Why graphQL future

And what does this mean for you personally?

You've probably already heard about GraphQL , the runtime, and the open source data query language. There is a lot of talk about him lately - in particular, at the conference React Europe , recently held in Paris, three speeches were made about GraphQL. And after reading this post, you will find out why.

1. You already use it

Even if you hear about GraphQL for the first time, you will be interested to know that you have been using it daily for the last few years. Facebook has a billion daily active users, and GraphQL underlies the work of the social network. If you use Facebook, you use GraphQL.

Facebook has been using GraphQL since 2012 - long before its code was opened last July. Since then, there has been a flurry of activity about him, and the ecosystem around its open source is growing rapidly.
')

2. GraphQL solves real problems, and it is noticeable.

The existence of GraphQL pleases not only developers at React. Those working with Angular, iOS, and Android are also interested in what GraphQL can offer them. The reason why GraphQL is growing in popularity is that it solves some very real problems that developers struggle with every day. That is why companies like Twitter, Intuit and Drupal are already adapting it.

The Fabric mobile development platform from Twitter has already made the transition to GraphQL:


Since we are working on Apollo , a data stack for GraphQL, almost every day we are approached by companies eager to use GraphQL to create new products, or even rewrite their entire infrastructure for it.

These are completely different companies, and combines one or more of the following points:

• they have more than one software client (for example, web and iOS);
• they have a mobile client, and they care about the response speed and traffic consumption;
• they switch to microservice architecture;
• their REST API has become so complex that it slows down development;
• they want to disconnect front-ends and backends to speed development.

Companies choose GraphQL because they begin to understand that it can help them in solving problems, unlike REST. What and the next item:

3. REST will not help you.

Here is a brief distinction between REST and GraphQL:


GraphQL offers a clear and clear layer of abstraction between servers and clients, which REST cannot offer, offering solutions of narrow applicability.

In this post, I will not go into details of the differences between these technologies, but for those interested, I’ll point out that we have already written about several posts .

If you don't believe me, ask these people:

• From REST to GraphQL by Jacob Gillespie;
• GraphQL at The Financial Times by Victor Charypar;
• The Business Case for GraphQL by James Baxley III;
• Adopting GraphQL by Arunoda Susiripala.

You can find many more examples if you search. Twitter, Intuit and Drupal are just the beginning (and in the case of Drupal, their GraphQL module is only the beginning ). I could name the names of a dozen well-known companies that have not yet publicly announced the transition to GraphQL. No doubt, for GraphQL future.

You probably think: “Well, it's cool, but what is it to me?”

4. GraphQL will please developers

GraphQL brings order to chaos:

• this is a clear and clear API between the backend and the frontend;
• reducing the cost of communication, less connections;
• no need to write documentation for the API;
• no need to invent an API;
• This is a great tool for your API.

With GraphQL, a new programmer will understand in five minutes how to work with your API. This includes the time needed to figure out how to write simple queries in GraphQL.

So, whether you are a developer on React, Angular, Ember, iOS or Android, spend some time studying GraphQL, use it in your new project and try to persuade colleagues or boss to use it in the company. You will not regret.

And you are not alone! Many developers are only now learning about GraphQL, and in addition find a very friendly community ready to provide support to newbies. Some sit on the Slack channel , others join the active user group in Apollo and GraphQL GitHub.

If you stumble upon a REST support group or a professional grumbler, remember:

A new scientific trend prevails not through the conviction of its opponents, but only because its opponents are gradually dying out, and a new generation is emerging that is familiar with it.
- Max Planck