Why YAML?

YAML makes working with GripMock simple and enjoyable. Let's explore why this format is the perfect choice for your gRPC mocking needs.

1. Clean and Readable Syntax

YAML removes unnecessary punctuation, making your configuration crystal clear at first glance:

Here's how it would look in JSON:

[
  {
    "service": "Gripmock",
    "method": "SayHello",
    "input": {
      "equals": {
        "name": "gripmock"
      }
    },
    "output": {
      "data": {
        "message": "Hello GripMock",
        "returnCode": 1
      }
    }
  }
]

And here's the same thing in YAML:

- service: Gripmock
  method: SayHello
  input:
    equals:
      name: gripmock
  output:
    data:
      message: Hello GripMock
      returnCode: 1

See the difference? No more brackets and commas cluttering your code - just clean, readable configuration!

---

2. Streaming Support Made Simple

YAML handles all types of gRPC streaming scenarios with ease:

Simple Request-Response

- service: ChatService
  method: SendMessage
  input:
    equals:
      user: Alice
      text: "Hello!"
  output:
    data:
      reply: "Hello, Alice!"
      timestamp: "2024-01-01T12:00:00Z"

File Upload in Chunks

- service: UploadService
  method: UploadFile
  stream:
    - equals:
        chunk_id: "file_001"
        sequence: 1
        total_chunks: 3
    - equals:
        chunk_id: "file_001"
        sequence: 2
        total_chunks: 3
    - equals:
        chunk_id: "file_001"
        sequence: 3
        total_chunks: 3
  output:
    data:
      success: true
      message: "File uploaded successfully!"

Real-Time Chat

- service: ChatService
  method: Chat
  stream:
    - equals:
        user_id: "alice"
        message: "Hello!"
    - equals:
        user_id: "alice"
        message: "How are you?"
  output:
    stream:
      - user_id: "bot"
        message: "Hello, Alice!"
      - user_id: "bot"
        message: "I'm doing great!"

---

3. Flexible Matching Options

Ignore Array Order

- service: UserService
  method: ProcessUsers
  input:
    ignoreArrayOrder: true  # Order doesn't matter
    equals:
      user_ids:
        - "user_001"
        - "user_002"
        - "user_003"
  output:
    data:
      processed: 3
      status: "Done!"

Multiple Matching Strategies

- service: SearchService
  method: Search
  input:
    equals:
      query: "gripmock"  # Exact match
    contains:
      tags: ["grpc", "mock"]  # Contains these tags
    matches:
      pattern: ".*test.*"  # Regular expression
  output:
    data:
      results: ["Found it!"]

---

4. Reusable Components

YAML lets you create templates and reuse them throughout your configuration:

# Create a response template
- service: &service Gripmock
  method: &method SayHello
  input:
    equals:
      name: gripmock
      code: &code 0ad1348f1403169275002100356696
  output:
    data: &result
      message: Hello GripMock
      returnCode: 1

# Use the same template for another case
- service: *service
  method: *method
  input:
    equals:
      name: world
      code: *code
  output:
    data: *result

---

5. Built-in Data Transformations

YAML supports built-in functions for handling complex data conversions:

UUID Handling

# For bytes fields (Base64 encoding)
base64: {{ uuid2base64 "77465064-a0ce-48a3-b7e4-d50f88e55093" }}

# For int64 representations
highLow: {{ uuid2int64 "e351220b-4847-42f5-8abb-c052b87ff2d4" }}

# String to Base64 conversion
string: {{ string2base64 "hello world" }}

Results

{
  "base64": "d0ZQZKDOSKO35NUPiOVQkw==",
  "highLow": {
    "high": -773977811204288029,
    "low": -3102276763665777782
  },
  "string": "aGVsbG8gd29ybGQ="
}

---

6. Version Compatibility

GripMock automatically supports both old and new formats:

Old Format (V1) - Still Works

- service: ChatService
  method: SendMessage
  input:
    equals:
      user: Alice
      text: "Hello"
  output:
    data:
      reply: "Hello, Alice!"

New Format (V2) - Recommended

- service: ChatService
  method: SendMessage
  stream:
    - equals:
        user: Alice
        text: "Hello"
  output:
    data:
      reply: "Hello, Alice!"

Important: GripMock automatically detects the format and works with both!

---

7. Priority Control

Control which stub should be selected first:

# High priority for important cases
- service: UserService
  method: GetUser
  priority: 100
  input:
    equals:
      user_id: "12345"
      exact_match: true
  output:
    data:
      name: "John Doe"
      priority: "high"

# Normal priority for others
- service: UserService
  method: GetUser
  priority: 50
  input:
    equals:
      user_id: "12345"
  output:
    data:
      name: "John Doe"
      priority: "normal"

---

What Makes YAML Special?

• 🔄 Readability: No more cluttered brackets and commas
• ♻️ Reusability: Create templates and use them over and over
• 🛠 Flexibility: Built-in functions for UUID, Base64, and other formats
• 🔧 Compatibility: Works with both .yaml and .yml files
• 📡 Streaming: Excellent support for all gRPC streaming types
• 🎯 Matching: Flexible settings for exact, partial, and regex matching
• 🔄 Backward Compatibility: Automatic support for old and new formats
• ⚡ Performance: Efficient ranking and matching algorithms

For advanced transformation functions, check out the UUID Utilities Documentation.