Definition
GraphQL is an open-source query language for APIs and provides libraries for various programming languages to execute those queries. Do not mix it up with a query language for databases such as SQL. It was developed by Facebook in 2015. It was created as an alternative to REST for developing and using application programming interfaces. GraphQL allows the client to specify exactly what data they need and facilitates the aggregation of data from multiple sources. GraphQL helps to speed up development and to create more powerful APIs.
GraphQL allows to:
- define an API using a schema definition file. It defines which objects with which fields you can receive.
- execute queries based on that schema. It returns exactly the requested data.
- execute mutations based on that schema. It only updates the requested data.
For cenTaur, we use GraphQL to build a comprehensive and sustainable API for our applications that can easily be used by clients.