Distributing GraphQL API using API gateway and CDNs to the whole world including very distant countries in Africa. Talk taken on #GraphQLEU

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In global scale
GRAPHQL API DISTRIBUTION

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JAKUB RIEDL
Software Engineer @iflix
lead of GraphQL project

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● Redefine television for 1 billion people
● Global video-on-demand platform for emerging markets
● Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood, Korean, local content and much more
● Different technical challenges than in 1st world countries
● Partners with TELCO to supply service in mobile data package
IFLIX

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IFLIX REGIONS

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WHERE IS THE CATCH?

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IFLIX REGIONS

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AWS DATA CENTERS

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CLIENT APPLICATIONS
● Web
● Android (Mobile)
● iOS
● Android TV & STBs
● 2x Samsung TV
● 2x LG TV
● Roku
● Alibaba TV
● …

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● 20+ engineering teams working on new features
● In 4 different timezones
● New features every day
● Ongoing refactoring
● Lot of shortcuts in early stage we need to deal with
RAPIDLY CHANGING BUSINESS

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LOAD
130k
4+m
Asia’s fastest growing Internet TV service
NOW
?
1b
VISION
USERS
REQ / MIN

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● Video data are easy(-ish) with CDN
● Catalogue is quite static and for all users
● Personalized collections are per group of users but still quite static
● Watch history is dynamic and strictly private
● DRM works with one time key which cannot be cached
STRUCTURE OF DATA

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LET’S DO IT!

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NAIVE APPROACH
MICROSERVICE - A
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D

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NAIVE APPROACH
MICROSERVICE - A
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D

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STATIC CONTENT
CDN
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D
STATIC DATA GENERATOR

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STATIC CONTENT
CDN
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D
STATIC DATA GENERATOR
distance from user

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LAST MILE
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE GOOD
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE GOOD
SCALABILITY EXCELLENT
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE GOOD
SCALABILITY EXCELLENT
FLEXIBILITY BAD
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE GOOD
SCALABILITY EXCELLENT
FLEXIBILITY BAD
MAINTAINABILITY BAD

22. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.
GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
Integration Layer
Authentication
Evolving Schema
22
WELCOME GRAPHQL!
STATIC DATA
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D

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GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
Integration Layer
Authentication
Evolving Schema
23
SCHEMA EVOLUTION
STATIC DATA
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D
MICROSERVICE - D
v1
v2

24. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.
GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
Integration Layer
Authentication
Evolving Schema
24
SCHEMA EVOLUTION
STATIC DATA
MICROSERVICE - B
MICROSERVICE - C
MICROSERVICE - D v2

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LAST MILE
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE BAD
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE BAD
SCALABILITY NOT GOOD
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE BAD
SCALABILITY NOT GOOD
FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT
MAINTAINABILITY

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LAST MILE BAD
SCALABILITY NOT GOOD
FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT
MAINTAINABILITY EXCELLENT

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● Bring data as close to user as possible
● Caching
● Infrastructure independent
● Docker + Kubernetes
● TELCO partners
LAST MILE
GRAPHQL
GATEWAY

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GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
31
CACHING
DATACENTER
1x 10x
Up to 400ms on every request

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PUBLIC @CDN
GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
32
CACHING
DATACENTER
1x 3x
7x

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GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
33
CACHING
DATACENTER
1x 2x
PUBLIC @CDN
7x
PERSONALIZED @CDN
1x

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GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
34
CACHING
DATACENTER
1x 1x
PUBLIC @CDN
7x
PERSONALIZED @CDN
1x
1x Private

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GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
35
CACHING
DATACENTER
1x 1x
PUBLIC @CDN
7x
PERSONALIZED @CDN
1x
1x Private

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LAST MILE
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

37. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.37
LAST MILE EXCELLENT
SCALABILITY
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

38. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.38
LAST MILE EXCELLENT
SCALABILITY GOOD
FLEXIBILITY
MAINTAINABILITY

39. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.39
LAST MILE EXCELLENT
SCALABILITY GOOD
FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT
MAINTAINABILITY

40. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.40
LAST MILE EXCELLENT
SCALABILITY GOOD
FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT
MAINTAINABILITY EXCELLENT

41. Copyright © 2017 iflix. All rights reserved.
GRAPHQL
GATEWAY
41
CACHING
1x
PUBLIC @CDN
7x
PERSONALIZED @CDN
1x
1x Private
CACHING CDN

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LAST MILE EXCELLENT
SCALABILITY EXCELLENT
FLEXIBILITY EXCELLENT
MAINTAINABILITY EXCELLENT

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● Integration layer using GraphQL gateway
● Continuously evolving schema
● Static everything what is possible
● Caching within gateway
● Controlled using HTTP headers
● Gateway in region = data as close to user as possible
SUMMARY

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● jakubriedl.com
● @jakubriedl
● jakubriedl
● jakubriedl
● @jakubriedl
44
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