Exploring GraphQL

As a software engineer, I’ve always been fascinated by the tools and technologies that help us build better applications more efficiently. Recently, I’ve been exploring GraphQL and its integration with Elixir. Here’s a bit about my experience, along with a few of my early takeaways.

GraphQL has been gaining popularity in recent years, because it offers a flexible, efficient way to query and manipulate data, allowing front-end developers to request exactly what they need and nothing more. (This supports performance improvement and a smoother development process overall.)

When I first started exploring GraphQL with Elixir, I was impressed by how well they complement each other. Elixir’s concurrency model and fault-tolerance make it a great choice for building scalable, resilient back-ends, while GraphQL provides a clear, strongly-typed API layer that’s easy for front-end devs to work with.

I’ve also been impressed with how GraphQL simplifies the process of fetching related data. Instead of making multiple REST API calls or dealing with over-fetching, I could request all the necessary data in a single query. This not only improved performance, but also made the front-end code cleaner and more maintainable.

Absinthe

I’ve been using Absinthe, the popular GraphQL implementation for Elixir, and I’ve found it to be mature and feature-rich. It integrates seamlessly with Elixir’s web framework – Phoenix – making it easy to set up a GraphQL API alongside traditional REST endpoints if needed.

One of the most powerful features of Absinthe is its ability to define custom resolvers, allowing you to control exactly how each field in your GraphQL schema is resolved and, in turn, giving you fine-grained control over data fetching and manipulation. I’ve found this feature particularly useful when working with complex data structures or when I need to optimize certain queries for performance.

Apollo Client with React

On the front-end side, I’ve been using Apollo Client with React, and my experience has been fantastic. In particular, the ability to generate TypeScript types from the GraphQL schema has been a game-changer; it provides excellent type safety and autocompletion, catching potential errors early in the development process.

Noteworthy Challenges

It’s important to note that adopting GraphQL isn’t without its challenges. The learning curve can feel steep at times, especially for someone coming from a traditional REST background; GraphQL requires a different way of thinking about API design and data fetching. In addition, setting up proper caching and optimizing complex queries can be a bit tricky and requires careful consideration.

Another aspect to consider is the potential for over-fetching on the server side if not implemented carefully; it’s possible to inadvertently create performance issues if you’re not mindful of how your resolvers are structured.

Benefits Over Challenges

Despite these challenges, I’ve found the benefits of using GraphQL with Elixir to far outweigh the drawbacks. The flexibility it provides in data fetching, the strong typing, and the solid tooling support have significantly improved my workflow.

For those considering adopting GraphQL with Elixir, my advice is to start small. Begin by implementing a few key queries and mutations, and gradually expand your schema as you become more comfortable with the technology. And be sure to take advantage of the resources available in the Elixir and GraphQL communities – they’ve been invaluable in my learning journey.

Want to chat on this topic – or any tech topic? Connect with our team. (We love this stuff!)

---

Elixir Front-End Development React