Refactor Convex Structure With Mutations, Queries, And Hooks For Scalability

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In modern web application development, maintaining a clean and scalable architecture is crucial, especially when dealing with complex data interactions. This article discusses the refactoring of a Convex folder structure to enhance modularity, separation of concerns, and code reusability. By organizing logic per table and creating custom hooks, we can significantly improve the maintainability and scalability of our applications.

Introduction to Convex and the Need for Refactoring

Convex is a reactive backend-as-a-service platform that simplifies data management and synchronization for web applications. It allows developers to define data schemas, write server-side functions (queries and mutations), and easily access and manipulate data from the frontend. However, as applications grow in complexity, the initial folder structure might become unwieldy, leading to difficulties in managing and scaling the codebase.

Initially, all queries and mutations might reside in a single directory, making it challenging to locate specific functions and understand the overall data flow. This monolithic structure can hinder collaboration, increase the risk of conflicts, and make it harder to onboard new developers. Therefore, refactoring the Convex structure becomes essential to ensure long-term maintainability and scalability.

The Current State: A Monolithic Convex Folder

Before refactoring, a typical Convex folder might contain a single directory for all server-side functions. This can lead to several issues:

  • Difficulty in Navigation: Finding specific queries or mutations becomes cumbersome as the number of files grows.
  • Increased Complexity: The lack of separation makes it harder to understand the relationships between different data entities.
  • Reduced Reusability: Code duplication may occur as similar logic is implemented in multiple functions.
  • Scalability Challenges: Adding new features and data entities becomes increasingly complex, potentially leading to performance bottlenecks.

To address these issues, we need to refactor the Convex structure to achieve better modularity and separation of concerns. This involves organizing the code based on data tables and creating reusable hooks for frontend integration.

Goals of the Refactoring Process

The primary goals of refactoring the Convex folder structure are to improve manageability, scalability, and code reuse. This can be achieved by:

  1. Breaking Down Convex into Subfolders: Organize the Convex folder into subfolders, each representing a specific data table (e.g., emails/, users/, posts/). This creates a clear separation of concerns, making it easier to locate and manage related functions.

  2. Separating Mutations and Queries: Within each table-specific subfolder, create separate files for mutations (mutations.ts) and queries (queries.ts). This separation enhances code clarity and maintainability, as mutations (write operations) and queries (read operations) are logically distinct.

  3. Building Custom Hooks: Develop custom hooks in a hooks/ folder (or co-located with the table-specific folder) to wrap Convex queries and mutations. These hooks provide a clean and reusable interface for accessing data in frontend components, reducing boilerplate code and improving the developer experience.

Proposed Structure: A Modular and Scalable Approach

The proposed folder structure aims to address the limitations of the monolithic approach by organizing code around data tables and providing reusable hooks for frontend integration. The structure is as follows:

convex/
├── emails/
│   ├── mutations.ts
│   └── queries.ts
├── users/
│   ├── mutations.ts
│   └── queries.ts
├── posts/
│   ├── mutations.ts
│   └── queries.ts
...
hooks/
├── useEmails.ts
├── useUsers.ts
├── usePosts.ts
...

This structure offers several advantages:

  • Clear Organization: Each data table has its own subfolder, making it easy to locate related queries and mutations.
  • Separation of Concerns: Mutations and queries are separated into distinct files, enhancing code clarity and maintainability.
  • Code Reusability: Custom hooks provide a reusable interface for accessing data in frontend components, reducing code duplication.
  • Scalability: The modular structure makes it easier to add new data tables and features without increasing complexity.

Benefits of Refactoring the Convex Structure

Refactoring the Convex structure offers several significant benefits, including improved manageability, scalability, and code reuse. These benefits contribute to a more efficient development process and a more robust application.

Easier to Manage and Scale as App Grows

As an application evolves, the codebase tends to grow in size and complexity. A well-structured Convex folder is crucial for managing this growth effectively. By organizing code per table and separating mutations and queries, developers can easily navigate the codebase and understand the data flow. This modularity makes it easier to add new features, modify existing ones, and onboard new team members.

  • Improved Navigation: The table-specific subfolders make it straightforward to locate the relevant code for a particular data entity. For example, all email-related queries and mutations are located in the emails/ folder.
  • Reduced Complexity: Separating mutations and queries simplifies the logic within each file, making it easier to understand and maintain. Mutations handle write operations, while queries handle read operations, providing a clear distinction of responsibilities.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: A well-organized codebase facilitates collaboration among developers. Each developer can focus on specific modules without being overwhelmed by the entire codebase.

Clear Separation of Logic by Domain/Table

One of the key principles of software engineering is the separation of concerns. This principle suggests that different parts of an application should have distinct responsibilities. In the context of Convex, this means that the logic for each data table should be separated from the logic for other tables. This separation makes the codebase more modular, maintainable, and scalable.

  • Domain-Driven Design: Organizing code by domain (e.g., emails, users, posts) aligns with the principles of domain-driven design. This approach makes it easier to model the application's business logic and ensure that the codebase reflects the domain accurately.
  • Reduced Dependencies: By separating logic by table, the dependencies between different parts of the application are minimized. This makes it easier to modify one module without affecting others, reducing the risk of introducing bugs.
  • Improved Testability: Modular code is easier to test. Each module can be tested independently, ensuring that it functions correctly in isolation.

Improved Code Reuse with Cleaner Integration in Components

Code reuse is a fundamental principle of software development. By creating reusable components and functions, developers can reduce code duplication, improve maintainability, and accelerate the development process. In the context of Convex, custom hooks play a crucial role in promoting code reuse and simplifying frontend integration.

  • Custom Hooks: Custom hooks encapsulate the logic for accessing and manipulating Convex data. These hooks can be used in multiple components, eliminating the need to write the same code repeatedly. For example, a useEmails hook can be used in various components to fetch and display email data.
  • Cleaner Components: By using custom hooks, frontend components become cleaner and more focused on rendering the UI. The data fetching and manipulation logic is abstracted away, making the components easier to understand and maintain.
  • Consistent Data Access: Custom hooks provide a consistent interface for accessing Convex data. This ensures that all components use the same logic and conventions, reducing the risk of inconsistencies and bugs.

Steps to Refactor the Convex Structure

The refactoring process involves several steps, each contributing to the overall goal of improving the Convex structure. These steps include creating subfolders for each table, moving mutations and queries into respective files, and writing custom hooks for each table’s logic.

1. Create Subfolders for Each Table Inside Convex/

The first step is to create subfolders within the convex/ directory, each representing a specific data table. For example, if your application has tables for emails, users, and posts, you would create the following subfolders:

convex/
├── emails/
├── users/
├── posts/

This step establishes the basic structure for organizing code by data table. Each subfolder will contain the queries, mutations, and any other related files for the corresponding table.

2. Move Mutations and Queries into Respective Files

Next, move the existing mutations and queries into their respective files within each table-specific subfolder. For example, if you have mutations and queries for the emails table, you would create two files: mutations.ts and queries.ts inside the emails/ folder.

convex/
├── emails/
│   ├── mutations.ts
│   └── queries.ts

This step separates the read and write operations for each table, enhancing code clarity and maintainability. Mutations files will contain functions that modify data, while queries files will contain functions that fetch data.

3. Write Custom Hooks for Each Table’s Logic

Custom hooks provide a reusable interface for accessing Convex data in frontend components. For each table, create a custom hook that encapsulates the logic for fetching and manipulating data. These hooks can be placed in a hooks/ folder or co-located with the table-specific folder.

For example, a useEmails hook might look like this:

// hooks/useEmails.ts
import { useQuery, useMutation } from 'convex/react';
import { api } from '../convex/_generated/api';

export function useEmails() {
  const emails = useQuery(api.emails.queries.getEmails);
  const createEmail = useMutation(api.emails.mutations.createEmail);
  const updateEmail = useMutation(api.emails.mutations.updateEmail);
  const deleteEmail = useMutation(api.emails.mutations.deleteEmail);

  return {
    emails,
    createEmail,
    updateEmail,
    deleteEmail,
  };
}

This hook encapsulates the logic for fetching, creating, updating, and deleting emails. Frontend components can use this hook to access email data without needing to write the same code repeatedly.

4. Update Components to Use Hooks Instead of Inline useMutation/useQuery

Finally, update the frontend components to use the custom hooks instead of directly calling useMutation and useQuery. This simplifies the components and makes them more readable.

For example, instead of writing this in a component:

import { useQuery } from 'convex/react';
import { api } from '../convex/_generated/api';

function EmailList() {
  const emails = useQuery(api.emails.queries.getEmails);

  // ...
}

You can use the useEmails hook:

import { useEmails } from '../hooks/useEmails';

function EmailList() {
  const { emails } = useEmails();

  // ...
}

This makes the component cleaner and more focused on rendering the UI. The data fetching logic is abstracted away into the useEmails hook.

Conclusion: Achieving a Scalable and Maintainable Convex Structure

Refactoring the Convex structure is essential for building scalable and maintainable applications. By organizing code per table, separating mutations and queries, and creating custom hooks, developers can significantly improve the manageability, scalability, and code reuse of their applications. This modular approach makes it easier to add new features, onboard new team members, and ensure the long-term health of the codebase.

The refactoring process involves creating subfolders for each table, moving mutations and queries into respective files, writing custom hooks, and updating components to use these hooks. By following these steps, you can achieve a cleaner, more organized Convex structure that promotes efficient development and collaboration. This proactive approach to code organization sets the stage for building robust, scalable, and maintainable web applications with Convex.