Grafbase

What is Grafbase about?

Grafbase is a GraphQL Federation platform that enables you to combine disparate data sources—databases, APIs, services—into a single, coherent GraphQL schema. It offers governance tools to evolve the schema safely and analytics to monitor usage.

How to use Grafbase?

1. Add Grafbase to your project – install the CLI via npx @grafbase/cli init (or follow the self‑hosted gateway docs).
2. Define your data sources in the grafbase/schema.graphql file using standard GraphQL SDL.
3. Run the gateway – npx @grafbase/cli dev starts the server locally.
4. Deploy – push the configuration to Grafbase Cloud or self‑host the gateway container as described in the documentation.

Key features of Grafbase

• Full GraphQL federation with automatic schema stitching.
• Governance: versioned schema changes, deprecation warnings, and protection against breaking updates.
• Analytics: real‑time query insights, latency tracking, and usage stats.
• Rust & WebAssembly core for high performance and low overhead.
• CLI and API for easy integration into CI/CD pipelines.

Use cases of Grafbase

• Building a micro‑service architecture where each service exposes its own GraphQL API.
• Consolidating legacy REST endpoints into a modern GraphQL gateway.
• Providing a unified API layer for front‑end teams while preserving backend autonomy.
• Enabling rapid iteration on the schema with safety nets for production traffic.

FAQ from the Grafbase

Q: Do I need to run a separate server? A: You can use the managed Grafbase Cloud service or self‑host the gateway container; the CLI abstracts both options.

Q: Which languages are supported for data sources? A: Any data source that can be accessed via GraphQL, REST, or database connectors; the gateway works language‑agnostically.

Q: How does governance prevent breaking changes? A: The platform validates schema modifications against existing queries and flags potential breakages before deployment.

Q: Can I extend Grafbase with custom resolvers? A: Yes, you can attach serverless functions or existing services as custom resolvers in the schema.