Understanding the Benefits of API Field Validation Contracts.
When developing frontend applications in collaboration with backend teams, we often encounter a common issue:
API field types or field names are incorrectly specified, and the backend insists that it's a frontend issue. Alternatively, the frontend payload might be incorrect, but the frontend believes the backend secretly changed the API.
In such cases, it can lead to spending a lot of time tracing the root cause of the problem, debugging, and communicating. However, these issues can be effectively avoided and resolved through the use of API field validation contracts.
We will introduce how to use the ts-rest and zod libraries in a TypeScript environment to create a robust API field validation contract, ensuring consistency in data transmission between the frontend and backend. This approach not only reduces friction during the development process but also enhances the overall stability and maintainability of the project. It’s especially beneficial when the frontend and backend need to develop in parallel according to a predefined schema under tight deadlines.
https://ts-rest.com/
A tool for defining and typing APIs that allows the frontend and backend to share the same API definition contract, enabling developers to catch type inconsistencies in API fields at compile time.
https://zod.dev/
A powerful type-checking and data validation tool that can be used to define and validate object data structures, seamlessly integrating with ts-rest.
By leveraging these two tools, we can establish a clear and reliable API auto-validation process, ensuring data integrity and correctness. The following example demonstrates how to implement these features in a Vue 3 project.
Let's install the packages:
npm install @ts-rest/core zod
Assume our API includes an OTP password GET request required during login and a POST request for the product list.
We will name them OtpResponseSchema
and GoodsListResponseSchema
, respectively.
src/views/Home.vue (or any other component that needs to request APIs)
If Zod detects any type mismatches during the API request, you will see this error in the console:
This means that the OTP field was expected to be a number, but the returned value was a string.
At this point, you can check the API documentation to see who made the mistake with the field type… 😃😃😃
When the development timeline feels tighter than your favorite pair of jeans after a big meal 🍕, having a reliable API contract can be a lifesaver.
By treating the API documentation as the ultimate truth, both frontend and backend teams can work in harmony —even when those inevitable UI challenges or backend quirks pop up. 🍻🍻🍻
While we can't promise this will eliminate all the hiccups (because, let's face it, what’s development without a little drama? 😅), it sure does help in catching those pesky data format issues early on.
This not only cuts down on endless back-and-forths and debugging marathons 🏃♂️, but also boosts overall development efficiency. In the end, your application will be as robust as a superhero in a blockbuster movie.
🚀🚀🚀
VueJS
Vue3
Typescript
API Validation
ts-rest
zod
Frontend Development
Backend Integration
Web Development