Meteor is a JavaScript-based full-stack framework that gained popularity for its real-time capabilities and ease of use. Its unique features (especially at launch time!) include a tightly integrated set of tools and libraries, such as its own package manager, built-in support for real-time data, and a straightforward development experience. However, after several years of working with Meteor, I’ve encountered a significant challenge that remains unaddressed.
My Experience with Meteor
My journey with Meteor began with version 1.1, and I’ve witnessed its evolution over the years. Initially, I worked with Meteor’s built-in Blaze front-end library, but lately I transitioned to using React for its enhanced performance and ecosystem.
In terms of data handling, I’ve employed various techniques over the years, ranging from Meteor’s built-in publications and methods to external tools like Grapher and GraphQL. These diverse approaches have allowed me to customize my applications to meet the specific needs of each project, making Meteor a versatile choice.
Meteor’s Data Structuring Challenge
After all these years, the most notable issue I’ve encountered while working with Meteor is the absence of tools to rigidly lock and describe data structures. While Meteor does provide some support through the external SimplSchema package, it does not offer a comprehensive solution for data schema management.
One possible solution is to incorporate TypeScript alongside SimpleSchema, which does help in adding type checking and additional structure definition. However, this approach still falls short in covering the full spectrum of data structure management. You also have to duplicate your data structure descriptions for TypeScript and SimpleSchema.
So, in the end, you still don’t have IntelliSense for Meteor Methods and publications (or ValidatedMethods, which are again implemented by an external package).
The only solution I see to this problem is GraphQL usage. However, it comes with the trade-off of deviating from the original idea of Meteor and its own DDP protocol.