Apollo Server is a community-maintained open-source GraphQL server. It works with pretty much all Node.js HTTP server frameworks, and we're happy to take PRs to add more! Apollo Server works with any GraphQL schema built with GraphQL.js--or define a schema's type definitions using schema definition language (SDL).
Read the documentation for information on getting started and many other use cases and follow the CHANGELOG for updates.
Apollo Server is built with the following principles in mind:
- By the community, for the community: Its development is driven by the needs of developers.
- Simplicity: By keeping things simple, it is more secure and easier to implement and contribute.
- Performance: It is well-tested and production-ready.
Anyone is welcome to contribute to Apollo Server, just read CONTRIBUTING.md, take a look at the roadmap and make your first PR!
To get started with Apollo Server:
- Install with
npm install apollo-server-<integration> - Write a GraphQL schema
- Use one of the following snippets
There are two ways to install Apollo Server:
- Standalone: For applications that do not require an existing web framework, use the
apollo-serverpackage. - Integrations: For applications with a web framework (e.g.
express,koa,hapi, etc.), use the appropriate Apollo Server integration package.
For more info, please refer to the Apollo Server docs.
In a new project, install the apollo-server and graphql dependencies using:
npm install apollo-server graphql
Then, create an index.js which defines the schema and its functionality (i.e. resolvers):
const { ApolloServer, gql } = require('apollo-server');
// The GraphQL schema
const typeDefs = gql`
type Query {
"A simple type for getting started!"
hello: String
}
`;
// A map of functions which return data for the schema.
const resolvers = {
Query: {
hello: () => 'world',
},
};
const server = new ApolloServer({
typeDefs,
resolvers,
});
server.listen().then(({ url }) => {
console.log(`🚀 Server ready at ${url}`);
});Due to its human-readability, we recommend using schema-definition language (SDL) to define a GraphQL schema--a
GraphQLSchemaobject fromgraphql-jscan also be specified instead oftypeDefsandresolversusing theschemaproperty:const server = new ApolloServer({ schema: ... });
Finally, start the server using node index.js and go to the URL returned on the console.
For more details, check out the Apollo Server Getting Started guide and the fullstack tutorial.
For questions, the Apollo community on Spectrum.chat is a great place to get help.
While the standalone installation above can be used without making a decision about which web framework to use, the Apollo Server integration packages are paired with specific web frameworks (e.g. Express, Koa, hapi).
The following web frameworks have Apollo Server integrations, and each of these linked integrations has its own installation instructions and examples on its package README.md:
- Express (Most popular)
- Koa
- Hapi
- Fastify
- Amazon Lambda
- Micro
- Azure Functions
- Google Cloud Functions
- Cloudflare (Experimental)
A request context is available for each request. When context is defined as a function, it will be called on each request and will receive an object containing a req property, which represents the request itself.
By returning an object from the context function, it will be available as the third positional parameter of the resolvers:
new ApolloServer({
typeDefs,
resolvers: {
Query: {
books: (parent, args, context, info) => {
console.log(context.myProperty); // Will be `true`!
return books;
},
}
},
context: async ({ req }) => {
return {
myProperty: true
};
},
})The Apollo Server documentation contains additional details on how to get started with GraphQL and Apollo Server.
The raw Markdown source of the documentation is available within the docs/ directory of this monorepo--to contribute, please use the Edit on GitHub buttons at the bottom of each page.
If you wish to develop or contribute to Apollo Server, we suggest the following:
-
Fork this repository
-
Install the Apollo Server project on your computer
git clone https://github.com/[your-user]/apollo-server
cd apollo-server
npm install
cd packages/apollo-server-<integration>/
npm link
- Install your local Apollo Server in the other App
cd ~/myApp
npm link apollo-server-<integration>
Are you stuck? Want to contribute? Come visit us in the Apollo community on Spectrum.chat!
- @abernix (Apollo)