la-graphql-api

The LA-API provides an interface between educational data sources and learning analytics tools. GraphQL is used to modularise dependencies, providing flexibility for extending both sides of a complex learning ecosystem.

Setup

• requires node v10.2, npm, git installed
• git clone https://github.com/uts-cic/graphql-la-api.git
• npm install
• cp .env.default .env
• update .env
• npm start
• This will start server http://localhost:8080/graphql

Stack used

• node
• npm
• graphql
• express
• mongoose

Project Structure

.
├── models                  # stores all the mongoDB schemas for collections
├── services                # stores files for connecting to third party api's
├── .env                    # stores all configurable parameters like DB usernames, passwords etc (added to .gitignore)
├── index.js                # entry point for the graphql server
├── resolvers.js            # resolvers for fileds names specified in the graphql schema
├── schema.js               # graphql SDL
├── package.json            # npm packages required
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Development

npm start will start nodemon and will keep checking for changes in the files and reload the server automatically For Production use PM2, forever or similar to keep node running.

Contributions

• Fork the repo.
• Merge changes into the repo on a separate branch

FAQ

To add a new service

• Decide the required output and add it to the schema.js type Book { name: String author: String }
• Add the query type {Query { getBooks() : Book } }
• Next need to resolve the query so go to resolver.js and add a function getBook() to fetch all the books.
• Data source for the Book may be either mongoDB or any other database or a third part API
  • if MongoDB -> create a model (schema) for the book collection like by creating a new file under models/book.js. replicate the code in models/note.js or models/user.js and update the fields Note: this is the database schema and not the graphql schema we defined above.
  • if Third Party API (REST or GraphQL) create a file under services/book.js (name could be anything). Use node fetch, http, or request to fetch book data. npm isntall required packages or consider using https://www.apollographql.com/docs/apollo-server/v2/features/data-sources.html
  • if another database (postgresql or mysql or any other db), create a model under models/book.js to match the table schema and export it.
• import all the newly created models (db schema) into resolver.js or add it to the datasources like (https://github.com/uts-cic/la-graphql-api/blob/5f927804bd435c3bedfbdba91a0cf38cd04f2689/index.js#L41). This will make the datasource (functions) available in the resolver.js
• Check the graphql API output.

Note: This is just a quick easy way to get started, please feel free to experiment and play around to get optimised results.

Update the port number

Update const PORT = 9000 in index.js

Update MongoDB Port

Update line 18 :27017 to the port mongodb is running on in index.js