graphql

What is graphql?

The graphql npm package is the JavaScript reference implementation for GraphQL, a query language for APIs and a runtime for executing those queries by using a type system you define for your data. It allows you to create schemas, define resolvers, and execute GraphQL queries and mutations.

What are graphql's main functionalities?

Creating a GraphQL Schema

This feature allows you to define the shape of your data and the way it can be queried by clients. The code sample demonstrates how to create a simple GraphQL schema with a single root query.

const { GraphQLSchema, GraphQLObjectType, GraphQLString } = require('graphql');

const schema = new GraphQLSchema({
  query: new GraphQLObjectType({
    name: 'RootQueryType',
    fields: {
      hello: {
        type: GraphQLString,
        resolve() {
          return 'Hello world!';
        }
      }
    }
  })
});

Executing a GraphQL Query

This feature allows you to execute GraphQL queries against your schema. The code sample shows how to execute a simple query that asks for the 'hello' field, which resolves to 'Hello world!'.

const { graphql, buildSchema } = require('graphql');

const schema = buildSchema(`
  type Query {
    hello: String
  }
`);

const root = { hello: () => 'Hello world!' };

graphql(schema, '{ hello }', root).then((response) => {
  console.log(response);
});

Defining Resolvers

Resolvers are functions that resolve the value for a type or field in a schema. The code sample shows how to define a resolver for the 'hello' field that returns a string.

const { GraphQLObjectType, GraphQLString } = require('graphql');

const RootQueryType = new GraphQLObjectType({
  name: 'RootQuery',
  fields: {
    hello: {
      type: GraphQLString,
      resolve() {
        return 'Hello world!';
      }
    }
  }
});

Other packages similar to graphql

apollo-server

Apollo Server is a community-driven, open-source GraphQL server that works with many Node.js HTTP server frameworks. It simplifies building a GraphQL API by providing features like performance tracing and schema stitching. Compared to graphql, Apollo Server offers a more integrated set of tools for building production-ready GraphQL services.

express-graphql

Express GraphQL is a GraphQL HTTP server middleware for Express.js. It allows you to serve a GraphQL API as a web service. While graphql provides the core functionality for schema creation and query execution, express-graphql makes it easy to integrate GraphQL with the Express web application framework.

type-graphql

TypeGraphQL is a framework for building GraphQL APIs in Node.js using TypeScript, based on the official graphql-js package. It allows for defining the schema using TypeScript classes and decorators, which can be more familiar to developers with an object-oriented background. It provides a more type-safe and class-based approach to defining GraphQL schemas compared to the more traditional, function-based approach of graphql.

README

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