40 Minutes to Build a Serverless COVID-19 REST and GraphQL APIs

How do you turn messy, inconsistent CSVs into a scalable, serverless API? This live demo shows you how to build one in minutes using MongoDB.

#1about 2 minutes

The challenge of making raw COVID-19 data usable

The project's goal was to transform raw, hard-to-use COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University into a clean, queryable dataset.

#2about 7 minutes

Analyzing inconsistent daily report CSV files

The initial daily CSV files were unusable for a stable API because their schemas, column names, and date formats changed over time.

#3about 3 minutes

Using consistent time-series data as a source

The time-series CSV files provided a more stable and predictable data source with one column per day, which was better but still needed transformation.

#4about 7 minutes

Transforming wide CSV data into a document model

A Python script was used to pivot the wide CSV data, transforming date columns into rows and creating a GeoJSON structure for mapping.

#5about 1 minute

Overview of the final MongoDB collection structure

The final dataset is organized into five collections, including combined global and US data, pre-calculated daily counts, and a country summary collection.

#6about 6 minutes

Introducing MongoDB Atlas and the Realm serverless platform

MongoDB Atlas provides managed database clusters, while MongoDB Realm offers a backend-as-a-service layer for building serverless applications on top of Atlas.

#7about 3 minutes

Building a GraphQL API automatically with MongoDB Realm

MongoDB Realm can automatically generate a complete GraphQL API endpoint based on a collection's defined schema and access rules.

#8about 5 minutes

Securing the GraphQL API with authentication providers

Realm provides built-in authentication providers, such as anonymous or email and password, to secure API endpoints and manage user access.

#9about 5 minutes

Creating a serverless REST API with Realm webhooks

A custom REST API can be built using MongoDB Realm's HTTP services and webhooks, which execute serverless JavaScript functions to query the database.

#10about 3 minutes

The environmental benefits of serverless architecture

Serverless platforms improve energy efficiency by sharing compute resources and eliminating idle servers, contributing to a greener data infrastructure.

#11about 5 minutes

Handling evolving data formats with a flexible schema

MongoDB's flexible document schema allows for easier data migration and application updates by accommodating different document structures within the same collection.