In the development world, GraphQL is becoming an increasingly common topic of conversation. But what is GraphQL and should you be using it? In this blog, we’ll talk about what hosted GraphQL is and why you might choose to use it in your business.
What is GraphQL?
GraphQL is a query language. It’s used for APIs and defines the data that you get when you make a query. This makes defining and returning data much easier for frontend developers and it makes less work for backend developers, So, why might you use a hosted GraphQL server?
Why Might You Choose Hosted GraphQL?
Here are some of the biggest benefits of hosted GraphQL and why someone might choose it for their business.
Connect Your Applications to an API
If you have applications or websites that you need to connect to a database, it’s hard to beat GraphQL as a solution. You can easily define the data you want to return to the client app and only utilize the data you’re needing.
You Need an Alternative or Replacement for a REST API
REST APIs can be useful in several scenarios, but GraphQL is superior in a lot of ways. For instance, with GraphQL, you won’t have to worry about over and under fetching, dependent requests, and multiple requests. With GraphQL, you can make a complex query and expect it to return the exact data you need, without having to take multiple round trips and bring you data you’re not looking for.
If you’re looking to replace a REST API because you’re needing something a little more complex, then GraphQL will be a great choice.
Data Normalization
If you’re needing to structure your data and get rid of any superfluous redundancies, then GraphQL can help. GraphQL creates relationships between your data points and ensures your data is normalized, making it easy to get your data organized and return exact data without multiple queries.
In short, GraphQL, like most query languages, isn’t perfect, but it can be a great solution for many situations. In the end, whether or not you use GraphQL is up to you, but the above scenarios are good situations where GraphQL might be best for your needs.
Read a similar article about graph database here at this page.
