Maintainable - Tanmai Gopal: Unlocking the Potential of Unified APIs

Tanmai Gopal: Unlocking the Potential of Unified APIs

07/23/24 • 44 min

In this episode of Maintainable, Robby Russell sits down with Tanmai Gopal, the CEO and co-founder of Hasura. Tanmai shares his insights into the characteristics of well-maintained software and the importance of a codebase that no team member fears. He emphasizes the need for accessibility and understandability in code, making it easier for developers to work with and iterate upon.

Tanmai dives deep into the metaphor of technical debt, urging teams to prioritize product outcomes over best practices. He highlights the value of addressing technical debt contextually and in a way that aligns with product goals.

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the concept of the "super graph" in GraphQL. Tanmai explains how a unified API, created through federated GraphQL, can streamline API integration and reduce latency. He compares GraphQL with RESTful APIs, showcasing the advantages of a graph-based approach for handling complex data relationships.

Tanmai also introduces Hasura's platform, which introspects databases, code, and APIs to create a comprehensive super graph. This platform simplifies API management, making it easier for developers to maintain and evolve their applications.

Listeners will also learn about Hasura's upcoming user conference and the new features they plan to unveil. Tanmai shares his top science fiction book recommendations and where to follow his thoughts on software engineering online.

Key Takeaways:

The importance of a fearless codebase for well-maintained software.
Strategies to improve code accessibility and understandability.
The metaphor of technical debt and its contextual importance.
The concept and benefits of a super graph in GraphQL.
How Hasura simplifies API management through introspection.
Upcoming Hasura user conference and new features.

Resources Mentioned:

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Key Takeaways:

The importance of a fearless codebase for well-maintained software.
Strategies to improve code accessibility and understandability.
The metaphor of technical debt and its contextual importance.
The concept and benefits of a super graph in GraphQL.
How Hasura simplifies API management through introspection.
Upcoming Hasura user conference and new features.

Resources Mentioned:

Thanks to Our Sponsor!

Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and soon, other frameworks.

It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! Check them out!

Subscribe to Maintainable on:

Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Previous Episode

James Socol: Building Social Capital in Engineering Teams

In this episode of the Maintainable Software Podcast, Robby Russell sits down with James Socol, a Staff Engineer at Fastly, to discuss the art of maintaining legacy code and the nuances of technical debt versus technical depreciation.

Key Topics Discussed:

Characteristics of Well-Maintained Code: James shares his insights on what defines well-maintained code, emphasizing the importance of continuous maintenance, testing, and encapsulation.
Technical Debt vs. Technical Depreciation: James introduces the concept of technical depreciation, distinguishing it from technical debt and explaining how time affects software maintenance.
Balancing Old and New Patterns: The discussion explores the challenges of integrating modern standards into legacy systems and finding a healthy balance.
20% Time for Maintenance: James advocates for dedicating a portion of engineering capacity to maintenance tasks, drawing parallels to Google's 20% time concept.
Onboarding Strategies: James offers valuable advice for new hires, emphasizing observation, gradual involvement, and building social capital within the team.
Continuous Delivery and Big Changes: Insights into managing significant changes in a continuous delivery environment, with practical strategies for maintaining stability.

Resources Mentioned:

Books:

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher & William Ury
Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet

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Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and soon, other frameworks.

It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! Check them out!

Subscribe to Maintainable on:

Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

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Next Episode

Julia Ferraioli - Capturing Untold Open Source Stories

Welcome to the Maintainable Software Podcast! In this episode, Robby speaks with Julia Ferraioli, an Open Source AI/ML Strategist at AWS and co-founder of Open Source Stories. Julia joins us from Seattle, Washington, and shares her insights into the world of open source, AI, and software maintainability.

Key Topics:

Well-Maintained Software: Julia shares her thoughts on the characteristics of well-maintained software, emphasizing the importance of avoiding "clever" code that is often unmaintainable.
Creative vs. Assembly Process: The discussion touches on the balance between software as a creative endeavor and an assembly process, highlighting the need for maintainability.
Ternary Operators and Readability: Julia provides her perspective on the use of ternary operators and how certain programming language features can impact code readability and maintainability.
Open Source Stories: Julia discusses the origins and goals of Open Source Stories, a narrative project that captures the untold stories of open-source contributors.
Challenges in Open Source: The episode delves into the challenges faced by open source contributors, including cultural context, erasure, and the lack of exit interviews.
Research and Software Maintenance: Julia's background in machine learning research offers a unique perspective on the intersection of research and software maintenance.
Technical Debt: A broader definition of technical debt is explored, encompassing work deferred and cultural issues within organizations.
Effective Strategies: Julia shares strategies for addressing technical debt and navigating conversations about prioritizing technical improvements.
Metrics and Developer Experience: The importance of context in metrics and the value of developer experience feedback are discussed.
AI/ML Tools: Julia provides her predictions on the impact of AI/ML tools on software maintenance in the coming years.

Resources Mentioned:

Open Source Stories
Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks

Thanks to Our Sponsor!

Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and soon, other frameworks.

It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! Check them out!

Subscribe to Maintainable on:

Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.