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0 pointseric_bullington11y ago0 comments

>...your API...is where the heavy lifting is, anyway, so it makes sense to have stronger typing, richer data types, etc. at this level.

I've had the opposite experience with the SPA projects I've worked on, one of them pretty large.

With the possible exception of authorization/authentication, the API for all my projects has been pretty straightforward, whereas the client-side app has been where I've missed stronger typing and rich data types most acutely, to the point where I've been actively evaluating compile-to-js alternatives with a better/safer type system.

However, with the advent of Facebook's Flow, I might just stick with JS.

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2 comments · 2 top-level

Todd11y ago

I guess what I meant was that there can be significant data manipulation at the API level, and this calls for more language and runtime support.

Agreed that client code can become very complex. It's one of the reasons I avoided doing too much on the client in the past. My solution to this has been to use TypeScript, which is fantastic for solving this sort of problem. Yes, it moves away from prototypal inheritance. It also doesn't play nice with JSX. It's still hugely worth it for me. I haven't tried Flow but it looks like it addresses the same problems.

empthought11y ago

Seems like the classic tension between SPA and ROCA.[1]

[1]: http://roca-style.org

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