Tooling
Introduction
We've built Hasura DDN from the ground up for scale, both in terms of performance and the ease with which teams can collaborate on any given API. Hasura DDN introduces several improvements to enhance the development experience, particularly in areas where collaboration and large-scale management are critical.
| Feature | v2 | DDN |
|---|---|---|
| The Hasura console | ✅ | ✅ |
| The Hasura CLI | ✅ | ✅ |
| IDE Integrations | ❌ | ✅ |
| Database Migrations | ✅ | ❌ |
| Prometheus | ✅ (EE) | ✅ |
| OpenTelemetry | ✅ (EE) | ✅ |
*EE: Available on Cloud and Enterprise editions only.
Features
The Hasura console
In Hasura v2, the console played a central role as the primary interface for authoring and editing your GraphQL API and the underlying data sources. The console provided a user-friendly graphical interface for various tasks, making it easier to configure and interact with your Hasura instance without needing to write complex code or commands.
In Hasura DDN, the console serves primarily as an exploration and management tool. It allows you to visualize, explore, test, and deploy your API. Unlike in v2, the console in Hasura DDN is not used to author or edit your API. However, we've expanded the console's features to include granular analytics and the ability to add collaborators with read-only status. This makes it easy to share and onboard an API quickly and efficiently.
Learn how the console can be used to explore and manage your API here.
The Hasura CLI
In Hasura v2, the CLI was used for various tasks such as managing metadata, applying migrations, and working with environment configurations. It provided a command-line interface to automate and script these operations, making it easier to integrate Hasura into CI/CD pipelines.
In Hasura DDN, the CLI becomes your primary tool for constructing an API. It is used for creating local and cloud projects, scaffolding out metadata, and creating iterative, immutable builds of your API. Additionally, the CLI helps streamline deployment processes and allows for easy automation, maintaining the functionality of managing and configuring your API from the command line.
The CLI also facilitates declarative work with Hasura metadata in conjunction with Hasura's VS Code extension, which provides auto-complete and error hinting. The new metadata folder and file structure enhances your ability to reason and navigate your metadata intuitively.
The CLI is at the center of it all, interacting with key components to help you iterate faster. Check out the new command structure here or learn how to create your first project here.
IDE Integrations
In Hasura v2, IDE integrations were not available, making it difficult to work with Hasura metadata and configuration files in your favorite code editor.
In Hasura DDN, we've introduced IDE integrations to make it easier to work with Hasura metadata and author your API, all from within your editor. Currently, we support VS Code via an extension, with plans to expand to other editors in the future.
Database Migrations
In Hasura v2, database migrations were supported through the Hasura CLI, allowing you to manage changes to your database schema and metadata.
In Hasura DDN, database migrations are not supported. However, there are a variety of excellent free alternatives available, such as Flyway and Liquibase, that can be used in conjunction with Hasura DDN to manage your database schema changes.
Prometheus
In Hasura v2, the Prometheus integration was available only on Cloud and Enterprise Editions for monitoring and alerting based on API metrics.
In Hasura DDN, the Prometheus exporter is natively supported and free to use with both the Hasura engine and with data connectors.
OpenTelemetry
In Hasura v2, OpenTelemetry was available only on Cloud and Enterprise editions (denoted by (EE)) for distributed tracing and observability.
In Hasura DDN, much like Prometheus, OpenTelemetry is natively supported and free to use with both the Hasura engine and with data connectors.