thomasgauvin
commented
10 months ago Hi Jerry, thanks for putting this together. This is an important feature for Static Web Apps as well, given that we have worked closely with DAB in order to build our the Database connections feature. Here are a few changes I propose:
- Instead of /config, could we make it the default page of the root (ie http://localhost:5001)? Considering that we do not use the root path and that this is a main page for the development experience, it could be more easily accessible if it is accessed from the root.
- The configurator should be included with DAB, with no additional installs/tools necessary. It should be available with Development mode, but not Production mode.
I have some screenshots I could attach to this RFC as well, let me know if we are ready to make those public or are awaiting approvals.
Aniruddh25
JerryNixon
Summary
Develop a UI editor that helps creates, modify and publish the
dab-config.jsonfile used for bootstrapping Data API builder.Motivation
The
dab-config.jsonfile is getting more and more complex. This project aims to ease creation of this comprehensive JSON configuration file, and to help developers adopt Data API builder for their Data API on Azure SQL DB, MySQL, SQL Server, Cosmos DB, and PostgreSQL. Today, it can be edited by hand, or CLI, but with this project - it can be done via a rich UI to help developers understand the settings and set them accurately.Description
Build the C# Blazor app which will be hosted inside the Data API builder engine for a design time experience to help developers accelerate their solutions.
Old behavior
Edit the
dab-config.jsonin a json editor by hand or CLI.New behavior
Create & edit the
dab-config.jsonfile in a guided UI.Hosted UI already in Data API builder
Data API builder already hosts several UI to enhance the developer experience.
https://localhost:5001/swaggeris the REST testbed.https://localhost:5001/api/openapiis the REST schema.https://localhost:5001/graphqlis the GraphQL testbed.New, hosted UI for configuring the
dab-config.jsonfile.Data API builder will add a UI to continue enhancing the developer experience.
https://localhost:5001/configurationis the DAB configurator.Business Value
The configuration file is very complex. A friendly UI will help simplify adoption and improve the developer experience. As a result, they will be using a tool that promotes Azure SQL, SQL Server, and other Azure databases.
Pillar
Developer Experience
Enjoyable
Type
1 Software Engineer
Feasibility
Questions
How does the developer access the configurator? Run
dab startthen navigate tohttp://localhost:5001/configurationWhat if there is no
dab-config.json? It's allowed. DAB will start without errors or any endpoints.What happens when the configurator saves changes? Until hot-reload is enabled, the runtime will restart. Hot-reload is not a dependency.
Is the configurator limited to development environment? Yes. This is for developers. This is not currently a production feature.
Does the runtime pass the path of
dab-config.jsonor the config content to the UI? The path. It will be important that the path be passed and the UI read/write on its own.Does the configurator have security? No. The configurator is a developer feature in the development environment without security.
Is the configurator intended to replace the CLI? No. The CLI is important to invoke the runtime. Though the CLI's role to build
dab-config.jsonmay change.Does the configurator integrate in Azure portal? No. There is no plan to do this. The configurator is for the development environment.