web and npm install

• Running

  • Run API cd api and npm start, API running at http://localhost:8000/
  • Run Web cd web and npm start, browse web app at http://localhost:3000/

• Change API to behave as RPC or REST or both

  • Available modes: { "rpc", "rest", "composite" }
  • Set endpoint.mode in api/src/setup/config/params.json to one of available modes, eg: composite

Todo

• Execute operations
• Accept params and fields selection
• Inject authentication info to operations via middleware
• Option to expose operations as REST endpoints
• Query (read)
• Mutations (create/update/delete)
• Subscriptions (websocket)
• Auto generate documentations

Authors

• Atul Yadav - GitHub · Twitter

Support

If you found this project useful, kindly donate to support it ❤️

Hire me

Looking for a developer to build your next idea or need a developer to work remotely? Get in touch: atul.12788@gmail.com

License

Copyright (c) 2018 Atul Yadav http://github.com/atulmy

The MIT License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php)