GraphQL with MongoDB - Development Setup

Overview

This repository provides a complete setup for developing a GraphQL backend with MongoDB using Node.js. The project is designed for local development with Visual Studio Code and includes a Docker Compose configuration to run MongoDB easily.

Features

• GraphQL API: CRUD operations for sample entities (User, Sample).
• MongoDB Integration: Uses mongoose for schema modeling and database interactions.
• History Tracking System: Automatic change tracking for selected models stored in a unified collection.
• Dockerized MongoDB: Includes a docker-compose.yml file to run a MongoDB instance on port 27017.
• Development Tools:
  • pnpm for dependency management.
  • dotenv for managing environment variables.
  • Apollo GraphQL for GraphQL implementation
  • MongoDB Playground scripts for database inspection and testing
• VS Code Integration:
  • Workspace settings in .vscode/settings.json.
  • Debugging support with a launch.json configuration.
  • MongoDB for VS Code extension integration

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Docker Desktop (Latest version is recommended)

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository (via SSH)

   If you haven't cloned the repository yet, run the following commands:

   git clone [email protected]:totopoloco/sample-graphql.git
   cd sample-graphql

2. Check WSL integration is enabled in Docker Desktop

   Please go to the settings page of Docker Desktop and select the WSL integration option. Ensure that the checkbox 'Enable integration with my default WSL distro' is selected and that 'Ubuntu' is chosen.

3. Open the project

   The project should then be opened in MS Visual Studio Code, where the IDE will create the development environment.

Code structure

sample-graphql/
├── .devcontainer/      # Development environment configuration
├── index.js            # Main entry point
├── models/             # Mongoose schemas
│   ├── User.ts         # User model definition
│   ├── Sample.ts       # Sample model definition
│   ├── History.ts      # History model for change tracking
│   └── plugins/        # Mongoose plugins
│       └── historyPlugin.ts  # Change tracking plugin
├── graphql/            # GraphQL
│   ├── resolvers/      # Domain-specific resolvers
│   │   ├── index.ts    # Combines all resolvers
│   │   ├── user.ts     # User-related resolvers
│   │   ├── sample.ts   # Sample-related resolvers
│   │   └── history.ts  # History query resolvers
│   ├── typeDefs.ts     # GraphQL type definitions
│   └── mergedSchema.ts # Combined schema
├── mongo_playground/   # MongoDB playground scripts
│   ├── playground-1.mongodb.js      # View all history records
│   └── playground-model.mongodb.js  # Filter history by model
├── .vscode/            # VS Code workspace settings
├── .env                # Environment variables
├── package.json
├── README.md
├── .gitignore
└── LICENSE             # MIT

Environment variables

It is important to note that the intercommunication between services in Docker Desktop is specified by the service name. The contents of the .env file are as follows:

PORT=4000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://root:example@mongodb:27017/mydatabase?authSource=admin
CONTEXT_PATH=/graphql
TRACKABLES=User,Sample

History Tracking System

The application includes an automated history tracking system for monitoring changes to database entities.

Features

• Unified History Collection: All changes are stored in a single histories collection
• Configurable Tracking: Control which models are tracked via the TRACKABLES environment variable
• Operation Logging: Captures UPDATE and DELETE operations with before/after values
• GraphQL Integration: Query history data through the GraphQL API

Using History Tracking

1. Configure Trackable Models

   Set which models should have change tracking in your .env file:

   TRACKABLES=User,Sample
   

2. Query History via GraphQL

   query GetModelHistory {
     history(modelName: "Sample", sortOrder: DESC) {
       id
       originalId
       operation
       oldValues
       newValues
       historyAt
       changedBy
     }
   }

3. Explore History with MongoDB Playground Scripts

   • Use playground-all.mongodb.js to view all history records
   • Use playground-model.mongodb.js to filter history by model type
   • Use playground-delete-history.mongodb.js to delete all the records by model name

GraphQL API Examples

Query Samples with Owner Information

query Samples {
  samples {
    id
    name
    description
    sampleType
    owner {
      email
    }
  }
}

Query History Records

query GetHistory {
  history(modelName: "User", sortOrder: DESC) {
    id
    originalId
    operation
    oldValues
    newValues
    historyAt
  }
}