Convex Component Authoring
Create self-contained, reusable Convex components with proper isolation, exports, and dependency management for sharing across projects.
Documentation Sources
Before implementing, do not assume; fetch the latest documentation:
Primary: https://docs.convex.dev/components Component Authoring: https://docs.convex.dev/components/authoring For broader context: https://docs.convex.dev/llms.txt Instructions What Are Convex Components?
Convex components are self-contained packages that include:
Database tables (isolated from the main app) Functions (queries, mutations, actions) TypeScript types and validators Optional frontend hooks Component Structure my-convex-component/ ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json ├── README.md ├── src/ │ ├── index.ts # Main exports │ ├── component.ts # Component definition │ ├── schema.ts # Component schema │ └── functions/ │ ├── queries.ts │ ├── mutations.ts │ └── actions.ts └── convex.config.ts # Component configuration
Creating a Component 1. Component Configuration // convex.config.ts import { defineComponent } from "convex/server";
export default defineComponent("myComponent");
- Component Schema // src/schema.ts import { defineSchema, defineTable } from "convex/server"; import { v } from "convex/values";
export default defineSchema({ // Tables are isolated to this component items: defineTable({ name: v.string(), data: v.any(), createdAt: v.number(), }).index("by_name", ["name"]),
config: defineTable({ key: v.string(), value: v.any(), }).index("by_key", ["key"]), });
- Component Definition // src/component.ts import { defineComponent, ComponentDefinition } from "convex/server"; import schema from "./schema"; import * as queries from "./functions/queries"; import * as mutations from "./functions/mutations";
const component = defineComponent("myComponent", { schema, functions: { ...queries, ...mutations, }, });
export default component;
- Component Functions // src/functions/queries.ts import { query } from "../_generated/server"; import { v } from "convex/values";
export const list = query({ args: { limit: v.optional(v.number()), }, returns: v.array(v.object({ _id: v.id("items"), name: v.string(), data: v.any(), createdAt: v.number(), })), handler: async (ctx, args) => { return await ctx.db .query("items") .order("desc") .take(args.limit ?? 10); }, });
export const get = query({ args: { name: v.string() }, returns: v.union(v.object({ _id: v.id("items"), name: v.string(), data: v.any(), }), v.null()), handler: async (ctx, args) => { return await ctx.db .query("items") .withIndex("by_name", (q) => q.eq("name", args.name)) .unique(); }, });
// src/functions/mutations.ts import { mutation } from "../_generated/server"; import { v } from "convex/values";
export const create = mutation({ args: { name: v.string(), data: v.any(), }, returns: v.id("items"), handler: async (ctx, args) => { return await ctx.db.insert("items", { name: args.name, data: args.data, createdAt: Date.now(), }); }, });
export const update = mutation({ args: { id: v.id("items"), data: v.any(), }, returns: v.null(), handler: async (ctx, args) => { await ctx.db.patch(args.id, { data: args.data }); return null; }, });
export const remove = mutation({ args: { id: v.id("items") }, returns: v.null(), handler: async (ctx, args) => { await ctx.db.delete(args.id); return null; }, });
- Main Exports // src/index.ts export { default as component } from "./component"; export * from "./functions/queries"; export * from "./functions/mutations";
// Export types for consumers export type { Id } from "./_generated/dataModel";
Using a Component // In the consuming app's convex/convex.config.ts import { defineApp } from "convex/server"; import myComponent from "my-convex-component";
const app = defineApp();
app.use(myComponent, { name: "myComponent" });
export default app;
// In the consuming app's code import { useQuery, useMutation } from "convex/react"; import { api } from "../convex/_generated/api";
function MyApp() { // Access component functions through the app's API const items = useQuery(api.myComponent.list, { limit: 10 }); const createItem = useMutation(api.myComponent.create);
return (
Component Configuration Options // convex/convex.config.ts import { defineApp } from "convex/server"; import myComponent from "my-convex-component";
const app = defineApp();
// Basic usage app.use(myComponent);
// With custom name app.use(myComponent, { name: "customName" });
// Multiple instances app.use(myComponent, { name: "instance1" }); app.use(myComponent, { name: "instance2" });
export default app;
Providing Component Hooks // src/hooks.ts import { useQuery, useMutation } from "convex/react"; import { FunctionReference } from "convex/server";
// Type-safe hooks for component consumers export function useMyComponent(api: { list: FunctionReference<"query">; create: FunctionReference<"mutation">; }) { const items = useQuery(api.list, {}); const createItem = useMutation(api.create);
return { items, createItem, isLoading: items === undefined, }; }
Publishing a Component package.json { "name": "my-convex-component", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "A reusable Convex component", "main": "dist/index.js", "types": "dist/index.d.ts", "files": [ "dist", "convex.config.ts" ], "scripts": { "build": "tsc", "prepublishOnly": "npm run build" }, "peerDependencies": { "convex": "^1.0.0" }, "devDependencies": { "convex": "^1.17.0", "typescript": "^5.0.0" }, "keywords": [ "convex", "component" ] }
tsconfig.json { "compilerOptions": { "target": "ES2020", "module": "ESNext", "moduleResolution": "bundler", "declaration": true, "outDir": "dist", "strict": true, "esModuleInterop": true, "skipLibCheck": true }, "include": ["src/*/"], "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"] }
Examples Rate Limiter Component // rate-limiter/src/schema.ts import { defineSchema, defineTable } from "convex/server"; import { v } from "convex/values";
export default defineSchema({ requests: defineTable({ key: v.string(), timestamp: v.number(), }) .index("by_key", ["key"]) .index("by_key_and_time", ["key", "timestamp"]), });
// rate-limiter/src/functions/mutations.ts import { mutation } from "../_generated/server"; import { v } from "convex/values";
export const checkLimit = mutation({ args: { key: v.string(), limit: v.number(), windowMs: v.number(), }, returns: v.object({ allowed: v.boolean(), remaining: v.number(), resetAt: v.number(), }), handler: async (ctx, args) => { const now = Date.now(); const windowStart = now - args.windowMs;
// Clean old entries
const oldEntries = await ctx.db
.query("requests")
.withIndex("by_key_and_time", (q) =>
q.eq("key", args.key).lt("timestamp", windowStart)
)
.collect();
for (const entry of oldEntries) {
await ctx.db.delete(entry._id);
}
// Count current window
const currentRequests = await ctx.db
.query("requests")
.withIndex("by_key", (q) => q.eq("key", args.key))
.collect();
const remaining = Math.max(0, args.limit - currentRequests.length);
const allowed = remaining > 0;
if (allowed) {
await ctx.db.insert("requests", {
key: args.key,
timestamp: now,
});
}
const oldestRequest = currentRequests[0];
const resetAt = oldestRequest
? oldestRequest.timestamp + args.windowMs
: now + args.windowMs;
return { allowed, remaining: remaining - (allowed ? 1 : 0), resetAt };
}, });
// Usage in consuming app import { useMutation } from "convex/react"; import { api } from "../convex/_generated/api";
function useRateLimitedAction() { const checkLimit = useMutation(api.rateLimiter.checkLimit);
return async (action: () => Promise
if (!result.allowed) {
throw new Error(`Rate limited. Try again at ${new Date(result.resetAt)}`);
}
await action();
}; }
Best Practices Never run npx convex deploy unless explicitly instructed Never run any git commands unless explicitly instructed Keep component tables isolated (don't reference main app tables) Export clear TypeScript types for consumers Document all public functions and their arguments Use semantic versioning for component releases Include comprehensive README with examples Test components in isolation before publishing Common Pitfalls Cross-referencing tables - Component tables should be self-contained Missing type exports - Export all necessary types Hardcoded configuration - Use component options for customization No versioning - Follow semantic versioning Poor documentation - Document all public APIs References Convex Documentation: https://docs.convex.dev/ Convex LLMs.txt: https://docs.convex.dev/llms.txt Components: https://docs.convex.dev/components Component Authoring: https://docs.convex.dev/components/authoring