Fauna's new database language and seamless developer experience
Nicole Nearhood|Aug 21st, 2023
Fauna, the distributed document-relational database, is proud to unveil an array of game-changing innovations that promise to reshape how developers interact with operational data. With the introduction of FQL v10, an innovative database language inspired by TypeScript, along with a suite of integrated developer tools, schema language and API, Fauna is propelling software development practices into the future. Let's dive into the details of these groundbreaking advancements that redefine the landscape of operational data management.
Empowering developers with FQL
Fauna's latest version of FQL isn't just a language; it's a revolution. Born from a collaboration between Fauna and a vibrant community of customers, this database language reimagines how developers craft queries and transactions. Drawing inspiration from modern programming languages like TypeScript and Python, FQL boasts a familiar syntax that empowers developers to write queries and transactions that are concise, expressive, and powerful.
But that's not all – FQL marries familiarity with innovation. It combines the best attributes of modern programming languages to create a database language that's easy to grasp for experienced developers and offers unparalleled querying capabilities. The strong typing in FQL enables developers to express declarative queries and functional business logic within consistent transactions, resulting in an elegant yet robust solution.
"With FQL, Fauna marries simplicity with power. Now, we can do aggregation and projection more effortlessly than in MongoDB. FQL outshines SQL with minimal effort and complexity." - Matt Haman, CTO of Rownd
With FQL, Fauna isn't just introducing a language; it's delivering a new paradigm for data development that streamlines the creation of clear, concise, and efficient queries.
A seamless developer experience
To complement the power of FQL, Fauna introduces a suite of integrated developer tools that ensure a seamless and efficient workflow. This integrated experience spans a web shell, a command-line interface, and an administrative dashboard, allowing developers to choose the interface that best suits their needs.
The intelligent code completion feature takes development efficiency to the next level, offering real-time suggestions and assistance. Additionally, Fauna's Visual Studio Code Plugin brings FQL directly to developers' favorite IDE, making it easier than ever to work with the language.
The new web dashboard minimizes context switching by consolidating resource management and code editing onto a single page. It empowers developers to experiment with queries and functions, providing a holistic view of development tasks in one place. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting your coding journey, Fauna's integrated developer experience enhances productivity and fosters creativity.
Streamlining DevOps with declarative schema
We’ve also launched new and upcoming features to enhance its integrated developer experience across the DevOps Lifecycles, starting with a new declarative schema language. Now, developers can define Fauna database components in code files and express an entire database structure in a single file that can be included alongside their existing application codebase — significantly reducing management and versioning overhead. The functionality supports Fauna’s existing local and test-driven software development capabilities, including a docker container for local, offline development.
You can expect to start using the new DevOps tooling integrations and schema enforcement in the coming months. The declarative schema language and a schema API can automate the database lifecycle management process by integrating with popular IDEs, providing code checking and error prevention during development. Integrations with GitHub will automate testing triggered by pushing a new schema version to ensure the integrity of the database. Additional integrations to Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform will enable automation of the deployment and management of the database infrastructure.
Integrating Fauna and application code management is designed to save developers time and prevents errors by ensuring the consistency of code with the database schema. The additions will make prototyping and iteration of application design faster and more efficient by automating both database schema updates and testing changes.
Harnessing the power of Fauna
Combining the groundbreaking new FQL and the seamless developer experience with Fauna's distributed document-relational architecture offers unparalleled capabilities to development teams worldwide. Whether you're building new applications or scaling existing ones, Fauna delivers unmatched flexibility, querying power, and multi-region consistency. The underlying distributed transaction engine (DTE) guarantees strong consistency, low latency, and high availability, freeing developers from the burden of manual database operations. Prepare to embark on a new journey in operational data development with Fauna's transformative offerings. Discover the cutting-edge FQL and experience a seamless developer experience that empowers you to build with confidence and creativity.Visit Fauna's official website to learn more about Fauna's revolutionary solutions, FQL, and the future of operational data development. The future is here – embrace it with Fauna!
If you enjoyed our blog, and want to work on systems and challenges related to globally distributed systems, and serverless databases, Fauna is hiring
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