Unlocking the Power of GraphQL: Insights from GraphQLConf 2021

Schema Stitching: Unifying Data in Headless Architectures

Roy Derks’ talk on schema stitching using @graphql-tools/stitch demonstrated how to combine data from multiple services into a single, unified GraphQL schema. By creating a gateway service, developers can access all services in their company through a single endpoint.

The employed stack included:

• @graphql-tools/stitch
• json-graphql-server
• @graphql-tools/schema
• Apollo server
• Next.js

// Example code snippet for schema stitching
import { stitchSchemas } from '@graphql-tools/stitch';
import schema1 from './schema1';
import schema2 from './schema2';

const stitchedSchema = stitchSchemas({
  schemas: [schema1, schema2],
});

// Use the stitched schema with Apollo Server
const server = new ApolloServer({ schema: stitchedSchema });

Federation vs. Schema Stitching: A Performance Comparison

Tanmai Gopal, co-founder and CEO of Hasura, presented a different approach to federation, which centralizes data from multiple services before resolving queries. This approach offers better performance compared to Apollo Federation, especially for complex queries.

Hasura’s solution is still in development, but it promises to provide a more efficient way of handling federated data.

Migrating Global IDs: GitHub’s Journey

Andrew Hoglund, senior software engineer at GitHub, shared the company’s experience in migrating its global identifier format to support database sharding and multi-region setups.

The new format includes a type hint and an ownership scheme, allowing for more efficient data retrieval.

// Example code snippet for global ID migration
const oldId = '12345';
const newId = `type:User:${oldId}`;

GitHub’s approach serves as a valuable lesson for companies facing similar challenges.

Personalizing Ecommerce with GraphQL

Stuart Guest-Smith, principal architect lead at BigCommerce, explored how GraphQL enables merchants to build fast, flexible, and personalized ecommerce experiences.

By using GraphQL, companies can access and relate data from multiple backend systems, achieving composable commerce and enhanced customer experiences.

// Example code snippet for ecommerce query
const query = `
  query {
    customer(id: "12345") {
      name
      orders {
        items {
          product {
            name
            price
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

The Future of GraphQL

GraphQLConf 2021 demonstrated that, even after five years, the GraphQL ecosystem is still evolving. New developments, such as schema stitching and Hasura’s federation approach, are addressing the ongoing needs of the community.

As GraphQL continues to mature, it’s exciting to see the innovative solutions being created to power the next generation of applications.