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New Post: Automate repetitive tasks with the Pinion code generator - https://lnkd.in/gXaXxgZ8 - When working with certain design patterns, your project will almost always follow a specific structure. Manually setting up these projects can be daunting and tedious. You can save yourself time by using code generators for these repetitive tasks. Code generators are tools you can use to automate repetitive tasks such as generating boilerplate code. They increase productivity by freeing up time so that you can focus on more productive areas of your project. A code generator can generate configuration files, create directories, and set up necessary tooling. These tools include linters, testing frameworks, compilers, and more. There are several code generation tools in the JavaScript ecosystem, including Pinion, Yeoman, Plop, and Hygen. In this article, we will focus on the Pinion code generator toolkit and how to use it to automate repetitive tasks. What is a code generator? Generators remove low-level, tedious, repetitive tasks such as creating directories and setting up development tools like linters, testing frameworks, compilers, and transpilers so that you focus on more productive activities like building and shipping products. Code generators also ensure you follow best practices and consistent style and structure in your project, making your project easy to maintain. Code generators typically depend on user preferences to ensure that the generated code aligns with the developer’s needs. These preferences can be specified via the command line. There are several third-party code generators developed using tools such as Yeoman. However, there is no one-size-fits-all code generator. The existing code generators may not meet your project requirements, coding style, or licensing requirements, especially when building enterprise projects. You also need to take into account the long-term maintenance and potential security issues such packages may pose. To meet your project requirements, you might need to develop your own generator using tools like Yeoman, Hygen, Plop, or Pinion. In this article, we will focus on Pinion. An introduction to Pinion Pinion is a free, open source, MIT-licensed toolkit for creating code generators. It is a lightweight Node.js package. Though you need to use TypeScript to create code generators with Pinion, you can use Pinion in any project — including those that don’t use Node.js or JavaScript. If you want to use Pinion in a non-JavaScript or non-TypeScript project, you will need to first install the supported Node.js version and initialize the project using the npm init --yes command before installing Pinion. Pinion is type-safe, fast, composable, and has a minimal API. Therefore, you can learn it fairly quickly. But unlike other similar tools like Yeoman, Plop, and Hygen, Pinion is relatively new. Using the Pinion code generator toolkit In this section, you will learn how to use Pinion to automate re

If you build applications, you should know these principles. Give them a read. 👇 1/ Take Responsibility - Own your code, your career trajectory and your impact on projects. 2/ Think Critically About Requirements - Don't just build what's asked, ensure it aligns with real user needs. 3/ Provide Options, Don't Make Decisions - Where possible, create flexible designs to support future choices. 4/ DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) - Encapsulation is key - change logic in one place, and it fixes everywhere. 5/ Make it Easy to Reuse - Design with reusability in mind for efficient future development. 6/ Eliminate Effects Between Unrelated Things - Strive for orthogonal design (minimal dependencies). 7/ There are No Final Decisions - Be prepared to adapt to change, even on seemingly fundamental choices. 8/ Use Tracer Bullets to Find the Target - Build an end-to-end skeleton early for insights. 9/ Prototype to Learn - Explore multiple possibilities before settling on a solution. 10/ Program Close to the Problem Domain - Use language and abstractions relevant to the problem space. 11/ Estimate to Avoid Surprises - Break down work, get better at task estimation over time. 12/ Iterate the Schedule with the Code - Be ready to adjust plans based on real progress. 13/ Burn the Strawman - Create early, imperfect drafts to trigger discussions and refine ideas. 14/ Test-Driven Development (TDD) - Write tests before code for clearer design and robustness. 15/ Use a Single Editor Well - Master your primary code editing tool for maximum efficiency. 16/ Always Use Source Control - Indispensable for change tracking, collaboration and recovery. 17/ Debug It Now, Not Later - Fix problems immediately to avoid a pile-up of issues. 18/ Use Saboteurs to Test Your Testing - Actively try to "break" your code to expose weaknesses. 19/ Don't Assume It, Prove It - Validate assumptions, especially on external dependencies. 20/ Minimize Coupling Between Modules - Loosely coupled code is easier to change and maintain 21/ Configure, Don't Integrate - Use configuration files to tweak behavior post-deployment. 22/ Put Abstractions to Work - Abstract commonalities to simplify your code and thinking. 23/ Design to Contract - Enforce clear expectations between code components. 24/ Invest in Your Tools - Spend time learning your IDE, debugger, profiler and other essential tools. - These are significant productivity multipliers. 25/ Sharpen Your Axe - Don't just code, invest time in learning new technologies, techniques and improving your problem-solving skills. - This pays off in the long run. Any thoughts? Do you want to add or correct something? Which one is your favourite? _______________ I enjoy sharing content on software development. If you're interested in learning, consider following or connecting with me. Mayank #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #softwarearchitecture #bestpractices #code #programminglife

🤔 How to design an effective safe 𝗔𝗣𝗜 ? (#Application #Programming #Interface) APIs have increasingly become the backbone of modern software. Ti understand some of the key principles and best practice of API design, Let's 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 🔺𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 Clarity is key when creating APIs. Adopting simple resource names, like /users for accessing user profiles and /posts for retrieving user posts, streamlines the development process and reduces mental strain. 🔺𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 It's important to maintain a standard of consistency in API design. For consistency and readability, use plural resource names, such as GET /users/{userId}/friends vs. /friend), to avoid ambiguity in API requests. 🔺𝗙𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Providing users with filtering abilities is another common requirement that drives good user experience. By using queries like GET /posts?tagged=travel, APIs only display relevant content. 🔺𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Interlinking resources, like taking comments on a post using GET /posts/{postId}/comments, simplifies the retrieval of related data. It provides a more streamlined and well-organized user experience. 🔺𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 It goes without saying, security is a must-have. To secure the API endpoints, employ authentication methods like X-AUTH-TOKEN and X-SIGNATURE, and use authorization headers for verifying user permissions. 🔺𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Using versioning and communicating version updates is another important practice. Endpoints like GET /v2/users/{userId}/posts allow API versioning to maintain functionality regardless of updates. This approach ensures backward compatibility and a smooth transition for users and us. 🔺𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 This technique is important for performance. Paginate large datasets, like feeds or comment lists, with GET /posts?page=5&pageSize=20 to enhance data delivery and UX. 🔺𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Maintaining API reliability is necessary. Idempotency ensures that operations like profile updates (PUT /users/{userId}/profile) achieve their intended result, regardless of how often they are executed. These practices are very important, but there’s still much more to API design. Thorough documentation, powerful monitoring and logging, and consistent error handling are just a few more of the many essential habits required for designing effective and safe APIs. Adopting these principles and practices enables us to develop secure and performant APIs that deliver good user experiences.

I've been seeing posts lately about Developer value, productivity and refactoring versus "fix the bug and move on with your life." I thought I'd give it a ramble, just for grins. One post illustrated at their shop each dev averages 1.48 releases to production every day. (I don't remember the exact number it was > 1 and a max of like 2.5 but it was an EXACT number, which is impressive). The post was actually about Push and Pray versus Staging. However, what caught my attention was the highlighting of a number of pushes on average versus what did those releases do to A) Increase Revenue, and by how much. B) Increase customer/user happiness and by how much. C) Increase Profits, and by how much. I've always held to the notion that Developer time is gold. Pure gold. Not only do we command relatively large salaries, but opportunity costs are astronomical in some cases. Developer time wasted is too big of a risk. Each task given to a developer should be measured in A, B or C above. If those metrics, revenue, profit and customer satisfaction can't match what one would pay to have the ticket completed, then you should enter tickets that DO. And focus on tasks that will exceed in value what you pay in development costs. Not only is that sustainable business but it is also better for Developer morale, happiness and productivity. We love to hear about how we helped the business, in those terms (A, B, C). Not so much we completed X amount of busy work last quarter. Another sort of theme I've seen by the magic of social media feed AI is the age old debate of refactoring versus patching. I wanted to write down some stuff about that versus A, B and C above. I think if your codebase has significant design flaws that are affecting those it should be evaluated as a ticket. Negative impacts can be accounted in the same way. Prohibiting growth can also be accounted against development costs. Most of the time if it's not broken, we don't fix it. And SHOULDN'T fix it, because revenue, profit and customer satisfaction are not impacted at all. But sometimes those issues DO affect those things significantly. My recent case is I have a code base I wrote completely myself, years ago, and it was fairly unfinished. It involved a manual 30–60-minute process of collecting data, sorting data, massaging data, pasting data, 3x each, etc. Not a huge deal, easily automated yet if you have to do that once or twice per quarter, you can't justify hiring a dev to automate it. Until you forget to do it. And the "business" loses money. It wasn't broken, I didn't fix it. Because fixing it meant refactoring the entire data model, switching the entire data source, introducing a 3rd party tool (which actually became 2 3rd party tools) and all the joy that comes with that sort of thing. Until the "business" lost enough money to where the 12-18 story points required to complete that work got backlogged and the "dev team" picked it up. Dev Time is gold. Use it wisely.

Plain and simple

In Chapter 5 of my ongoing series on API design, we dive deep into real-world API design scenarios and how to apply the concepts we’ve discussed so far to create robust, user-friendly APIs. While we discuss best practices, it's important to remember that in the real world, it’s not always possible to implement everything perfectly. But a good software engineer knows the right path and makes smart trade-offs to build scalable and maintainable systems without compromising on quality. The goal is to always be mindful of the big picture while staying practical. 🔍 What’s Inside: Scenario 1: Designing a simple REST API for resource management. We explore the RESTful design approach, its simplicity, and why it's a solid choice when dealing with CRUD operations. Scenario 2: Moving to event-driven architecture with WebHooks for real-time updates. We discussed the pros and cons of different event-driven methods (like WebSockets and HTTP Streaming) before settling on WebHooks for scalability and ease of integration. These scenarios provide real-world examples and highlight the importance of iterating and gathering feedback to build functional, scalable, and user-centric APIs. Learning how to write clear API specifications, using feedback loops to avoid mistakes, and using mock data and beta testers for refinement are important steps in the process. 🙌 Explore the full series here: https://lnkd.in/dFrnwUKE

API Design Principles: Crafting Scalable and Maintainable Interfaces Hey there, API enthusiasts! 🤝 As an API design expert, I've seen firsthand the power of well-crafted interfaces. They can make or break your application's success. So, let's dive into some key principles for creating scalable and maintainable APIs: 1. Embrace Versioning: Versioning allows you to evolve your API without breaking existing clients. Use semantic versioning to indicate breaking changes and ensure compatibility. 2. Keep it Simple: Design your API with simplicity in mind. Avoid unnecessary complexity and focus on providing a clear and intuitive interface. 3. Use Standard Formats: Stick to industry-standard formats like JSON or XML for data exchange. This makes it easier for clients to consume and process your data. 4. Document Thoroughly: Provide comprehensive documentation that explains your API's functionality, parameters, and error handling. This will save developers time and frustration. 5. Test Rigorously: Thoroughly test your API to ensure it's reliable and handles edge cases gracefully. Use automated testing tools to streamline the process. 6. Monitor and Measure: Monitor your API's performance and usage patterns. This will help you identify areas for improvement and ensure it meets your users' needs. 7. Seek Feedback: Engage with your users and gather feedback on your API's usability and functionality. This will help you make informed decisions about future enhancements. Remember, designing a great API is an iterative process. By following these principles, you can create interfaces that are scalable, maintainable, and empower your applications to thrive. #APIDesign #Scalability #Maintainability #SoftwareDevelopment

🚀 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! Design patterns are practical tools for building flexible, maintainable, and scalable systems. Whether you're designing or refactoring, these patterns can make all the difference. Here's a quick breakdown of 𝟭𝟮 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 I've found particularly useful: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻: Guarantees a single instance of a class. I’ve used this to ensure configuration settings are centralized and accessed consistently across an application. 𝟮. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: Enables flexible object creation without hardcoding class types. It's great for scenarios where object types can change based on conditions (e.g., creating different types of reports). 𝟯. 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿: Notifies components of changes, useful in event-driven systems like real-time dashboard updates. 𝟰. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: Dynamically adds functionality to objects. A perfect fit when extending UI components without changing their core logic, like adding custom validation layers. 𝟱. 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿: Makes incompatible systems work together. We used this when integrating legacy systems with modern APIs, translating old data formats into new ones seamlessly. 𝟲. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Allows dynamic switching of algorithms. This is handy in optimization problems, like choosing the best pathfinding algorithm depending on the dataset size. 𝟳. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱: Encapsulates actions as objects. I’ve leveraged this pattern in undo/redo functionalities within an editing application, making it easier to manage action histories. 𝟴. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲: Simplifies interaction with complex systems. Think of it like a single API gateway for microservices, masking the internal complexity for external clients. 𝟵. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘅𝘆: Manages access to objects. We implemented this in security scenarios where we needed to control and log access to sensitive resources, such as user data. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿: Breaks down complex object creation into manageable steps—great for assembling UI components. 𝟭𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: Handles individual and group elements uniformly, ideal for hierarchical structures. 𝟭𝟮. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: Centralizes communication between objects. In large systems, this helps reduce dependencies, particularly in microservices, where coordination between services is key. 🔑 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Use patterns wisely—they solve specific problems. Knowing when and where to use them is key. I’d like to extend a big thanks to Omkar Srivastava for originally sharing this insightful content [Om Srivastava's Original Post](https://lnkd.in/gs3Qn3iQ). 📥𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲👍𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 💬𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 🔄𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 to share these insights! #DesignPatterns #SoftwareDevelopment #TechTips #ProgrammingInsights #SoftwareArchitecture #BestPractices #SaveForLater #DeveloperLife

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗔𝗣𝗜𝘀? APIs have increasingly become the backbone of modern software. 𝗧𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 some of the 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 and 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, Let's 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 Clarity is key when creating APIs. Adopting simple resource names, like /users for accessing user profiles and /posts for retrieving user posts, streamlines the development process and reduces mental strain. 🔹 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 It's important to maintain a standard of consistency in API design. For consistency and readability, use plural resource names, such as GET /users/{userId}/friends vs. /friend), to avoid ambiguity in API requests. 🔹 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Interlinking resources, like taking comments on a post using GET /posts/{postId}/comments, simplifies the retrieval of related data. It provides a more streamlined and well-organized user experience. 🔹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 It goes without saying, security is a must-have. To secure the API endpoints, employ authentication methods like X-AUTH-TOKEN and X-SIGNATURE, and use authorization headers for verifying user permissions. Learn more about API security here: https://lnkd.in/g-uJqhvc 🔹 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Using versioning and communicating version updates is another important practice. Endpoints like GET /v2/users/{userId}/posts allow API versioning to maintain functionality regardless of updates. This approach ensures backward compatibility and a smooth transition for users and us. Learn more about API versioning here: https://lnkd.in/g9sSaaMt 🔹 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 This technique is important for performance. Paginate large datasets, like feeds or comment lists, with GET /posts?page=5&pageSize=20 to enhance data delivery and UX. 🔹 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Maintaining API reliability is necessary. Idempotency ensures that operations like profile updates (PUT /users/{userId}/profile) achieve their intended result, regardless of how often they are executed. These practices are very important, but there’s still much more to API design. Learn more about API design here: https://lnkd.in/gjSsCDRy Thorough documentation, robust monitoring and logging, and consistent error handling are just a few more of the many essential habits required for designing effective and safe APIs. Adopting these principles and practices enables us to develop secure and performant APIs that deliver good user experiences.

API Design best practices