GraphQL Workshop

Kiran Abburi

@kiran_abburi

Agenda

• What is GraphQL ?
• GraphQL vs REST
• GraphQL query language
• GraphQL type system
• Building GraphQL server
• Queries, Mutations and Subscriptions
• Authentication and Authorization

What is GraphQL ?

• A query language for your API
• Enables clients to ask exactly what data they want

What is GraphQL ?

# Query
{
  user {
    id
    firstName
  }
}

# Response
{
  data: {
    user: {
      id: 1
      firstName: "Kiran"
    }
  }
}

REST

• Overfetching

/users
/users/1

REST

• Multiple api calls

/posts/1
/posts/1/comments

REST

• Problems with backend for frontend

{
  id: 1,
  title: "GraphQL"
  author: "/users/1"
}

{
  id: 1,
  title: "GraphQL",
  author: {
    firstName: "Kiran"
  }
}

GraphQL

• Solves underfetching and overfetching problem
• GraphQL is more flexible
• Type system
• Enable us to build tools that improve
  • Developer experience
  • Declarative data fetching on client
  • Effective caching on client