AxiosFlow: Automate Type-Safe API Calls and Supercharge Your TypeScript Workflow

As a TypeScript developer, have you ever felt frustrated writing repetitive, error-prone API calls? Do you wish there were a way to automate type-safe API interactions without sacrificing flexibility? Meet AxiosFlow, a powerful TypeScript library that revolutionizes your interactions with APIs.

In this post, I'll show you how AxiosFlow can save you hours of development time, reduce boilerplate code, and ensure compile-time type safety for your API calls.

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What is AxiosFlow?

AxiosFlow is a TypeScript library that automatically generates type-safe API functions for your RESTful APIs. It works seamlessly with Express.js and Axios, eliminating the need for manual type definitions and repetitive API call functions.

Key Features:

• Automatic API Function Generation: Say goodbye to writing repetitive API call functions.

• Compile-Time Type Safety: Catch type mismatches before runtime.

• Dynamic URL Parameter Support: Easily handle dynamic routes like /users/:id.

• Minimal Configuration: Works out of the box with your existing Express.js backend.

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Why Use AxiosFlow?

1. Eliminate Boilerplate Code

Writing API call functions manually is time-consuming and error-prone. With AxiosFlow, you can generate fully typed API functions with just a few lines of code.

2. Ensure Type Safety

AxiosFlow ensures that your API calls are type-safe at compile time. This means fewer runtime errors and more reliable code.

3. Seamless Integration

AxiosFlow integrates perfectly with Express.js and Axios, so you don’t need to learn a new framework or rewrite your existing code.

How AxiosFlow Works

Step 1: Define Your API Routes

Define your API routes and controllers in Express.js:

// src/controllers/userController.ts

import { Request, Response } from 'express';

export class UserController {

private users = [ { id: 1, name: 'John Doe' },

{ id: 2, name: 'Jane Doe' }, ];

getUsers(req: Request, res: Response) { res.status(200).json({ data: this.users }); } }

Step 2: Register Routes with AxiosFlow

Use AxiosFlow to register your routes and generate type-safe API functions:

// src/routes/userRoutes.ts

import { registerRoute } from 'axiosflow-api';

import { UserController } from '../controllers/userController';

const userController = new UserController();

export function registerUserRoutes() { registerRoute( userController, 'GET', '/users', null, { id: 'number', name: 'string' }, [], 'getUsers' ); }

Step 3: Generate Type-Safe API Functions

Run the AxiosFlow CLI to generate type-safe API functions:

npx axiosflow generate

This will generate the following files in src/services/:

• apiFunctions.ts: Type-safe API functions.

• types.ts: Type definitions for your API.

• api-schema.json: API schema documentation.

Step 4: Use the Generated Functions

Now, you can use the generated functions in your application to make API calls. These functions are type-safe, ensuring your requests and responses match the expected types. This helps prevent errors and makes your code more reliable.

Use the generated functions in your frontend:

import { get_users } from './services/apiFunctions';

async function fetchUsers() { try { const users = await get_users(); console.log(users); // Fully typed response! } catch (error) { console.error(error); } }

Explore the documentation and check out the live examples and the NPM Library.