Real-Time Database Messaging - node.js

We've got an application in Django running against a PGSQL database. One of the functions we've grown to support is real-time messaging to our UI when data is updated in the backend DB.
So... for example we show the contents of a customer table in our UI, as records are added/removed/updated from the backend customer DB table we echo those updates to our UI in real-time via some redis/socket.io/node.js magic.
Currently we've rolled our own solution for this entire thing using overloaded save() methods on the Django table models. That actually works pretty well for our current functions but as tables continue to grow into GB's of data, it is starting to slow down on some larger tables as our engine digs through the current 'subscribed' UI's and messages out appropriately which updates are needed as which clients.
Curious what other options might exist here. I believe MongoDB and other no-sql type engines support some constructs like this out of the box but I'm not finding an exact hit when Googling for better solutions.

Currently we've rolled our own solution for this entire thing using
overloaded save() methods on the Django table models.
Instead of working on the app level you might want to work on the lower, database level.
Add a PostgreSQL trigger after row insertion, and use pg_notify to notify external apps of the change.
Then in NodeJS:
var PGPubsub = require('pg-pubsub');
var pubsubInstance = new PGPubsub('postgres://username#localhost/tablename');
pubsubInstance.addChannel('channelName', function (channelPayload) {
// Handle the notification and its payload
// If the payload was JSON it has already been parsed for you
});
See that and that.
And you will be able to to the same in Python https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pgpubsub/0.0.2.
Finally, you might want to use data-partitioning in PostgreSQL. Long story short, PostgreSQL has already everything you need :)

Related

Node.js: Is there an advantage to populating page data using Socket.io vs res.render(), or vice-versa?

Let's say, hypothetically, I am working on a website which provides live score updates for sporting fixtures.
A script checks an external API for updates every few seconds. If there is a new update, the information is saved to a database, and then pushed out to the user.
When a new user accesses the website, a script queries the database and populates the page with all the information ingested so far.
I am using socket.io to push live updates. However, when someone is accessing the page for the first time, I have a couple of options:
I could use the existing socket.io infrastructure to populate the page
I could request the information when routing the user, pass it into res.render() as an argument and render the data using, for example, Pug.
In this circumstance, my instinct would be to utilise the existing socket.io infrastructure; purely because it would save me writing additional code. However, I am curious to know whether there are any other reasons for, or against, using either approach. For example, would it be more performant to render the data, initially, using one approach or the other?

Sequelize - Change Watcher (one database, two different apps)

I have two different Node Projects that access to the same database with sequelize.
One of the Node Apps (kind of backoffice) updates some tables and the other one use the data of that tables to performs some operation.
The thing is that this data should not be changed constantly and the second app need to be as fast as possible, thats why the second app querys the tables once (when app starts) and then stores this data in memory so it can do the operations faster (because the are no i/o to database).
My problem is that sometimes, this data may change throw the first app, and as this two apps have no contact between them (for security reasons) the only way I see is to have some "dirty" flag in some table of the database, and then make the first app to change it after some update and the second app to query each X seconds in order to check if this flag has been changed.
I don't like this approach and that's why I'm posting this question:
Does Sequelize provides a better or fancy way to do this ?
like some kind of "changes/dirty" watcher
Thanks in advance

Switch Databases dynamically

I'm doing a POS(point of sale) as Saas with React in the frontend, NodeJs in backend(API Rest) and MongoDB as the database.
I've finished a basic program and now I want any user is registered will have his own database.
After read some articles and question on the internet my conclusion was switch between databases each time the frontend consume the backend(API).
General Logic:
User Log in
In the backend, I use a general database to check user credentials and also I acquire the name of the database of this user.
Each time the frontend consumes the API the next codes are executed in a middleware to know what database should use the API:
var dbUser = db.useDb('nameDataBaseUser');
var Product = dbUser.model('Product', ProductSquema);
I have the schemas and the variable 'db' defined fixed in the code:
var db = mongoose.createConnection('mongodb://localhost');
Problem:
I don't know if is the correct solution about what I am trying to make, but it seems me inefficient that the model is generated constantly each time the API is called, because in some API(i.e in some middlewares I have until 4 different models)
Question:
This is the best way? or any suggestion to face this problem?
Not sure about the idea of creating a new db for each new user. That seems to create a lot of complexity and makes it difficult to maintain, and makes it difficult to access the data for analytics and such later. Why not use a new collection per new user? That way you can use just one set of db access credentials. Furthermore, Creating a new collection happens automatically when you store data for it.

How to fetch from nodejs-api-starter into react-starter-kit

I am trying out React-Starter-Kit for the first time and loving all the cutting edge features baked in (apollo/graphql-client in particular). A crucial part of any app for me is the database, and for that my understanding is the same author provides nodejs-api-starter which sets up a REST interface for accessing Postgres at localhost:5000 and has a graphql webui at localhost:5000/graphl.
That is about as far as I have been able to understand of the setup so far. I have changed the frontend code a little bit so a new Component "Counter" is loaded on the home page. I need to be able to make a new counter, fetch the latest counter, and increment decrement the counter. Write now the component just outputs the 'value' retrieved from the server at 5000.
I do not think I am accessing the 5000 server correctly, do I put the port in this url line somehow?
You can pull the repo down from : https://github.com/Falieson/react-starter-kit-crud-counter-demo
This is my first time setting up a nodejs api server, I am used to using MeteorJS which has pub/sub to MongoDB baked in. I am looking forward to the separation the RSK strategy (which seems more industry standard?) provides.
I've just done setting up the full site with Database from React-Stater-Kit, I'm also a newbie so I understand your frustration.
About this question, you don't need the NodeJS-API-Starter, it has enhanced function ( such as Redis cache ) and it's not suited for newbies. You should look deeper into the RSK, it already has the DB. If you ran the boilerplate and played around, change is you'll see file database.sqlite in your folder, it's the database. Here are the things you should learn:
Use SequelizeJS to connect the NodeJS server with database. Your database can be MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL or SQLite. The connection is easy and there's tool to auto-generate Models from your database
How to create GraphQL's Types and Queries. If your queries need to search through the database, import Sequelize's models and use its functions.
Test your API via GraphQLi
Note: if you want to use MongoDB or other NoSQL, try Mongoose instead of Sequelize.

Fetching Initial Data from CloudKit

Here is a common scenario: app is installed the first time and needs some initial data. You could bundle it in the app and have it load from a plist or something, or a CSV file. Or you could go get it from a remote store.
I want to get it from CloudKit. Yes, I know that CloudKit is not to be treated as a remote database but rather a hub. I am fine with that. Frankly I think this use case is one of the only holes in that strategy.
Imagine I have an object graph I need to get that has one class at the base and then 3 or 4 related classes. I want the new user to install the app and then get the latest version of this class. If I use CloudKit, I have to load each entity with a separate fetch and assemble the whole. It's ugly and not generic. Once I do that, I will go into change tracking mode. Listening for updates and syncing my local copy.
In some ways this is similar to the challenge that you have using Services on Android: suppose I have a service for the weather forecast. When I subscribe to it, I will not get the weather until tomorrow when it creates its next new forecast. To handle the deficiency of this, the Android Services SDK allows me to make 'sticky' services where I can get the last message that service produced upon subscribing.
I am thinking of doing something similar in a generic way: making it possible to hold a snapshot of some object graph, probably in JSON, with a version token, and then for initial loads, just being able to fetch those and turn them into CoreData object graphs locally.
Question is does this strategy make sense or should I hold my nose and write pyramid of doom code with nested queries? (Don't suggest using CoreData syncing as that has been deprecated.)
Your question is a bit old, so you probably already moved on from this, but I figured I'd suggest an option.
You could create a record type called Data in the Public database in your CloudKit container. Within Data, you could have a field named structure that is a String (or a CKAsset if you wanted to attach a JSON file).
Then on every app load, you query the public database and pull down the structure string that has your classes definitions and use it how you like. Since it's in the public database, all your users would have access to it. Good luck!

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