The query language for modern APIs

  • Deliver high-performance user experience at scale

  • Secure and stabilize your API with a strongly typed schema and validated queries

  • Reduce dependencies through efficient, distributed development

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GraphQL is open source and trusted by the industry

Facebook's mobile apps have been powered by GraphQL since 2012. A GraphQL spec was open-sourced in 2015. Now it is used by industry-leading companies worldwide and supported by the GraphQL Foundation, hosted since 2018 by the non-profit Linux Foundation.

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Introduction

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is an open‑source query language for APIs and a server‑side runtime. It provides a strongly‑typed schema to define relationships between data, making APIs more flexible and predictable. And it isn’t tied to a specific database or storage engine — it works with your existing code and data, making it easier to evolve APIs over time.

{
  project(name: "GraphQL") {
    tagline
    contributors {
      name
    }
  }
}
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How it works

A GraphQL Query

  1. Describe your data
    type Project {
  name: String
  tagline: String
  contributors: [User]
}
  2. Ask for what you want
    {
  project(name: "GraphQL") {
    tagline
  }
}
  3. Get predictable results
    {
  "project": {
    "tagline": "A query language for APIs"
  }
}
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Business perspective

A proven solution for startups and enterprises

The best user
experience

Deliver high-performing user experiences at scale. The world’s leading apps use GraphQL to create faster, more responsive digital experiences.

  • Faster data retrieval and load times
  • Improved bandwith efficiency

Stability &
Security

Protect your APIs while maintaining full visibility into data consumption. GraphQL allows you to monitor, secure, and optimize API usage while ensuring compliance.

  • Stronger access control
  • Improved business intelligence & cost analysis

Efficient distributed
development

Let your teams ship faster with GraphQL’s flexible, decoupled architecture. GraphQL allows frontend and backend teams to work independently and efficiently.

  • More rapid iterations
  • Improved cross-team collaboration
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design principles

Five Pillars of GraphQL

Product-centric

GraphQL is unapologetically built for front-end engineers, aligning with their way of thinking, how views are structured and how data is consumed.

Hierarchical

Most product development involves the creation and manipulation of view hierarchies. GraphQL queries mirror UI structures, ensuring a natural way to request data that matches the shape of the response.

Strong-typing

Every GraphQL service defines a type system, enabling tools to syntactically validate queries before execution and ensuring predictable responses.

Client-specified response

A GraphQL service publishes the capabilities that its clients are allowed to consume. It is the client who control the data they receive, requesting only what they need at a field level, unlike traditional fixed endpoints.

Self-documenting

GraphQL APIs can describe themselves, allowing tools and clients to query the schema for available types and capabilities. It serves as a powerful platform for building common tools and client software libraries.

Powered by the community

GraphQL is an ecosystem shaped by thousands of collaborating developers and companies around the world. From solo contributors to full-time maintainers, the GraphQL community builds libraries, runs meetups, funds innovation and helps move the technology forward.

GraphQL advantages

Precision

Ask for what you need, get exactly that

Send a GraphQL query to your API and get precisely the data you request — no over-fetching, no under-fetching. Predictable responses keep apps efficient and performant.

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Optimization

Retrieve multiple resources in one request

GraphQL seamlessly follows relationships between data, eliminating multiple API calls. While typical REST APIs require loading from multiple URLs, GraphQL APIs get all the data your app needs in a single request. Ideal for complex queries and optimizing network performance.

Read the docs

Productivity

Move faster with powerful, community-built tools

Know exactly what you can request without leaving editor. Highlight potential issues before sending a query and take advantage of improved code intelligence. GraphQL makes it easy to build powerful tools. And many of them, like GraphiQL, are open source and built by the GraphQL community.

Explore GraphQL tools

Consistency

Build confidently with a type-safe schema

GraphQL APIs are structured around types and fields, not endpoints. This ensures data consistency, self-documentation, and clear, actionable errors. Apps can use types to avoid writing manual parsing code.

Learn more about GraphQL schemas

Versionless

Evolve without versions

Add new fields and types without impacting existing queries. Deprecate outdated fields while keeping APIs clean and future-proof. By using a single evolving version, GraphQL APIs give apps continuous access to new features and encourage more maintainable server code.

See more in docs

Integration

Bring your own data and code

GraphQL is storage-agnostic — integrate databases, REST APIs, and third-party services into a single, cohesive data layer. Write GraphQL APIs that leverage your existing data and code with GraphQL engines available in many languages.

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Data Colocation

Data Colocation

GraphQL fragments let you reuse common field selections across queries, making your code more maintainable and consistent.

Server
<FriendList>
<FriendListItem>
<FriendInfo/>

Click onHover over the components to see their GraphQL fragments.

Friends

  • Trudie
    120 mutual friends
    username
    funkytrudster89
    email
    trudie@mail.com
    location
    New York, USA
  • Frances
    42 mutual friends
    username
    frannyfran12
    email
    frances@mail.com
    location
    Madrid, Spain
  • Fernando
    114 mutual friends
    username
    fern_whirlwind
    email
    fernando@mail.com
    location
    Amsterdam, Netherlands
query GetFriendList {
  ...FriendList
}
 
fragment FriendList on Query {
  friends {
    ...FriendListItem
  }
}
 
fragment FriendListItem on Friend {
  name
  profilePic
  mutualFriendsCount
  isSubscribed
  ...FriendInfo
}
 
fragment FriendInfo on Friend {
  username
  email
  location
}
Quotes from the industry

Loved by world-class devs

GraphQL is evolving to new use cases every day and it's really a competitive advantage to experience them first hand with everyone that matters.

Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO
Vincent Desmares
Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO

GraphQL is evolving to new use cases every day and it's really a competitive advantage to experience them first hand with everyone that matters.

Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO
Vincent Desmares
Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO

GraphQL is evolving to new use cases every day and it's really a competitive advantage to experience them first hand with everyone that matters.

Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO
Vincent Desmares
Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO

GraphQL is evolving to new use cases every day and it's really a competitive advantage to experience them first hand with everyone that matters.

Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO
Vincent Desmares
Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO

GraphQL is evolving to new use cases every day and it's really a competitive advantage to experience them first hand with everyone that matters.

Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO
Vincent Desmares
Vincent Desmares
Teamstarter, CTO

Join the community

GraphQL is community-driven, backed by thousands of developers and companies worldwide. Become part of a network shaping the future of API development.

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