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Comment by SemanticStrengh | Hacker News Reader

Why graohQL vs allowing the frontend to do SQL queries, andnthe backend eventually preprocessing them before asking the DB.

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GraphQL allows backend teams to retain control on how data is aggregated, and doesn't couple the database schema to the API's representation of the data. The frontend can get exactly what it needs when it needs it, without letting frontend engineers go totally wild and take down the DB (unless the backend engineers let them).

Why not expose a replicated database with read only permissions? On the write side, are people really making use of the flexibility of GraphQL? Because I can't think of a great use case for that, versus just opening up your database.

Avoiding coupling the database schema is reasonable, but IME, APIs get stuck in backwards compatibility land and stop making sense anyway. Maybe this is better solved with good views on the read side, and perhaps the write side is open for innovation at the database level?

Read-only permissions still leave you open to resource exhaustion attacks.

On the write side, it's nice to have your query return structured data that can automatically update your client-side cache.

There seems like a simpler framework hiding in here somewhere. One that can mitigate DOS and mirror your data on the client side.

Yeah and if you really don't want the frontend and backend teams to have to talk to each other, you can let the frontend maintain their own views.

The elephant in the room is that backend simply don't have enough work if you let people use javascript and sql to its full potential.

Not all clients are written in js (android, iOS). For mobile apps, you’re better off having most logic exist on the backend

This is completely solved with Ionic/electron. The smartphones ivory tower will fade with time

I don’t think solved is the right word. You can build apps using ionic/electron but native apps are objectively better

> objectively better

The myth will keep being repeated for decades

Not all APIs are about reading and writing data though. You might want an api to create a db entry but also kick off an async task.

GraphQL isn't going to buy much of anything there, is it?

Although SQL has stored procedures, I agree

Like people advocating sqlite in busy prod settings, this is squarely "a few rare people swear by this" territory. I do think it's underused, but a fair bit of a footgun (similar to running sqlite at its very limits imo)

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