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docs: update "Understanding differences between LB3 and LB4" #3915

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docs: reformat large table from Markdown to HTML
bajtos Oct 11, 2019
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docs: update "Understanding differences between LB3 and LB4"
bajtos Oct 11, 2019
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249 changes: 226 additions & 23 deletions docs/site/Understanding-the-differences.md
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Expand Up @@ -61,28 +61,231 @@ it is independent of the three services. We can define the APIs in facade the
way we want. Thus, code responsible for data access and manipulation is
separated from the code responsible for implementing client side APIs.

| Concept/Feature | LoopBack 3.x | LoopBack 4 |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Programming Language | Built with JavaScript ES5<br>Node.js callback | TypeScript 2.6.x & JavaScript ES2016/2017<br>Promise & Async/Await |
| Core foundation | Express with LoopBack extensions | Home-grown IoC container |
| Model Definition | Models can be defined with JavaScript or JSON | Models can be defined with TypeScript/JavaScript/JSON(TBA) |
| Model Persistence | A model can be attached to a datasource backed by a connector that implements CRUD operations | [Repositories](https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/tree/master/packages/repository) are introduced to represent persistence related operations; a repository binds a model metadata to a datasource |
| Model Relation | Relations can be defined between models | (TBA) Relations can be defined between models but they will be realized between repositories |
| Model Remoting | JavaScript/JSON remoting metadata is used to describe method signatures and their mapping to REST/HTTP<br>Swagger specs are generated after the fact | Remoting metadata can be supplied by OpenAPI JSON/YAML documents or generated automatically through TypeScript decorators |
| API Spec | Swagger 2.0 | OpenAPI Spec 3.0 and potentially other API specs such as GraphQL, gRPC, etc. |
| API Explorer | Built-in UI based on swagger-ui (/explorer) | (Beta) Expose OpenAPI specs and a browser redirect to Swagger UI hosted by loopback.io |
| DataSource | JSON and JS | JSON/JS/TypeScript |
| Connector | Plain JS | JS and TypeScript (TBA) |
| Mixin | Use a utility to add methods from the mixin to the target model class | Use ES2015 mixin classes pattern supported by [TypeScript 2.2 and above](https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/release-notes/typescript-2-2.html) |
| Middleware | Express middleware with phase-based registration and ordering | Sequence consisting of actions |
| Boot script | Scripts to be invoked during bootstrapping | (TBD) |
| Remote hooks | Before/After hooks for remote methods | Sequence/actions |
| CRUD operation hooks | Hooks for CRUD operations | Sequence/actions |
| Built-in models | Built-in User/AccessToken/Application/ACL/Role/RoleMapping for AAA | (TBD) |
| Authentication | User model as the login provider<br>loopback-component-passport | (TBA) Authentication component ([@loopback/authentication](https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/tree/master/packages/authentication)) with extensibility to strategy providers |
| Authorization | Use built-in User/Application/AccessToken model for identity and ACL/Role/RoleMapping for authorization | (TBD) Authorization component |
| Component | A very simple implementation to configure and invoke other modules | A fully-fledged packaging model that allows contribution of extensions from other modules |
| Tooling | loopback-cli and API Connect UI | [@loopback/cli](https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/tree/master/packages/cli) |
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Concept/Feature</th>
<th>LoopBack 3.x</th>
<th>LoopBack 4</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>

<tr>
<td>Programming Language</td>
<td>Built with JavaScript ES5<br>Node.js callbacks</td>
<td>Modern TypeScript with latest JavaScript features
<br>Promises & async/await, ES2016/2017 and beyond
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Core foundation</td>
<td>Express with LoopBack extensions</td>
<td>Home-grown IoC container</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Tooling</td>
<td><code>loopback-cli</code> and API Connect UI</td>
<td><a href="Command-line-interface.html"><code>@loopback/cli</code></a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Model Definition</td>
<td>Models can be defined with JavaScript or JSON</td>
<td>Models can be defined with TypeScript;
<br>TBD: JavaScript - see
<a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/issues/560">loopback-next#560</a>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Model Persistence</td>
<td>A model can be attached to a datasource backed by a connector that
implements CRUD operations
</td>
<td><a href="Repositories.html">Repositories</a> are introduced to represent
persistence related operations; a repository binds a model metadata
to a datasource
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Model Relation</td>
<td>Relations can be defined between models</td>
<td>Relations can be defined between models; queries and persistence are
implemented at repository level
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Model Remoting</td>
<td>JavaScript/JSON remoting metadata is used to describe method signatures
and their mapping to REST/HTTP
<br>Swagger specs are generated after the fact
</td>
<td>Remoting metadata can be supplied by OpenAPI JSON/YAML documents or
generated automatically through TypeScript decorators
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>API Spec</td>
<td>Swagger 2.0</td>
<td>OpenAPI Spec v3 and potentially other API specs such as GraphQL, gRPC, etc.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>API Explorer</td>
<td>Built-in UI based on swagger-ui v2 (<code>/explorer</code>)</td>
<td>Built-in UI based on swagger-ui v3 (<code>/explorer</code>)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>DataSource</td>
<td>JSON</td>
<td>TypeScript and JSON;
<br>TBD: JavaScript - see
<a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/issues/560">loopback-next#560</a>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Connectors</td>
<td>Plain JavaScript, ES5 with callbacks</td>
<td>Plain JavaScript, ES5 with callbacks;
<br>TBD: TypeScript with async/await - see
<a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/issues/889">loopback-next#889</a>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Mixins</td>
<td>Use a utility to add methods from the mixin to the target model class</td>
<td>Use ES2015 mixin classes pattern supported by
<a href="https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/release-notes/typescript-2-2.html">TypeScript 2.2 and above</a>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Middleware</td>
<td>Express middleware with phase-based registration and ordering</td>
<td>Sequence consisting of actions;
<br>TBD: support for Express middleware, see
<a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/issues/1293">loopback-next#1293</a>
and
<a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/issues/2035">loopback-next#2035</a>.
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Boot script</td>
<td>Scripts to be invoked during bootstrapping</td>
<td><a href="Life-cycle.html">Life cycle events and observers</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Remote hooks</td>
<td>Before/After hooks for remote methods</td>
<td><a href="Interceptors.html">Interceptors</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>CRUD operation hooks</td>
<td>Hooks for CRUD operations</td>
<td>(TBD)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Built-in models</td>
<td>Built-in User/AccessToken/Application/ACL/Role/RoleMapping for AAA</td>
<td>(TBD)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Authentication</td>
<td>User model as the login provider<br>loopback-component-passport</td>
<td><a href="Loopback-component-authentication.html">Authentication component</a>
with extensibility to strategy providers
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Authorization</td>
<td>Use built-in User/Application/AccessToken model for identity and
ACL/Role/RoleMapping for authorization
</td>
<td><a href="Loopback-component-authorization.html">Authorization component</a>
(work in progress).
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Component</td>
<td>A very simple implementation to configure and invoke other modules</td>
<td>A fully-fledged packaging model that allows contribution of extensions
from other modules
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Storage component</td>
<td><a href="/doc/en/lb3/Storage-component.html"><code>loopback-compontent-storage</code></a>
</td>
<td>not available</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Push notifications</td>
<td><a href="/doc/en/lb3/Push-notifications.html"><code>loopback-component-push</code></a>
</td>
<td>not available</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>OAuth 2.0 provider</td>
<td><a href="/doc/en/lb3/OAuth-2.0.html"><code>loopback-component-oauth2</code></a>
</td>
<td>(TBD)</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>3rd-party logins via Passport</td>
<td><a href="/doc/en/lb3/Third-party-login-using-Passport.html"><code>loopback-component-passport</code></a>
</td>
<td><a href="https://github.com/strongloop/loopback-next/tree/master/extensions/authentication-passport"><code>@loopback/authentication-passport</code></a>
<br>(EXPERIMENTAL)
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Offline synchronization</td>
<td><a href="/doc/en/lb3/Synchronization.html">Synchronization component</a>
(EXPERIMENTAL)
</td>
<td>not available</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Client SDKs</td>
<td>
<a href="/doc/en/lb3/AngularJS-JavaScript-SDK.html">AngularJS (1.x)</a>,
<a href="/doc/en/lb3/Android-SDK.html">Android</a>,
<a href="/doc/en/lb3/iOS-SDK.html">iOS</a>,
<a href="/doc/en/lb3/Xamarin-SDK.html">Xamarin</a>,
<a href="/doc/en/lb3/LoopBack-in-the-client.html">Isomorphic JavaScript</a>
</td>
<td>
OpenAPI code generators, e.g.
<a href="https://swagger.io/tools/swagger-codegen/"><code>swagger-codegen</code></a>,
<a href="https://github.com/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator"><code>openapi-generator</code></a> or
<a href="https://github.com/cyclosproject/ng-openapi-gen"><code>ng-openapi-gen</code></a>
</td>
</tr>

</tbody>
</table>

## What's new and exciting in LoopBack 4

Expand All @@ -102,7 +305,7 @@ Some of the highlights of LoopBack 4 include:
- Models: define schemas for business objects
- Services: interact with existing REST APIs, SOAP Web Services, and other
forms of services/microservices
- Refactor the ORM into separate modules for different concerns
- Refactor the ORM into separate modules for different concerns (TBD)

As LoopBack 4 continues to grow, more features are continuously added. You can
check out our [blog](https://strongloop.com/strongblog/tag_LoopBack.html) to
Expand Down