loopbackjs: Attach a model to different datasources - node.js

Question

I have defined several models that use a Datasource "db" (mysql) for my environment.
Is there any way to have several datasources attached to those models, so I would be able to perform REST operations to different databases?
i.e:
GET /api/Things?ds="db"
GET /api/Things?ds="anotherdb"
GET /api/Things (will use default ds)

Answer 1

As #superkhau pointed above, each LoopBack Model can be attached to a single data-source only.
You can create (subclass) a new model for each datasource you want to use. Then you can either expose these per-datasource models via unique REST URLs, or you can implement a wrapper model that will dispatch methods to the correct datasource-specific model.
In my example, I'll show how to expose per-datasource models for a Car model that is attached to db and anotherdb. The Car model is defined in the usual way via common/models/car.json and common/models/car.js.
Now you need to define per-datasource models:
// common/models/car-db.js
{
"name": "Car-db",
"base": "Car",
"http": {
"path": "/cars:db"
}
}
// common/models/car-anotherdb.js
{
"name": "Car-anotherdb",
"base": "Car",
"http": {
"path": "/cars:anotherdb"
}
}
// server/model-config.json
{
"Car": {
"dataSource": "default"
},
"Car-db": {
"dataSource": "db"
},
"Car-anotherdb": {
"dataSource": "anotherdb"
}
}
Now you have the following URLs available:
GET /api/Cars:db
GET /api/Cars:anotherdb
GET /api/Cars
The solution outlined above has two limitations: you have to define a new model for each datasource and the datasource cannot be selected using a query parameter.
To fix that, you need a different approach. I'll again assume there is a Car model already defined.
Now you need to create a "dispatcher".
// common/models/car-dispatcher.json
{
"name": "CarDispatcher",
"base": "Model", //< important!
"http": {
"path": "/cars"
}
}
// common/models/car-dispatcher.js
var loopback = require('loopback').PersistedModel;
module.exports = function(CarDispatcher) {
Car.find = function(ds, filter, cb) {
var model = this.findModelForDataSource(ds);
model.find(filter, cb);
};
// a modified copy of remoting metadata from loopback/lib/persisted-model.js
Car.remoteMethod('find', {
isStatic: true,
description: 'Find all instances of the model matched by filter from the data source',
accessType: 'READ',
accepts: [
{arg: 'ds', type: 'string', description: 'Name of the datasource to use' },
{arg: 'filter', type: 'object', description: 'Filter defining fields, where, orderBy, offset, and limit'}
],
returns: {arg: 'data', type: [typeName], root: true},
http: {verb: 'get', path: '/'}
});
// TODO: repeat the above for all methods you want to expose this way
Car.findModelForDataSource = function(ds) {
var app = this.app;
var ds = ds && app.dataSources[ds] || app.dataSources.default;
var modelName = this.modelName + '-' + ds;
var model = loopback.findModel(modelName);
if (!model) {
model = loopback.createModel(
modelName,
{},
{ base: this.modelName });
}
return model;
};
};
The final bit is to remove Car and use CarDispatcher in the model config:
// server/model-config.json
{
"CarDispatcher": {
dataSource: null,
public: true
}
}

Answer 2

By default, you can only attach data sources on a per-model basis. Meaning you can attach each model to a different data source via datasources.json.
For your use case, you will to add a remote hook to each endpoint you want for multiple data sources. In your remote hook, you will do something like:
...
var ds1 = Model.app.dataSources.ds1;
var ds2 = Model.app.dataSources.ds2;
//some logic to pick a data source
if (context.req.params...
...
See http://docs.strongloop.com/display/LB/Remote+hooks for more info.

Answer 3

For anyone still looking for a working answer to this, the solution for switching databases on the fly was to write a middleware script that examined the request path and then created a new DataSource connector, passing in a variable based on the req.path variable. For example, if the request path is /orders, then "orders" as a string would be saved in a variable, then we attached a new Datasource, passing in that variable for "orders". Here's the complete working code.
'use strict';
const DataSource = require('loopback-datasource-juggler').DataSource;
const app = require('../server.js');
module.exports = function() {
return function datasourceSelector(req, res, next) {
// Check if the API request path contains one of our models.
// We could use app.models() here, but that would also include
// models we don't want.
let $models = ['offers', 'orders', 'prducts'];
// $path expects to be 'offers', 'orders', 'prducts'.
let $path = req.path.toLowerCase().split("/")[1];
// Run our function if the request path is equal to one of
// our models, but not if it also includes 'count'. We don't
// want to run this twice unnecessarily.
if (($models.includes($path, 0)) && !(req.path.includes('count'))) {
// The angular customer-select form adds a true value
// to the selected property of only one customer model.
// So we search the customers for that 'selected' = true.
let customers = app.models.Customer;
// Customers.find() returns a Promise, so we need to get
// our selected customer from the results.
customers.find({"where": {"selected": true}}).then(function(result){
// Called if the operation succeeds.
let customerDb = result[0].name;
// Log the selected customer and the timestamp
// it was selected. Needed for debugging and optimization.
let date = new Date;
console.log(customerDb, $path+req.path, date);
// Use the existing veracore datasource config
// since we can use its environment variables.
let settings = app.dataSources.Veracore.settings;
// Clear out the veracore options array since that
// prevents us from changing databases.
settings.options = null;
// Add the selected customer to the new database value.
settings.database = customerDb;
try {
let dataSource = new DataSource(settings);
// Attach our models to the new database selection.
app.models.Offer.attachTo(dataSource);
app.models.Order.attachTo(dataSource);
app.models.Prduct.attachTo(dataSource);
} catch(err) {
console.error(err);
}
})
// Called if the customers.find() promise fails.
.catch(function(err){
console.error(err);
});
}
else {
// We need a better solution for paths like '/orders/count'.
console.log(req.path + ' was passed to datasourceSelector().');
}
next();
};
};