Event Recap: Beyond Boilerplate with Rob Dominguez

This past Tuesday, May 28, the Tech Square Clubhouse buzzed with excitement as developers from across Atlanta gathered for the latest Tech Tuesdays event, co-organized by Vue.js Atlanta, Atlanta JavaScript, and ReactATL and was sponsored by TrackJS & Stytch. The meetup aimed to reconnect the software development community, especially those working in JavaScript ecosystems, after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each of these monthly meetups aims to bring a technical speaker or coding activity for participants. This month, the highlight of the evening was a talk by Rob Dominguez, Senior Software Engineer at Hasura, a self-described “lazy developer” that says his laziness is actually efficiency. His presentation, titled “Beyond Boilerplate Resolvers: A Compiler-Based Approach to Building GraphQL APIs,” delved into the complexities of creating and managing GraphQL APIs. Dominguez’s presentation included a technical demonstration as well as a live demo of the Hasura GraphQL Engine. He introduced the audience to the compiler-based approach used by Hasura, which automates much of the CRUD API creation process, reducing manual coding and improving efficiency.

Key takeaways from Rob’s talk included:

1. Understanding the Challenges of GraphQL: Rob highlighted the inherent difficulties in managing GraphQL APIs, including the tedium of schema definitions and boilerplate resolvers.

2. The Benefits of Typescript: The talk also reviewed how TypeScript can help with GraphQL by leveraging typed inputs and outputs, as well as what is missing from TypeScript built in.

3. Leveraging Hasura GraphQL Engine: Rob demonstrated the build time and run time benefits of Hasura GraphQL, including generating GraphQL schemas and more.

At the end of the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and gain deeper insights into optimizing API workflows. This blend of networking, learning, and practical demonstrations reinforced the collaborative spirit of Atlanta’s tech community. Don’t miss out on the next TSQ Tuesday to connect with other members of the Atlanta tech scene and continue the conversation!

Written by Neema Tavakolian