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API Mutation Design with FieldMask

2 posts · Sep 2021

What this trail covers

Netflix is evolving its API design practices by standardizing the use of Protobuf FieldMask for mutation operations (update and remove). This approach aims to simplify API maintenance, prevent API explosion from numerous field-specific endpoints, and allow for atomic updates of multiple fields or removal of specific fields within a single RPC. The system also addresses schema evolution challenges and the implications of empty or missing FieldMasks.

All Netflix trails
  1. Practical API Design at Netflix, Part 2: Protobuf FieldMask for Mutation OperationsThis post details the practical application of Protobuf FieldMask for mutation operations in Netflix's API design. It introduces a pattern where a single `UpdateProductionRequest` includes both the data to be mutated and a FieldMask specifying which fields should be updated or removed. The post illustrates how to use `FieldMaskUtil.fromStringList()` to construct FieldMasks for single or nested fields, and discusses the implications of empty/missing FieldMasks on schema evolution, proposing solutions like requiring the FieldMask or implementing versioning.
  2. MediumThis post details the practical application of Protobuf FieldMask for API mutation design at Netflix, specifically for update and remove operations. It explains how FieldMasks enable atomic updates of multiple fields and selective removal of fields within a single RPC, thereby simplifying API maintenance and preventing endpoint proliferation. The post also discusses the implications of empty or missing FieldMasks and schema evolution challenges.