⚡ QueryLink - Streamlining Frontend-Backend Data Integration in .NET Applications

This article was originally published on the ByteAether Blog. It has been republished here with minor edits for clarity and conciseness.

The Challenge of Repetitive Integration Logic

In modern .NET applications, developers often find themselves writing repetitive code to connect UI elements—especially data grids—to backend databases. Each feature requires handling filtering, sorting, and pagination, leading to redundant logic spread across controllers and services. This approach:

• Wastes development time
• Introduces inconsistencies and bugs
• Reduces maintainability

Wouldn't it be great to automate this?

A Smarter Approach: Defining a Generic Query System

To address these challenges, a modern solution should:

1. Be serializable – Enable seamless transmission over HTTP.
2. Integrate with IQueryable & EF Core – Ensure efficient database queries.
3. Support flexible filters – Handle different query operators easily.
4. Allow overrides – Provide customization for special cases.

Introducing QueryLink: A Powerful Query Integration Library

QueryLink is an open-source library designed to simplify frontend-backend data integration by encapsulating filtering and sorting logic into a reusable structure.

Key Features:

✅ Declarative Filtering & Sorting – Define filters and sort orders without writing custom LINQ queries.
✅ Query String Conversion – Easily serialize filters and sorts for API requests.
✅ IQueryable Integration – Apply query definitions directly to Entity Framework queries.
✅ Customizable Overrides – Adapt filtering and sorting behavior as needed.

Quick Example: Defining and Applying Queries

Define Filters & Sort Orders

var definitions = new Definitions
{
    Filters =
    [
        new("Name", FilterOperator.Eq, "John"),
        new("Age", FilterOperator.Gt, 30)
    ],
    Orders =
    [
        new("Name"),
        new("Age", IsReversed: true)
    ]
};

Apply to an IQueryable Source

IQueryable<Person> query = dbContext.People.AsQueryable();
query = query.Apply(definitions);

Why Use QueryLink?

✅ Eliminates redundant query logic
✅ Improves code clarity and maintainability
✅ Enhances consistency across projects
✅ Speeds up development

By leveraging QueryLink, .NET developers can focus on business logic rather than boilerplate query integration.

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Read the Full Article

For a deeper dive into this topic, check out the full article on my blog:

Seamlessly Connecting Frontend and Backend Data in .NET Applications

Check out the QueryLink repository on GitHub 🚀

This article was originally published on the ByteAether Blog. It has been republished here with minor edits for clarity and conciseness.