What is GraphQl?

GraphQL is a data query and manipulation language for APIs. GraphQL was developed internally by Facebook in 2012 before being publicly released in 2015. For more information about graphQL go here. My experience with GraphQL started years ago with Neo4j, ArrangoDB, and OrientDB. For the sake of my blog, my focus for GraphQL will be based on Astra GraphQL API and the inherit GraphQL capabilities. These capabilities are impressive, but do not confuse GraphQL capability to mean Astra or Stargate is a Graph Database. Additionally, some of the advanced GraphQL features are not inclusive, yet.

Why use GraphQL?

Having spent years in sql, mysql, several to many database clients, uis, and tools I am firm believer in making data access easier. GraphQL provides that method to easily interact with your data and it brings powerful concepts not found in other query languages. It is very easy to develop directly against the GraphQL Api for inserts, updates, and deletes without requiring a backend for the application. Additionally with GraphQL being able to query and join multiple data sets and the results being returned in a JSON Object there are little to no additional client side manipulations of results needed.

Working with GraphQL

GraphQl Samples

GraphQL Postman

What’s Next

Check out my blog on GraphQL Playground for more GraphQL fun.

How can I help you with Stargate?

Find me over on the Stargate Discord to ask me any questions about Stargate. Also let’s chat if you have something kewl you did with Stargate and you want me to feature it in my blog. Look below or to the right for more ways to find me.