Introducing EctoWatch for Efficient Database-Application Synchronization

Brian Underwood explores the challenge of ensuring that applications are consistently updated with changes from the database. Traditional methods involve functions that manually send out updates, but these can be error-prone. EctoWatch, a library developed by Brian, leverages PostgreSQL's ability to notify applications of database changes, enabling applications to react to database changes automatically and simplifying the design of complex systems. The library integrates with Ecto schemas and Phoenix PubSub, allowing for seamless tracking and broadcasting of database updates without requiring consistent manual updates across various functions.