Chapter 7. Making the data available
This chapter covers:
- Common communication patterns
- When to use webhooks, HTTP Long Polling, server-sent events, and WebSockets
- Use case: building a Meetup RSVP streaming API
We have come a long way through our architecture and are now ready to consider how to deliver the data to a streaming consumer. When designing this tier, we are faced with a similar problem as with the other tiers—that there are myriad technologies we can choose from and many ways we can build it. The other tiers have dealt with ingesting data, moving it around, analyzing it, and getting it ready for use. Without a doubt they all have their challenges and are fun and exciting to build, but I find the data access tier the most rewarding and fun of all. It is where all our hard work pays off—by delivering data to a client application. The crux of this tier is that we enable our customers to build applications with real-time features using our API. Many benefits come from having access to this type of API. One that quickly comes to mind is customers may derive quick business value by being able to see and act on data in real time. Another is by enabling developers to build more compelling applications, you can improve the development experience and empower them.