GraphQL is a powerful query language for APIs that was developed by Facebook. It provides a more efficient and flexible alternative to traditional RESTful APIs. With GraphQL, clients can request exactly what they need from the server and nothing more, making it an excellent choice for building scalable and performant applications.

Power Integrations with GraphQL

As the team behind GraphQL Portal: https://www.graphql-portal.com/, we have unparalleled expertise in this powerful query language.

How does GraphQL Work?

At its core, GraphQL is a specification that defines a query language and a runtime for executing those queries with a server. It allows clients to specify the structure of the data they require by using a GraphQL schema. This schema defines the types of data available and their relationships.

A client can send a query to the server specifying the fields and the relationships it wants to retrieve. The server then responds with the exact data requested in the same shape as the query. Unlike traditional REST APIs, where multiple round-trips may be needed to fetch related data, GraphQL allows clients to retrieve all the required data in a single request.

Advantages of Using GraphQL

• Efficient data fetching: With GraphQL, clients have fine-grained control over the data they retrieve, eliminating over-fetching and under-fetching of data. This leads to reduced bandwidth usage and faster response times.
• Strongly typed schema.
• Ability to aggregate multiple data sources and combine them into a single unified GraphQL Schema.
• Flexibility for Frontend developers, who are no longer tightly coupled to the backend teams that develop the APIs.

When to Consider GraphQL

Here are some situations where GraphQL's power might be the perfect fit:

• Highly customized data requirements.
• Complex data structures with intricate relationships between different entities.
• Performance optimization for applications dealing with large datasets.
• Future-proofing your application for evolving data needs.

Which big companies use GraphQL?

Big companies like PayPal, Netflix, Shopify, GitHub, Airbnb, and Coursera have adopted GraphQL to enhance their development processes and improve agility at scale. For instance, PayPal uses GraphQL to unify and streamline its application development process, migrating from REST and standardizing on GraphQL for better consistency and efficiency across its services. This shift has allowed them to provide a single, language-agnostic GraphQL endpoint for external clients, simplifying integration and improving the developer experience.

Shopify, recognizing the limitations of REST APIs in client-server interactions, adopted GraphQL to provide more precise and efficient data fetching capabilities. This has resulted in better performance and less overhead in their API interactions.

GitHub shifted to GraphQL to allow users to fetch precisely the data they need in a single API call, significantly reducing the need for multiple round trips and improving the efficiency of data retrieval.

Airbnb implemented GraphQL to enhance data fetching processes, combining it with Apollo's tooling to increase development agility by tenfold, optimizing their service delivery and user experience.

Coursera turned to GraphQL after extensive experimentation with different API models, finding that GraphQL's flexibility and efficiency in fetching data from multiple services simultaneously offered significant improvements over traditional REST APIs.

Does Netflix use GraphQL?

Netflix has leveraged GraphQL to optimize their backend services, using custom toolsets to rapidly expose data and improve development speed. This approach has enabled them to handle their vast data needs more efficiently, promoting rapid development and deployment practices.

Who is the founder of GraphQL?

Lee Byron is a significant figure in the tech community, primarily known as the co-creator of GraphQL and the Executive Director of the GraphQL Foundation. His work extends beyond just creating GraphQL; he also leads Product Engineering at Watershed, where he develops tools to tackle the climate crisis. Lee has contributed to several influential open-source libraries, including GraphQL, React, Dataloader, Immutable.js, Relay, and Flow, which are utilized by millions of developers worldwide. His inspiration for GraphQL stemmed from the challenges faced while rebuilding Facebook’s native mobile applications, aiming to devise a data-fetching API that was both powerful and simple for developers. Today, GraphQL is foundational, supporting hundreds of billions of API calls daily, thanks to Lee’s efforts and his ongoing commitment to evolving this technology through community-driven open-source initiatives.

How can we help?

We're not just talking the talk but walking the walk. code.store has successfully built and released GraphQL-powered applications that millions of users worldwide use. We have the experience and the know-how to ensure your GraphQL integration is successful.

Ready to Take Your Integrations to the Next Level?

Contact code.store today! Our team of GraphQL experts will work closely with you to understand your specific needs and design a custom integration strategy that leverages the power of GraphQL to create a high-performing, scalable application.

Apollo GraphQL Setup

Setting up Apollo GraphQL and getting started with Apollo Server can significantly streamline how you handle data queries in your applications. This tutorial will guide you through the basic steps to get Apollo Server up and running, ensuring you grasp the fundamental principles of GraphQL. Here's how you can define a GraphQL schema and run an Apollo Server instance.

Step 1: Create a New Project
Start by creating a new project directory in your desired development area using your command line. Initialize a new Node.js project using npm or another package manager like Yarn, setting it up to use ES Modules which simplifies the examples and enables top-level await.

Step 2: Install Dependencies
You will need to install two main packages: graphql, which handles core GraphQL operations, and apollo/server, the main library for running the Apollo Server itself.

Step 3: Define Your GraphQL Schema
In this step, you would create a file to define your GraphQL schema. The schema acts like a blueprint that outlines the structure of the data that clients can query. Typically, this would involve defining various data types and queries. For example, you might define a type for books which includes fields like title and author, and a query type that allows clients to fetch lists of books.

Step 4: Define Your Data Set
Once the schema is set, the next step is to define the actual data that the server will use. In a simple example, this could be an array of book objects, where each book has a title and an author. This dataset acts as the source that the server will use to respond to queries.

Step 5: Define a Resolver
The resolver is where you specify how to fetch the data for a particular query. In this case, you would write a resolver that knows how to retrieve all books. The resolver functions as the logic to access your data source based on incoming queries.

Step 6: Create an Instance of ApolloServer
Now it's time to bring everything together by creating an instance of ApolloServer. You provide the server with your schema and resolvers which tell the server what data to return in response to queries. This step also involves setting up the server to run on a specified port.

Step 7: Start the Server
With the setup complete, the next step is to start your server. This is typically done through the command line by running a start command, which activates the server and makes it ready to handle incoming queries.

Step 8: Execute Your First Query
Finally, test your server by executing a query to retrieve data, such as a list of books. This can be done using a tool like Apollo Sandbox, which provides a user interface to write and execute queries and view responses.

Through these steps, your Apollo Server is set up and ready to handle queries, providing a robust environment for developing applications with GraphQL. For a deeper understanding and to tackle more complex scenarios, further exploration of schemas, resolvers, and Apollo Server's integrations with other web frameworks is beneficial. This will aid in modularizing and scaling your GraphQL APIs effectively.

Is Apollo GraphQL free?

Apollo's core libraries, including Apollo Server and Apollo Client, are open-source and free to use. This means you can build and run a GraphQL server, federate it with other services using Apollo Federation, and connect it to your applications using Apollo Client without any cost. These libraries are suited for various environments, supporting frontend frameworks and native mobile platforms.

However, Apollo also offers a cloud platform called Apollo Studio, which provides enhanced management features for your GraphQL implementation. Apollo Studio is free for up to 25 million operations per month, but beyond this, it operates on a paid model. This aspect is often a point of concern for developers who worry about scalability and long-term costs.

For those hesitant to commit to Apollo Studio or who wish to explore more flexible or less costly solutions, there are numerous other tools and libraries in the GraphQL ecosystem. Alternatives like GraphQL Yoga, Pothos, Prisma, and GraphQL Helix offer various features that might be more aligned with different project requirements or personal preferences.

In summary, while Apollo's primary tools and libraries are free and open-source, higher-tier services like Apollo Studio may incur costs based on usage. This makes Apollo GraphQL a viable option for both small projects and large-scale applications, provided the additional services fit within the budget and project needs.

GraphQL tools we work with at code.store

1. GraphiQL Explorer v2.0 - This tool is essential for anyone diving into GraphQL. It allows users to easily execute and test queries within a user-friendly interface. The latest version, GraphiQL Explorer v2.0, includes features like syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and the ability to save queries using local storage.

2. Express & Yoga - These are two of the most popular frameworks for setting up a GraphQL server with Node.js. Express and Yoga can help you quickly mount a GraphQL API server on your local development environment.

3. GQty - Known as the No-GraphQL GraphQL client, GQty provides a smooth way to integrate GraphQL without needing to deep dive into GraphQL syntax. It's especially useful for TypeScript users, offering a declarative TypeScript interface that enhances productivity and provides instant feedback during development.

4. GraphQL Visualizer - For those who prefer visual aids, the GraphQL Visualizer is a great tool for understanding the relationships within a GraphQL schema. It allows developers to see a visual representation of their schema, which can be very helpful for larger projects.

5. Insomnia - This standalone HTTP client is versatile for testing GraphQL queries. It supports various authentication methods and user scenarios, making it a handy tool during the development process.

6. Hurl - Perfect for command-line enthusiasts, Hurl extends the capabilities of curl for making HTTP requests by allowing the execution of GraphQL queries directly from the command line.

7. Stellate - If performance optimization is a priority, Stellate provides edge caching solutions for GraphQL APIs. This can significantly enhance the performance of your GraphQL implementations.

8. Graphman - This tool allows you to quickly generate a Postman or Insomnia collection from a GraphQL endpoint. It's particularly useful for developers who regularly test different queries and mutations.

9. Node-fetch - For backend operations, such as in serverless functions, Node-fetch is a lightweight option that supports making GraphQL requests from Node.js environments.

10. GraphQL Network Inspector browser extension - This browser extension integrates into Chrome and Firefox developer tools, offering a specialized network tab optimized for GraphQL. It simplifies debugging by allowing developers to inspect GraphQL queries and mutations directly in the browser.

Best GraphQL Experts at code.store

You named it, we love GraphQL, and we can help your teams set up and architect large and complex GraphQL schemas. Whether it's with federation, stitching, solving performance issues, governance, or simply building your resolvers, we've got you covered.