orpc-contract-first

oRPC Contract-First Development

Intent

• Keep contract as single source of truth in web/contract/*.
• Default query usage: call-site useQuery(consoleQuery|marketplaceQuery.xxx.queryOptions(...)) when endpoint behavior maps 1:1 to the contract.
• Keep abstractions minimal and preserve TypeScript inference.

Minimal Structure

web/contract/
├── base.ts
├── router.ts
├── marketplace.ts
└── console/
    ├── billing.ts
    └── ...other domains
web/service/client.ts

Core Workflow

1. Define contract in web/contract/console/{domain}.ts or web/contract/marketplace.ts
   • Use base.route({...}).output(type<...>()) as baseline.
   • Add .input(type<...>()) only when request has params/query/body.
   • For GET without input, omit .input(...) (do not use .input(type<unknown>())).
2. Register contract in web/contract/router.ts
   • Import directly from domain files and nest by API prefix.
3. Consume from UI call sites via oRPC query utils.

import { useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query'
import { consoleQuery } from '@/service/client'

const invoiceQuery = useQuery(consoleQuery.billing.invoices.queryOptions({
  staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000,
  throwOnError: true,
  select: invoice => invoice.url,
}))

Query Usage Decision Rule

1. Default: call site directly uses *.queryOptions(...).
2. If 3+ call sites share the same extra options (for example retry: false), extract a small queryOptions helper, not a use-* passthrough hook.
3. Create web/service/use-{domain}.ts only for orchestration:
   • Combine multiple queries/mutations.
   • Share domain-level derived state or invalidation helpers.

const invoicesBaseQueryOptions = () =>
  consoleQuery.billing.invoices.queryOptions({ retry: false })

const invoiceQuery = useQuery({
  ...invoicesBaseQueryOptions(),
  throwOnError: true,
})

Mutation Usage Decision Rule

1. Default: call mutation helpers from consoleQuery / marketplaceQuery, for example useMutation(consoleQuery.billing.bindPartnerStack.mutationOptions(...)).
2. If mutation flow is heavily custom, use oRPC clients as mutationFn (for example consoleClient.xxx / marketplaceClient.xxx), instead of generic handwritten non-oRPC mutation logic.

Key API Guide (.key vs .queryKey vs .mutationKey)

• .key(...):
  • Use for partial matching operations (recommended for invalidation/refetch/cancel patterns).
  • Example: queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: consoleQuery.billing.key() })
• .queryKey(...):
  • Use for a specific query's full key (exact query identity / direct cache addressing).
• .mutationKey(...):
  • Use for a specific mutation's full key.
  • Typical use cases: mutation defaults registration, mutation-status filtering (useIsMutating, queryClient.isMutating), or explicit devtools grouping.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not wrap useQuery with options?: Partial<UseQueryOptions>.
• Do not split local queryKey/queryFn when oRPC queryOptions already exists and fits the use case.
• Do not create thin use-* passthrough hooks for a single endpoint.
• Reason: these patterns can degrade inference (data may become unknown, especially around throwOnError/select) and add unnecessary indirection.

Contract Rules

• Input structure: Always use { params, query?, body? } format
• No-input GET: Omit .input(...); do not use .input(type<unknown>())
• Path params: Use {paramName} in path, match in params object
• Router nesting: Group by API prefix (e.g., /billing/* -> billing: {})
• No barrel files: Import directly from specific files
• Types: Import from @/types/, use type<T>() helper
• Mutations: Prefer mutationOptions; use explicit mutationKey mainly for defaults/filtering/devtools

Type Export

export type ConsoleInputs = InferContractRouterInputs<typeof consoleRouterContract>