Calling a TypeScript Backend Without Integration Code - A Simple Task Tracker with Graftcode

Most developers building frontend applications spend a lot of time writing code that communicates with their backend due to the traditional approach (using APIs). This is not because the logic is hard to implement, but because the communication itself is complex. When using standard APIs, we build routes, define request and response models, generate clients, and keep multiple layers on track with application updates. Instead of exposing backend functionality through REST endpoints and consuming it through HTTP clients, Graftcode exposes backend methods directly and generates packages that applications can install and use as dependencies. The result is a communication model that is like you are calling a library rather than consuming an API with strongly typed clients. Working with Graftcode is very simple: install your library and call its functions. In this article, we'll be building a simple task tracker or to-do list application using React and a TypeScript backend to see what working with Graftcode looks like. In this blog post, we will learn the following: Why API layers require you to maintain APIs manually How Graftcode exposes backend functionality through Graftcode Gateway How Graftcode Vision helps discover backend capabilities Familiarity with APIs and fetch() requests How React applications can use TypeScript backend logic without building API routes Why strongly-typed backend packages can improve developer experience Prerequisites Let’s get our hands a bit dirty, but before we do, there are some need-to-haves to get you started. Let’s have a look at that in this section: Latest Node version installed on your machine Basic knowledge of React and TypeScript Familiarity with how APIs and fetch requests work (for understanding how easy Graftcode’s approach is) A Graftcode account Graftcode gateway installed on your local machine With these prerequisites, you’ll first understand why most to-do list applications rely heavily on APIs for their logic and what c