Services in VTEX IO

Introduction

The VTEX IO platform allows developers to create unique commerce experiences using Web technologies. It’s possible to create frontend blocks for Store Framework, backend services exposing REST or GraphQL APIs and combine a series of VTEX modules into a complete solution, packaging it into an app.

As VTEX IO powers big e-commerce operations, they require running code on a server. Services are how we run Node.js or .NET code on VTEX IO infrastructure, backed by API abstractions to improve developer experience.

Setting up our test bot

It's important for you to have out test bot installed in this course repository so as for us to see your progress, even though it does not contains any tests or evaluation on each step. So as to install it, follow the steps below:

1. Open our test bot installation page and click on Configure;

2. Select the Only selected repositories option, then click on Select repositories and type in store-block;

3. Click on EdEsteves/store-block and then on Install.

   

Services

A Service must be exported from a VTEX IO app, just like themes or store blocks, using builders node or dotnet. With these, you are able to develop a REST API without having to set up a server, GraphQL APIs and routes.

Services in VTEX IO support one-command rollbacks and continuous integration. They can export internal and external routes and run on top of Kubernetes. You can count on VTEX IO to manage the scalability of your services.

On the /node folder of a service lives service.json, where it´s possible to declare routes that the service must respond to and other configurations like timeout and memory.

During this course, you will implement some services in VTEX IO and learn a bit more about the possibilities that they offer to your development.