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@cbnsndwch/nest-zero-synced-queries

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@cbnsndwch/nest-zero-synced-queries

A lightweight NestJS library for defining Zero synced query handlers using decorators. Works seamlessly with regular NestJS controllers and providers, leveraging your existing authentication and guard infrastructure.

Features

Decorator-based: Use @SyncedQuery to define query handlers
Automatic discovery: Handlers are automatically discovered in controllers and providers at startup
Framework-agnostic auth: Use your own NestJS guards, interceptors, and parameter decorators
Controller-friendly: Works on regular @Controller classes alongside @Get, @Post, etc.
Parameter mapping: Use @QueryArg() decorator to explicitly map query arguments
Type-safe: Full TypeScript support with Zod schema validation

Installation

pnpm add @cbnsndwch/nest-zero-synced-queries

This library is part of the zero-sources monorepo, which provides utilities and integrations for @rocicorp/zero.

Zero Integration Packages

@cbnsndwch/zero-contracts - Shared contracts, types, and utilities for Zero applications
@cbnsndwch/zero-source-mongodb - MongoDB change source implementation for Zero
@cbnsndwch/zero-nest-mongoose - NestJS/Mongoose integration with Zero schema generation
@cbnsndwch/zero-watermark-zqlite - SQLite-based watermark storage for Zero
@cbnsndwch/zero-watermark-nats-kv - NATS KV-based watermark storage for Zero

Example Applications

ZRocket - Full-featured chat application demonstrating Zero + NestJS patterns
MongoDB Source Server - Standalone MongoDB change source server

Quick Start

Get up and running in 3 simple steps:

1. Configure the Module

Import and configure SyncedQueriesModule in your app module:

import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { SyncedQueriesModule } from '@cbnsndwch/nest-zero-synced-queries';

@Module({
  imports: [
    SyncedQueriesModule.forRoot({
      path: 'api/zero/get-queries'  // Optional: defaults to 'zero/get-queries'
    }),
    // Your feature modules...
  ]
})
export class AppModule {}

2. Define Your Schema

Create your Zero schema with query builder:

// schema.ts
import { createSchema } from '@rocicorp/zero';

export const schema = createSchema({
  tables: {
    todo: {
      columns: {
        id: 'string',
        title: 'string',
        completed: 'boolean',
        userId: 'string',
        createdAt: 'number'
      },
      primaryKey: 'id'
    }
  }
});

export const builder = schema.builder;

3. Add Synced Query Handlers

Decorate your methods with @SyncedQuery:

import { Controller, UseGuards } from '@nestjs/common';
import { SyncedQuery, QueryArg } from '@cbnsndwch/nest-zero-synced-queries';
import { AST } from '@rocicorp/zero';
import { z } from 'zod';
import { builder } from './schema.js';
import { JwtAuthGuard } from './auth/jwt-auth.guard.js';
import { CurrentUser } from './auth/current-user.decorator.js';

@Controller('todos')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard)
export class TodosController {
  /**
   * Get all todos for the current user
   */
  @SyncedQuery('myTodos', z.tuple([]))
  async myTodos(@CurrentUser() user: { id: string }): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.todo
      .where('userId', '=', user.id)
      .orderBy('createdAt', 'desc').ast;
  }

  /**
   * Get a specific todo by ID (with permission check)
   */
  @SyncedQuery('todoById', z.tuple([z.string()]))
  async todoById(
    @CurrentUser() user: { id: string },
    @QueryArg(0) todoId: string
  ): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.todo
      .where('id', '=', todoId)
      .where('userId', '=', user.id).ast;
  }
}

That's it! The library automatically discovers your queries and exposes them via the configured HTTP endpoint.

Core Concepts

Authentication & Guards

Use your existing NestJS guards - the library passes the full HTTP request through:

@Controller('api')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard, RolesGuard)  // Your guards work as normal
export class ApiController {
  @SyncedQuery('data', z.tuple([]))
  async getData(@CurrentUser() user: User) {
    return builder.data.where('userId', '=', user.id).ast;
  }
}

Query Arguments

Use @QueryArg(index) to access query parameters:

@SyncedQuery('postsByCategory', z.tuple([z.string(), z.number().optional()]))
async postsByCategory(
  @QueryArg(0) category: string,
  @QueryArg(1) limit = 10
): Promise<AST> {
  return builder.posts
    .where('category', '=', category)
    .limit(limit).ast;
}

Permission Filtering

Implement authorization by filtering results:

@SyncedQuery('sensitiveData', z.tuple([z.string()]))
async sensitiveData(
  @CurrentUser() user: User,
  @QueryArg(0) resourceId: string
): Promise<AST> {
  // Check permission
  const hasAccess = await this.checkPermission(user.id, resourceId);
  
  if (!hasAccess) {
    // Return query that matches nothing
    return builder.data.where('id', '=', '__NEVER_MATCHES__').ast;
  }
  
  return builder.data.where('id', '=', resourceId).ast;
}

Mixed Operations

Combine REST endpoints and synced queries in the same controller:

@Controller('posts')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard)
export class PostsController {
  // REST endpoint for writes
  @Post()
  async createPost(@Body() dto: CreatePostDto) {
    return this.postsService.create(dto);
  }

  // Synced query for reads
  @SyncedQuery('allPosts', z.tuple([]))
  async allPosts(): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.posts.orderBy('createdAt', 'desc').ast;
  }
}

## Examples

### Simple Queries

No parameters needed - just use the authenticated user:

```typescript
@Controller('api')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard)
export class ApiController {
  @SyncedQuery('myProfile', z.tuple([]))
  async myProfile(@CurrentUser() user: User): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.users.where('id', '=', user.id).ast;
  }

  @SyncedQuery('publicPosts', z.tuple([]))
  async publicPosts(): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.posts
      .where('isPublic', '=', true)
      .orderBy('createdAt', 'desc').ast;
  }
}

Queries With Parameters

@Controller('posts')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard)
export class PostsController {
  @SyncedQuery('postById', z.tuple([z.string()]))
  async postById(@QueryArg(0) postId: string): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.posts.where('id', '=', postId).ast;
  }

  @SyncedQuery('postsByUser', z.tuple([z.string()]))
  async postsByUser(@QueryArg(0) userId: string): Promise<AST> {
    return builder.posts
      .where('userId', '=', userId)
      .where('isPublic', '=', true)
      .orderBy('createdAt', 'desc').ast;
  }
}

Optional Parameters

@SyncedQuery('searchPosts', z.tuple([z.string(), z.number().optional()]))
async searchPosts(
  @QueryArg(0) searchTerm: string,
  @QueryArg(1) limit = 20  // Default value for optional parameter
): Promise<AST> {
  return builder.posts
    .where('title', 'LIKE', `%${searchTerm}%`)
    .limit(limit).ast;
}

With Service Dependencies

Use constructor injection as normal:

@Controller('posts')
@UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard)
export class PostsController {
  constructor(
    private readonly permissionsService: PermissionsService
  ) {}

  @SyncedQuery('protectedPost', z.tuple([z.string()]))
  async protectedPost(
    @CurrentUser() user: User,
    @QueryArg(0) postId: string
  ): Promise<AST> {
    const canAccess = await this.permissionsService.canAccessPost(
      user.id,
      postId
    );

    if (!canAccess) {
      return builder.posts.where('id', '=', '__NEVER_MATCHES__').ast;
    }

    return builder.posts.where('id', '=', postId).ast;
  }
}

With Relations

Include related data using Zero's query builder:

@SyncedQuery('postWithComments', z.tuple([z.string()]))
async postWithComments(@QueryArg(0) postId: string): Promise<AST> {
  return builder.posts
    .where('id', '=', postId)
    .related('comments', q => 
      q.orderBy('createdAt', 'desc').limit(50)
    )
    .related('author').ast;
}

Real-World Example: ZRocket Chat App

Want to see how this library is used in a production application? Check out ZRocket, a chat application in this monorepo that demonstrates:

Mixed operations: REST endpoints for writes (send messages, create rooms) + synced queries for reads
Permission filtering: Room access checks, membership validation, public vs. private content
Complex queries: Search across accessible rooms, filter by room type, paginate results
Service integration: Using RoomAccessService for authorization in queries
Multiple controllers: MessagesController and RoomsController with different query patterns

Key files to explore:

apps/zrocket/src/features/chat/controllers/messages.controller.ts - Message queries with permission checks
apps/zrocket/src/features/chat/controllers/rooms.controller.ts - Room queries for chats, groups, and channels
apps/zrocket/src/features/index.ts - Module configuration

Best Practices

Co-locate operations: Put REST endpoints and synced queries in the same controller
Use existing guards: Leverage your authentication infrastructure with @UseGuards()
Filter, don't throw: Return queries that match nothing instead of throwing errors for unauthorized access
Inject services: Use constructor injection to access business logic in queries
Return AST: Always return Promise<AST> from query handlers (use .ast property)
Type everything: Strongly type your user objects, query parameters, and return types
Document queries: Add JSDoc comments describing what the query does and its parameters

API Reference

Decorators

@SyncedQuery(name, schema)
- name: Unique query identifier string
- schema: Zod schema for argument validation (e.g., z.tuple([z.string()]))
- Use on controller or provider methods
- Method must return Promise<AST>
@QueryArg(index)
- index: Zero-based argument index
- Injects the argument at that position from the query
- Use alongside your own decorators (@CurrentUser(), etc.)

Module Configuration

SyncedQueriesModule.forRoot(options)
- options.path: HTTP endpoint path (default: 'zero/get-queries')
- Returns a DynamicModule for import

Services (Advanced)

SyncedQueryRegistry - Query handler registry (auto-injected)
- getHandler(name) - Get handler by name
- getQueryNames() - List all query names
- hasQuery(name) - Check if query exists
- getHandlerCount() - Total handler count
SyncedQueryTransformService - Query execution service (auto-injected)
- Used internally by the controller
- Handles query execution and AST conversion

Troubleshooting

Query not found

Ensure your controller/provider is registered in a module
Check that SyncedQueriesModule.forRoot() is imported
Verify the query name matches exactly

Authentication not working

Ensure your guard is applied: @UseGuards(YourAuthGuard)
Check that request.user is populated by your auth strategy
Guards receive the full HTTP request object

TypeScript errors

Install peer dependencies: @nestjs/common, @nestjs/core, reflect-metadata, rxjs, zod
Ensure emitDecoratorMetadata is enabled in tsconfig.json

Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on GitHub.

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT • Part of the zero-sources monorepo