apollo-server-plugin-base

What is apollo-server-plugin-base?

The apollo-server-plugin-base package provides an interface for creating plugins that can hook into, modify, or extend the functionality of Apollo Server. These plugins can be used for logging, performance monitoring, validating requests, and more, allowing developers to customize and optimize their GraphQL server.

What are apollo-server-plugin-base's main functionalities?

Server Lifecycle Hooks

Plugins can define lifecycle hooks such as serverWillStart to perform actions during specific phases of the Apollo Server lifecycle. This example logs a message when the server is starting.

const myPlugin = { 
  serverWillStart(service) { 
    console.log(`GraphQL Server is starting!`); 
  } 
};

Request Lifecycle Hooks

This feature allows plugins to hook into various phases of a GraphQL request's lifecycle, such as when a request starts or before a response is sent. The example logs the request query and the response.

const myPlugin = { 
  requestDidStart(requestContext) { 
    console.log(`Request started! Query:\n${requestContext.request.query}`); 
    return { 
      willSendResponse(requestContext) { 
        console.log(`Response:`, requestContext.response); 
      } 
    }; 
  } 
};

Error Handling

Plugins can also be used for error handling throughout the request lifecycle. This example logs any GraphQL errors that occur during a request.

const errorLoggingPlugin = { 
  requestDidStart(requestContext) { 
    return { 
      didEncounterErrors(requestContext) { 
        console.error(`GraphQL Errors:`, requestContext.errors); 
      } 
    }; 
  } 
};

Other packages similar to apollo-server-plugin-base

graphql-middleware

graphql-middleware is a tool for creating middleware that can be applied to your GraphQL resolvers. It allows for a similar pattern of extending functionality but is focused on the resolver level rather than the entire server lifecycle.

express-graphql

express-graphql is an Express.js middleware designed specifically for executing GraphQL queries. While it doesn't offer a plugin system like Apollo Server, it allows for the integration of GraphQL with Express.js applications, demonstrating a different approach to extending GraphQL server capabilities.

README

apollo-server-plugin-base

This package exports TypeScript types for defining your own Apollo Server plugin.