Ion: A TypeScript-native data access layer
20 hours ago
- #GraphQL
- #Typescript
- #Data Access
- Ion is a lightweight, in-process data access layer inspired by GraphQL, designed for Typescript projects.
- It allows for declarative queries similar to GraphQL but with simpler machinery and no need for string manipulation.
- Ion queries are objects, not strings, leveraging Typescript's type safety and avoiding extra build steps.
- Resolvers in Ion are functions or constants that fetch data, organized in a nested structure similar to GraphQL resolvers.
- Ion supports resolver arguments through a nested `_resolverArgs` key, enabling dynamic query construction.
- Type safety is a key feature, with auto-derived query, result, and resolver types from a 'mother' type.
- Ion is used across backend, frontend, and internal tools for fetching data from various sources like Kubernetes, Redis, and Elasticsearch.
- Pros include consistent data access patterns, easy mocking, and flexibility in resolver implementation.
- Cons include some boilerplate for resolvers and limitations in dynamic query typing.
- Ion is minimal (~500 LOC), focusing on doing one thing well without replicating all GraphQL features.