Enhance customer experiences with Apollo GraphOS


<p>Today we&#8217;re introducing <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-mcp-server">Apollo MCP Server,</a> enabling AI systems like Claude and GPT to interact with your organization&#8217;s APIs through GraphQL. While you can learn more about how to get started here, I wanted to share why we think GraphQL enabled by Model Context Protocol (MCP) will be an essential part of a modern AI stack.</p>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#connecting-ais-to-apis" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="connecting-ais-to-apis"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Connecting AIs to APIs</h1>



<p>MCP – a new protocol that standardizes how LLMs interface with external systems – opens the door wide open to agentic applications. APIs are the entry point to capabilities: adding items to carts, checking order status, scheduling appointments, updating inventory. When AI can reliably interact with these systems, we unlock an entirely more capable kind of software where natural language becomes the interface to complex business operations. MCP makes this possible by providing the connective tissue between AI&#8217;s language understanding and your API infrastructure.</p>



<p>One approach to MCP is to build an MCP server for each API you want AI to access. Your payment API gets its own MCP server, your inventory system gets another, customer data gets a third. It&#8217;s a straightforward way to get started. Most teams can build an initial MCP for a service reasonably quickly and LLMs support multiple MCP tools. It makes for a compelling experience.</p>



<p>As we’ve worked with teams pushing from prototype to product, we&#8217;re discovering that complex AI systems need more than what is possible by directly connecting individual APIs through MCP. We&#8217;ve found four particular requirements that show up consistently:</p>



<p><strong>Deterministic execution</strong>: An AI will often have to call multiple APIs in sequence and filter the results to just the appropriate fields for the user. This execution pattern needs to work exactly the same way every time for consistent, correct user experiences. Consider an AI returning purchase history – you can&#8217;t have one customer seeing five past orders while another sees three, or some results including shipping details while others don&#8217;t. We&#8217;ve also found that the more focused you keep the AI&#8217;s context, the better results you get. When APIs return large objects with hundreds of fields, the extra data can lead AI down unintended paths. Limiting data to exactly what&#8217;s needed keeps the AI on track and improves overall response quality.</p>



<p><strong>Policy enforcement</strong>: Giving AI direct access to individual APIs makes it difficult to enforce appropriate limits and access controls. A rule like “only loyalty members have access to the detailed shipping tracking information for their outstanding orders” can’t easily be written in the API layer, as it relates to a specific combination of data spread across multiple systems.</p>



<p><strong>Efficiency</strong>: Even simple customer queries can generate thousands of tokens when APIs return complete objects. Processing all of this and directly orchestrating multiple tool invocations from the AI becomes costly, both in terms of tokens and milliseconds.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Agility</strong>: The pace of AI is unprecedented. The technology and techniques are progressing furiously. Just as interesting to me is that the freeform nature of AI makes it possible to deliver new functionality faster than ever before: most users wouldn’t tolerate a mobile app that changed every day, but continuous improvement of an AI agent is nothing but good news. So an AI stack needs to accommodate and facilitate a tempo we’ve never seen before in software development. This requirement rules out strategies that aren’t aligned to the modern platform engineering discipline of self-service tools and workflows.</p>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#graphql-solves-these-needs-well" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="graphql-solves-these-needs-well"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>GraphQL solves these needs well</h1>



<p>What these requirements point to is the need for an abstraction layer between the AI and APIs. This <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/guides/api-orchestration">orchestration layer</a> exposes a set of MCP tools, where each tool provides a specific capability backed by some number of orchestrated API calls. The AI&#8217;s job is to reason about which MCP tools to invoke; the orchestration layer’s job is deterministic, efficient execution and policy enforcement.</p>



<p>GraphQL is an ideal foundation of this orchestration layer.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>It’s declarative: MCP tools are defined in terms of schema and queries, rather than code.</li>



<li>It’s performant: one GraphQL query can traverse your entire graph, gathering exactly what&#8217;s needed (and nothing that’s not) in an optimized way.</li>



<li>It’s self-documenting: LLMs can reason about the meaning of the graph and its objects.</li>



<li>It&#8217;s standards-based: a mature ecosystem with proven scalability.</li>



<li>It’s self-service: on a GraphQL-based platform like Apollo, everyone with access to the graph can wire up MCP tools with the appropriate level of governance.</li>
</ul>



<p>The characteristics of GraphQL align perfectly with what AI needs to access APIs: a clean, understandable interface to AI while handling the messy reality of existing systems and services. </p>



<p>Consider the earlier example of retrieving purchase history with shipping updates. A GraphQL query defines an MCP tool that the AI system can use. Under the hood, that query orchestrates multiple API calls into the order, shipping and loyalty systems and enforces the necessary policy check. That query can be authored and deployed by anyone on the platform, with the support of design and governance tools provided by the graph platform.</p>



<p>The challenges an abstraction layer solves may seem like tomorrow’s problems when just getting started with MCP. It’s always worth planning for success, but a good declarative architecture also saves time and effort in the earliest stages of development. A GraphQL-based approach avoids having to build, debug and deploy custom MCP servers. Apollo Connectors let you bring REST APIs to GraphQL (and now MCP) without any modification. And the benefits of having a semantic API layer are truly remarkable – watching an LLM traverse a large GraphQL schema as it builds a new query is an exciting, eye-opening moment.</p>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#introducing-apollo-mcp-server" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="introducing-apollo-mcp-server"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Introducing Apollo MCP Server</h1>



<p>The Apollo MCP Server represents our continued investment in making GraphQL the best way to build modern API infrastructure. We&#8217;ve spent years developing tools that help teams build, manage, and scale GraphQL – from <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/react">Apollo Client</a> to <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/federation">Apollo Federation</a> to our most recent innovation, <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/graphos/apollo-connectors">Apollo Connectors</a>. Now we&#8217;re extending that toolkit to address AI integration.</p>



<p>By implementing MCP for GraphQL, we&#8217;re making it simple to connect AI to your existing graph. If you&#8217;re already using Apollo, this fits naturally into your stack. If you&#8217;re new to GraphQL, the MCP server provides a compelling entry point that solves immediate AI challenges while setting you up for future growth, all on top of the APIs you already have.</p>



<p>We believe the architectural patterns emerging around AI – the need for precision, policy, efficiency, and agility – align perfectly with what GraphQL was designed to do. This MCP server is our way of helping teams realize those benefits.</p>



<p>As you explore connecting AI to your services, consider not just immediate integration but your longer-term strategy. The architectural decisions you make today will determine how quickly and safely you can evolve AI capabilities tomorrow.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Ready to get started? Connect your REST and GraphQL APIs to the <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-mcp-server">Apollo MCP server </a>today, explore our Odyssey training course, or join us at our upcoming <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/events/get-started-with-mcp-tools-for-your-graphql-api-today">event</a> to learn more.&nbsp;<br><br>The future of APIs is here – powered by <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/guides/api-orchestration">graph-based API orchestration</a> that makes it easier than ever to build applications.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>​​</p>


The Future of MCP is GraphQL


<p>Apollo GraphOS now supports custom schema checks, a new feature that addresses API platform teams’ demand for enhanced schema governance capabilities. This functionality allows organizations to integrate their own business logic, security policies, and rules into Apollo&#8217;s existing schema check workflow, ensuring that every schema change adheres to company-specific standards. The result is a more robust, flexible, and secure approach to maintaining schema integrity, allowing platform teams to uphold organizational standards in an automated manner while adhering to stringent organizational requirements.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#api-governance" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="api-governance"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>API Governance</h2>



<p>API governance encompasses the policies and standards that an engineering organization employs to secure, standardize, and maintain its APIs over time. Engineers utilize various methods to manage changes to their APIs, one of which involves centralizing a space where these policies can be enforced. Governance policies may cover non-functional requirements, like enforcing style guidelines and ensuring that all changes align with established standards, or more complex workflows, such as conducting automated testing and leveraging historical data to ensure backward compatibility.</p>



<p>GraphOS currently offers several tools that help automate API governance, including operation checks, schema linting, composition checks, and proposal checks. <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/platform/schema-management/checks#operations-checks">Operation checks</a> compare proposed schema changes against historical operations to verify whether the changes break any of your graph&#8217;s active clients. <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/platform/schema-management/linting">Schema linting</a> allows you to configure style guidelines and analyze proposed schema changes for violations of formatting rules. <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/platform/schema-management/proposals/configure#configure-schema-checks">Proposal checks</a> validate whether your proposed schema changes have matching and approved schema proposals, and finally, <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/platform/schema-management/delivery/contracts/create#run-contract-checks">downstream checks</a> ensure that proposed schema changes don’t break any downstream contract variants.</p>



<p>As organizations grow and APIs scale, there are going to be facets of governance that extend outside the realm of what is offered by GraphOS. Because of this, we built custom schema checks to offer a hook into the GraphOS schema check workflow to support the injection of custom business logic or rules. This allows users to implement their own checks and push results into GraphOS for viewing in Studio while maintaining a unified check workflow, acting as a safeguard within their continuous integration pipelines for schema modifications.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#how-to-set-up-a-custom-check" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="how-to-set-up-a-custom-check"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>How to set up a custom check</h2>



<p>Custom schema checks require an HTTPS endpoint that is accessible over the public internet. We offer an <a href="https://github.com/apollosolutions/custom-check-examples/">example implementation</a> for using an open-source linter, graphql-eslint, to lint the subgraph schemas modified by the check request. This sample is set up as a <a href="https://www.netlify.com/platform/core/functions/">Netlify function</a> but could be adapted to run on any serverless architecture or containerized system.</p>



<p>After checking out the code and following the steps in the README to deploy it, we can enable it in Studio through the custom check configuration page. After that, we can test our integration with an empty payload by clicking the “Send test notification” button.</p>



<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXehd-VSLdSR_OZrwz45lg6SrCzrFhXFWqk3p3zrWoK7UHaSyrSMx_NofzLLK3lv2VWJ8BASrQlvjilWz2bPXot46a4tyGY3QkH545hKAfADdpzJpQ_RmZsquTrh4ixK6lxhlpgCmYnyF2wfMTH1q_HNpYM?key=4rXqpQwA4wPdxVzCiNTZCg" width="624" height="231"></p>



<p>If everything looks good in the function logs, we can then run a schema check using the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/commands/subgraphs#subgraph-check">rover CLI</a>, and our endpoint will be called.&nbsp;</p>



<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfCrh2mn7VqyiPQFAfOt7DNjOemAoloWaVDCdIQfrZcc58j-mOs7GgR1qeAllY5hJ6xs9_OB2qKY7NZ2a0oaDpdmFY5tlqkqA5nTownCtu9tKRe8R4Zfe2PwFgKQ-T-OnQMZql46balKGyyhIeueQLeIMur?key=4rXqpQwA4wPdxVzCiNTZCg" width="624" height="305"></p>



<p>The schema information will be passed to our endpoint, which will lint the schema and return the results to GraphOS. These results from our custom check task will be stored and viewable in Studio.</p>



<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdl2aDeG2Jt8a9ideekPxnipH8qTElM7O1abofJAfqnTMsHGjhAfoQ8KS4MfNN7smuQyrXZbqXabngEhSuCHkALw2L8Icj0bRb_Y3wOy1L2ETqcdSa0Ns8ibiiXRsoMWtDJrvgkdcG7KXskmgziWFjt3WPC?key=4rXqpQwA4wPdxVzCiNTZCg" width="624" height="333"></p>



<p>The architecture we recommend for a custom check worker consists of two main components: one to receive the payload and the second to execute the business logic.</p>



<p>The first component is responsible for receiving the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/platform/schema-management/checks/custom#webhook-format">webhook payload</a> containing the metadata of the check request. It places this information onto a worker queue and promptly responds with a 200 OK status. This response indicates to GraphOS that the check request has been received.</p>



<p>The second component retrieves check requests from the queue and executes the necessary business logic, such as downloading schemas, performing custom linting, or implementing other schema governance tasks, and then calls back to the GraphOS Platform API with the results of the custom check.</p>



<p>There is no need to perform a custom check synchronously because the state machine that manages schema check workflows will wait up to 10 minutes for the callback mutation to be received. If no callback is received, the custom check tasks will be marked as failed with a timeout.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#getting-started" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="getting-started"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Getting started</h2>



<p>With custom schema checks, API platform teams can integrate their own custom business logic, security policies, and governance rules into the schema check workflow. This feature improves an API governance posture by allowing organizations to enforce company-specific standards, automate schema validation, and maintain a unified, flexible workflow for schema modifications. Custom checks are now available in GA for GraphOS Enterprise plans.<br>If you want to enable the custom configuration for your graph, head to the “Checks” tab in GraphOS Studio → Configuration → Custom checks. Or, if you haven’t set up schema checks yet for your graph, check out the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/delivery/schema-checks">documentation</a> to get started.</p>


Enforce Flexible Governance in GraphOS using Custom Checks


<p>Over the past two years, the emergence of AI-driven tools has significantly transformed the tech landscape. Among these innovations, tools designed specifically for code generation—such as Copilot, CodeLlama, and others—have garnered particular attention from developers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to a survey conducted by GitHub, 92% of U.S.-based developers are already using AI coding tools both in and outside of work <a href="https://github.blog/2023-06-13-survey-reveals-ais-impact-on-the-developer-experience/">(source)</a>.</p>



<p>These tools offer immense value for tasks like rapid prototyping and brainstorming, serving as powerful allies in the development process. However, despite their advanced capabilities, a notable gap exists in their ability to generate high-quality GraphQL schemas.</p>



<p>I&#8217;m sure most, if not all of us, wish to craft the finest GraphQL schema possible—even if it&#8217;s just for a prototype. If you’ve watched my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4jP2xnImAM">“Let&#8217;s Build a Supergraph Using ChatGPT” talk at GraphQL Summit</a>, you might know some of the ways you can steer tools like ChatGPT to improve the output of the generated code.</p>



<p>But let&#8217;s be real. The results aren&#8217;t always perfect, and it almost feels like ChatGPT clings onto some less-than-desirable practices! Consider this scenario: when I request ChatGPT to construct a schema for a note-taking application, this is the outcome:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-graphql">type Query {
  getNotes: [Note]
  getNoteById(id: ID!): Note
  getTags: [Tag]
}

type Mutation {
  createNote(title: String!, body: String!): Note
  createTag(name: String!): Tag
  addTagToNote(noteId: ID!, tagId: ID!): Note
}

type Note {
  id: ID!
  title: String!
  body: String!
  tags: [Tag]
}

type Tag {
  id: ID!
  name: String!
  notes: [Note]
}
</code></pre>



<p>Clearly, this schema has room for improvement. It includes generally discouraged practices like utilizing &#8216;get&#8217; in query fields and lacking important elements like pagination. It also overlooks important components such as mutation payloads and input types, essential for successful schema evolution.</p>



<p>During my presentation, I shared our experience with fine-tuning GPT-3.5 for optimized GraphQL schema generation. We did notice improvements on schema generation from the standard models, but it wasn&#8217;t flawless. On numerous occasions, the model failed to meet our set guidelines for schema generation or it was generating schemas that were less than ideal.</p>



<p>So we’ve been working more to make the output much better and make sure it would follow the best practices as often as possible, and we are finally ready to share it with you all!</p>



<p>To try it is pretty simple! <a href="https://discord.gg/SzeywawCa6">Join our Discord server</a>, go to the <strong>#ai-schema-design</strong> forum and post a message describing the schema you’d like to create, for example:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p><strong>Title:</strong> Note taking application&nbsp;</p>



<p>I&#8217;m building a note taking application. Users can create notes, and each note has a title and a body. Users can also create tags, and each tag has a name. Users can add tags to notes, and notes can have multiple tags.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>Then after submitting the bot will create a schema based on your inputs! The more specific you are the better the schema will be 😊And you’ll be able to keep iterating with the bot to improve the schema or even to see some operation that you could run with your schema</p>



<p>Here’s an example of the schema generator in action:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video autoplay controls loop muted src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CleanShot-2024-02-05-at-18.48.38.mov" playsinline></video></figure>



<p>I hope this will be useful for your schema design journey, and remember we’ll always be happy to help you with your schemas, so feel free to ping me or any other Developer Advocate in <a href="https://discord.gg/SzeywawCa6">our Discord server</a>.&nbsp;</p>


Fun with AI – Generating GraphQL Schemas in Discord


<p>We’re happy to introduce an <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-kotlin">Apollo Kotlin</a> plugin for Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA, to help you work with the library and improve your productivity.</p>



<p>This preview release can be tried out today.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#features" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="features"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Features</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#on-the-fly-code-generation" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="on-the-fly-code-generation"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>On-the-fly code generation</h3>



<p>Apollo Kotlin is a strongly-typed client library that generates models from your GraphQL queries. This works thanks to a Gradle plugin that triggers the code generation at build time. Normally, after touching a graphql file, to be able to use the up-to-date generated models in your Kotlin code, you would need to manually run the codegen Gradle task.</p>



<p>With the IDE plugin, this is done automatically: the codegen is run in the background whenever you touch your GraphQL queries, so you can use the models immediately.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/00-on-the-fly-codegen.mov"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">On-the-fly code generation</figcaption></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#migration-helpers" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="migration-helpers"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Migration helpers</h3>



<p>Apollo Kotlin 3 was a major version that introduced quite a few changes compared to version 2. While some of <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/kotlin/migration/3.0/">these changes</a> require manual tweaks to the code, a lot of these can be automated. Which is what the “Migrate to Apollo Kotlin 3” action does. If you are still on version 2, now is a good time to migrate!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/01-migration-apollo2-to-3.mp4"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Migrate to Apollo Kotlin 3</figcaption></figure>



<p>If you are using Apollo Kotlin 3 with <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/kotlin/migration/3.0/#codegen">the <code>compat</code> codegen</a>, which was meant to ease the migration from version 2 (and will be discontinued in the upcoming version 4 release), the plugin can also help with this: “Migrate to <code>operationBased</code> Codegen”.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/02-migration-compat-to-operationbased.mov"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Migrate to operationBased codegen</figcaption></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#navigation" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="navigation"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Navigation</h3>



<p>When editing Kotlin code that references GraphQL queries, it is often useful to go to their definition &#8211; for instance, if you need to add a field to the selection. The natural way to do that in Android Studio is to <code>Cmd/Ctrl + click</code> (or <code>Cmd/Ctrl + b</code> on the keyboard) on the symbol. However without any special knowledge of Apollo Kotlin or GraphQL, this would go to the generated code, which is not as useful. Not anymore! The plugin adds target to go to the GraphQL definition:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/03-go-to-declaration.mov"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Go to GraphQL definition</figcaption></figure>



<p>Note that the generated code destination is still there, as it is sometimes handy to have a look at it.</p>



<p>We’ve also added these nifty GraphQL icons in the gutter next to operation and fragment references. Click on them to go to the definition.</p>



<p>To go to the Schema instead, use “Go To Type Declaration” (<code>Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + click</code>, or <code>Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + b</code>):</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/04-go-to-type-declaration.mov"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Go to the schema</figcaption></figure>



<p>The reverse works too if you need it: “Find Usages” on your GraphQL operation will list Kotlin files referencing them:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/05-find-usages.mov"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Find code usages</figcaption></figure>



<p>We hope to add “Find Usages” on fields as well in the future.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#more-to-come" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="more-to-come"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>More to come</h3>



<p>We are working on adding more features and your ideas are very welcome! Please don’t hesitate to submit feature requests on <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-kotlin/issues/new/choose">the issue tracker</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#try-it-out" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="try-it-out"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Try it out!</h2>



<p>To install the plugin:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>During the preview phase, you will need to add a dedicated plugin repository:<br><br>&#8211; <code>Settings</code> &gt; <code>Plugins</code> &gt; <code>⚙️</code> &gt; <code>Manage Plugin Repositories</code> &gt; <code>➕</code> &gt; <code>https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugins/preview/20645</code><br><br>&#8211; If you want the cutting edge, use this “snapshots” URL instead (new versions once a week): <code>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apollographql/apollo-kotlin/main/intellij-plugin/snapshots/plugins.xml</code></li>



<li><code>Marketplace</code> &gt; Search for &#8220;Apollo GraphQL&#8221; &gt; <code>Install</code></li>
</ol>



<p>Detailed instructions are available <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-kotlin/tree/main/intellij-plugin">here</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#conclusion" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="conclusion"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Conclusion</h2>



<p>We hope this plugin will make your experience with Apollo Kotlin a delightful one and will help you build great apps. Stay tuned for more, and as always, your feedback is welcome! You can reach out on <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-kotlin">GitHub</a>, the <a href="https://discord.gg/graphos">Apollo Community</a>, or the <a href="https://slack.kotl.in/">Kotlin Slack</a>!</p>


Announcing the Apollo Kotlin plugin for Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA


<p>The Apollo CLI <code>service</code> commands are now officially deprecated and will reach their <strong>final end of life on April 28th, 2023.</strong></p>



<p><strong>Note: </strong>Apollo will continue to provide support for the Apollo CLI <code>client</code> commands.</p>



<p>Rover is the command line interface for managing and maintaining graphs through GraphOS with over 10 million all-time downloads and over 4 million command invocations per day. If you are still using Apollo CLI’s <code>service</code> commands and would like to migrate to the Rover CLI, please refer to this migration <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/migration/">guide</a>.</p>



<p>For more information regarding Apollo’s software lifecycle policies and an up-to-date list of actively maintained software versions, please visit the Apollo launch stages <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/resources/product-launch-stages/">documentation</a>.</p>


Announcing the end-of-life schedule for Apollo CLI service commands


<p><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/">Apollo Federation</a> is supported by over <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/building-supergraphs/supported-subgraphs">20 different subgraph libraries across 12 different programming languages</a>. Have you ever wondered how we capture those compatibility results?</p>



<p>In order to ensure those libraries are compatible with the specification, we have a <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility">testing repository</a> that verifies compatibility against their reference implementations. While it is great to have a testing suite verifying compatibility with the spec, up until recently, compatibility results were only available at the end of the library development lifecycle. Developers first had to implement the spec, release the library, create a reference subgraph implementation in the testing repo and then once the tests are run, they would finally get the compatibility results. We heard your pain and decided to streamline this process.</p>



<p>We are happy to announce that you can now easily run subgraph compatibility tests on your local machine and within your Github CI/CD pipelines! Compatibility test suite is now distributed as an executable <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@apollo/federation-subgraph-compatibility">NPM script</a> and a corresponding <a href="https://github.com/marketplace/actions/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility">Github Action</a>!</p>



<p>Read below to see how you can now streamline your subgraph development process.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#implementation-under-test" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="implementation-under-test"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Implementation Under Test</h2>



<p>We first need to create a subgraph that will be used for testing. In order to be able to consistently verify federation features, all subgraphs have to implement the same <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility/blob/main/COMPATIBILITY.md">reference schema</a>. Compatibility tests will be run against a supergraph which consists of your subgraph implementation, two additional reference subgraphs and <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/router">Apollo Router</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="534" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-1024x534.png" alt="" class="wp-image-19311" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-1024x534.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-300x156.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-768x400.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-1200x625.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image.png 1230w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Compatibility Test Supergraph</figcaption></figure>



<p>Based on the test results, we will be able to generate a compatibility report.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="506" height="508" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-4.20.16-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-19295" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-4.20.16-PM.png 506w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-4.20.16-PM-300x300.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-4.20.16-PM-150x150.png 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Federation Compatibility Results</figcaption></figure>



<p>For additional details about the reference schema and the executed tests, please refer to our <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility/blob/main/COMPATIBILITY.md">documentation</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#using-npx-to-run-compatibility-tests-locally" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="using-npx-to-run-compatibility-tests-locally"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Using NPX to run compatibility tests locally</h2>



<p>Apollo Federation subgraph compatibility test script is published as an executable <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@apollo/federation-subgraph-compatibility">NPM package</a> and you can easily execute it by using <a href="https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npx">NPX</a>.</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-shell-session">npx @apollo/federation-subgraph-compatibility --help</code></pre>



<p>When running the script, you have two options in how you can run and manage your test processes&nbsp; &#8211; you can either use <a href="https://pm2.keymetrics.io/">PM2</a> or <a href="https://docs.docker.com/compose/">Docker Compose</a>. If your subgraph is already running, you just need to specify the target endpoint:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-shell-session">npx @apollo/federation-subgraph-compatibility pm2 --endpoint http://localhost:8080/graphql</code></pre>



<p>Otherwise, you can provide a PM2 ecosystem file or Docker Compose file that specifies how to start your application.<br>See our <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@apollo/federation-subgraph-compatibility">script documentation</a> for additional usage information.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#integrating-github-action-to-your-ci-cd-pipeline" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="integrating-github-action-to-your-ci-cd-pipeline"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Integrating Github Action to your CI/CD pipeline</h2>



<p>For your convenience, compatibility tests are also packaged as a <a href="https://github.com/features/actions">Github Action</a>! <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/federation-subgraph-compatibility">apollographql/federation-subgraph-compatibility</a> action uses Docker Compose to run your compatibility tests. Simply add the following step to your workflow file:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-yaml">- uses: apollographql/federation-subgraph-compatibility@v1
  with:
    # [Required] Docker Compose file to start up the subgraph
    compose: &#039;path/to/docker-compose.yaml&#039;
    # [Required] Path to the GraphQL schema file
    schema: &#039;path/to/schema.graphql&#039;
    # GraphQL endpoint path, defaults to &#039;&#039; (empty)
    path: &#039;&#039;
    # GraphQL endpoint HTTP port, defaults to 4001
    port: 4001
    # Turn on debug mode with extra log info
    debug: false
    # Github Token / PAT for submitting PR comments
    token: &#039;&#039;
    # Boolean flag to indicate whether any failing test should fail the script
    failOnWarning: false
    # Boolean flag to indicate whether any failing required functionality test should fail the script
    failOnRequired: false</code></pre>



<p>By default, action will post compatibility results to your job summary and also upload them as a workflow artifact. If you configure action with a Github Token that has PR write permissions, compatibility test action will also be able to post results as comments on your PRs. You can see an example integration in <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/federation-jvm">apollographql/federation-jvm</a> repository (<a href="https://github.com/apollographql/federation-jvm/pull/285#issuecomment-1374047449">example comment</a>).</p>



<p>Please refer to our <a href="https://github.com/marketplace/actions/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility">Github Action documentation</a> for additional details.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#updating-subgraph-compatibility-results" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="updating-subgraph-compatibility-results"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Updating Subgraph Compatibility Results</h2>



<p><a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility">@apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility</a> is the source of truth for all the subgraph compatibility results that are displayed on our <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/building-supergraphs/supported-subgraphs">supported subgraphs</a> documentation page. Since we need to be able to reproduce and verify the results, we can only report on the subgraph implementations that are included in the repository.</p>



<p>Once you are happy with the compatibility results, please open up a PR with the same example implementation against our testing repository. Make sure to check out our <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility/blob/main/SUBGRAPH_GUIDE.md">subgraph contributor guide</a> for additional details. After your PR gets merged, your compatibility results will be displayed on our website.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#conclusion" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="conclusion"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Conclusion</h2>



<p>Apollo Federation Subgraph Compatibility tests allow us to consistently verify Federation support in a target implementation. With the introduction of an executable NPM script and a Github Action we hope to simplify and streamline the development process for all subgraph authors.</p>



<p>Apollo Federation is also constantly evolving! By introducing versioned artifacts, we can now more easily update or introduce new tests to verify new features. Make sure to follow our compatibility testing repository Github releases for latest test updates to the test harness!</p>



<p>We are also open for feedback so please <a href="https://community.apollographql.com/">start a discussion</a>, join our <a href="https://discord.com/invite/graphos">Discord server</a> or raise an issue (<a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-federation-subgraph-compatibility/issues">NPM script</a>, <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/federation-subgraph-compatibility/issues">GH action</a>) for any new features you would like to see!</p>


New Apollo Federation spec compliance tools for GraphQL Server maintainers


<p>A healthy graph is never still — new features appear, old ones are pruned, and regretful decisions are repaired (“at last, my schema is perfect” &#8211; said no one ever).</p>



<p>But planning for change requires graph maintainers to tread carefully &#8211; the more you know about how your schema is being used, the more confidently and quickly you can move. With the new Field Insights page in Apollo Studio, safe and rapid innovation of your graph just got a whole lot easier.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="450" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-3.png" alt="My schema is perfect - said no one ever." class="wp-image-15888" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-3.png 600w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-3-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#why-measure-fields" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="why-measure-fields"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Why measure fields?</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#fields-as-features" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="fields-as-features"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Fields as <em>features</em></h3>



<p>Fields are the last stop for querying data from the graph. They represent the atoms of information that are exposed to the outside world. They are also functions &#8211; when used in a mutation, they are the entry points that trigger actions in the graph. Every field is literally a “feature” of the graph, and if we want to measure the usage or health of our graph’s features, the field is a great place to start. Maintaining a graph comes with a mindset of continuous curation, and knowing where to focus our improvements is key.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#fields-as-relationships" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="fields-as-relationships"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Fields as <em>relationships</em></h3>



<p>Crucially, fields also model the relationships that bind objects together. This is what makes GraphQL uniquely powerful — queries can move freely about the graph, jumping from one entity to the next and fetching as much or as little data as they need along the way. But if one of these links breaks down, entire subtrees can go dark. This is of special concern in a federated context where fields provide the bridge between the business domains in your API.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#stewardship-through-understanding" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="stewardship-through-understanding"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Stewardship through understanding</h2>



<p>Viewing usage data through the lens of your fields unlocks some essential graph health workflows. With field insights, we are bringing these capabilities into focus for your graph:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Understand usage and adoption patterns.</strong> Client usage breakdowns make it easy to see how client applications and operations are using the field, and field usage over time tells you whether field usage is ramping up or down.</li><li><strong>Identify impact on user-facing apps.</strong> Understand earlier in the schema lifecycle the changes that are likely to impact end-users and other team members based on observed usage.</li><li><strong>Guide change workflows</strong>. Confidently deprecate and remove outdated or unused fields. See the first and last time a field was used, then verify changes with <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/schema-checks">schema checks</a> at release time.</li><li><strong>Assess field-level health.</strong> Per-field error rates and latency histograms help you pinpoint health issues in your graph to target optimization work and validate improvements.</li><li><strong>Understand federation dependencies.</strong> Discover which subgraphs participate in resolving a field as teams work together to build the graph. (Hint: use the <code>@contact</code> directive in your subgraphs to let teams know how to get in touch with one another!)</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="584" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4-1024x584.png" alt="" class="wp-image-15890" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4-1024x584.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4-300x171.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4-768x438.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4-1200x684.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-4.png 1371w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>New field-level insights for your graph.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The amazing flexibility of GraphQL has been game-changing for app developers, but it does present an observability challenge. With operations of all shapes and sizes, how can we best understand which parts of the graph are being used, how much, and by whom? What parts of the schema are unhealthy or causing performance bottlenecks for the graph? With the new Field Insights page, you’ll have a powerful new tool to answer these kinds of questions.</p>



<p>Field Insights are available to all organizations, with longer data retention offered on paid Apollo plans. As always, we’d <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lC-7aWNe4pnxcAPTB-W4-N8jZoyD_xQXzVByD6HOZpc/edit">love your feedback</a> on how we could further improve your graph workflows.</p>



<p>⚠️ <em>Note that field latency and execution stats require the use of field-level instrumentation in your server or subgraph &#8211; for details on how to configure your server, see </em><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/metrics/field-usage"><em>our documentation.</em></a></p>


Continuously improve your graph with field-level usage and health metrics from Apollo Studio.


<p>Two years ago we set out to build Apollo Explorer &#8211; the GraphQL IDE we felt was missing from the GraphQL community. And last summer, we made Explorer available for local development by releasing it in <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcement/platform/apollo-sandbox-an-open-graphql-ide-for-local-development/">Apollo Sandbox</a>. But Sandbox still ran on the Apollo Studio domain, and our #1 challenge has been distributing Explorer in a way that gives you enough control over the network properties of your queries. Authentication, CORS, firewalls, you name it – a GraphQL IDE exists to let people write queries, and graph admins need to be able to control the network properties of those HTTP requests, full stop.</p>



<p>We added a lot of controls to Explorer to help. We made a way for graph admins to set default headers on their graphs. We built a mechanism for you to define preflight scripts which can do things like automatically refresh tokens in the headers on your graph. But in the end, we have found that there’s no setting we can add to Studio that can replace what <strong>you</strong> can do with full control over the network requests from our IDE.</p>



<p><strong>That’s why today we are giving Sandbox to <em>you</em>.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>We are over the moon to share with you that we have made Apollo Sandbox available for you to <strong>embed on any website</strong>, not just on Apollo Studio. ✨🌙 ✨</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#how-to-embed-apollo-sandbox" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="how-to-embed-apollo-sandbox"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>How to embed Apollo Sandbox</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#embedding-apollo-sandbox-with-html" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="embedding-apollo-sandbox-with-html"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Embedding Apollo Sandbox with HTML</h3>



<p>We are now distributing the full-featured code of Apollo Sandbox over a CDN, so you can embed it on any website you’d like. All you need is a little HTML:</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-markup">&lt;div id=&quot;sandbox&quot; style=&quot;position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;script src=&quot;https://embeddable-sandbox.cdn.apollographql.com/_latest/embeddable-sandbox.umd.production.min.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;script&gt;
 new window.EmbeddedSandbox({
   target: &quot;#sandbox&quot;,
   // Pass through your server href if you are embedding on an endpoint.
   // Otherwise, you can pass whatever endpoint you want Sandbox to start up with here.
   initialEndpoint: window.location.href,
 });
 // advanced options: https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/sandbox#embedding-sandbox
&lt;/script&gt;</code></pre>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#embed-sandbox-by-default-for-apollo-server" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="embed-sandbox-by-default-for-apollo-server"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Embed Sandbox by default for Apollo Server</h3>



<p>If you’re using Apollo Server, you can easily turn on embedding for Sandbox with<a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#v380"> a new embed parameter</a> that we released in v3.8.0. This will be the default experience in Apollo Server 4.</p>



<pre class="wp-block-prismatic-blocks"><code class="language-javascript">const {
 ApolloServerPluginLandingPageProductionDefault,
 ApolloServerPluginLandingPageLocalDefault
} = require(&#039;apollo-server-core&#039;);

const server = new ApolloServer({
 ...
 plugins: [
    process.env.NODE_ENV === &quot;production&quot;
      ? ApolloServerPluginLandingPageProductionDefault({
          embed: true,
          graphRef: &quot;plaid-gufzoj@current&quot;
        })
      : ApolloServerPluginLandingPageLocalDefault({ embed: true })
 ]
});</code></pre>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#embed-using-react-soon" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="embed-using-react-soon"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Embed using React (soon!)</h3>



<p>We will be releasing a React component for embedded Sandbox that you will be able to import from our <code>@apollo/sandbox</code> package in the near future. We will update this blog post with some example code when it’s available.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#more-than-just-an-ide" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="more-than-just-an-ide"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>More than just an IDE</h2>



<p>We know there are a number of GraphQL IDEs to pick from these days&#8230; and we know we’re biased, but we’re particularly excited to bring Sandbox to you because it’s so much more than just an IDE.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#saved-operations-in-the-cloud-%e2%98%81%ef%b8%8f" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="saved-operations-in-the-cloud-%e2%98%81%ef%b8%8f"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Saved operations (in the cloud) ☁️</h3>



<p>Over the years, we’ve met many developers who have told us they were scared to restart their computer or clear their browser cookies because they didn’t want to lose their queries in GraphiQL/Playground.</p>



<p>It’s 2022, and we figured that it’s about time for that to be a problem of the past. 🕰️</p>



<p>Connect your local Sandbox to your Studio account to <strong>save operations in the cloud</strong> and never worry about losing your work again.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="609" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-1024x609.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14169" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-1024x609.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-300x179.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-768x457.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-1536x914.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt-1200x714.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image4-opt.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#schema-diffs-checks" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="schema-diffs-checks"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Schema diffs &amp; checks</h3>



<p>Have you ever worked with a schema so large it was distributed across multiple files or maybe even multiple repos? What about a GraphQL server that generates its schema from code and doesn’t even have an SDL file?</p>



<p>When developing graphs, sometimes all you want is a simple schema diff. But due to the implementation details of our graphs, that’s not always easy to accomplish. So we built it right into Sandbox.</p>



<p>You can diff your local schema against any graph in Apollo Studio, and if the changes look good, you can even run <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/schema-checks">schema checks</a> from Sandbox to make sure they pass CI before checking them into code.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="609" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-1024x609.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14161" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-1024x609.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-300x179.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-768x457.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-1536x914.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt-1200x714.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2-opt.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#automatic-schema-reference" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="automatic-schema-reference"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Automatic schema reference</h3>



<p>One of the best properties of GraphQL is that it’s self-documenting. We’ve always felt like squashing graph docs alongside a query IDE just didn’t do enough justice to the act of exploring the graph or referencing something in particular. That’s why we built a full-fledged automatic schema reference tool in Studio.</p>



<p>Sandbox also comes with Studio’s schema reference tool:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="609" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-1024x609.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14163" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-1024x609.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-300x179.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-768x457.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-1536x914.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized-1200x714.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-optimized.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#apollo-explorer" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="apollo-explorer"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Apollo Explorer</h3>



<p>And of course, Sandbox has the Apollo Explorer and every feature we’ve built into it over the last several years.<a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/explorer"> Explorer</a> is by far the most sophisticated GraphQL IDE in the ecosystem.</p>



<p>We love Explorer so much because it’s not just a playground for you to query graphs, it’s a playground for us as developers to build the things we always felt were missing from GraphQL tooling. As developers, there’s so much power we’ve gotten used to having in our IDEs and the GraphQL DX is still catching up in a lot of ways. We get new ideas every week about how to improve the Explorer just from using it ourselves.</p>



<p>Explorer has become a passion project of ours, and it is our expression of love for the GraphQL DX itself.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="609" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-1024x609.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14165" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-1024x609.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-300x179.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-768x457.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-1536x914.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt-1200x714.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3-opt.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><strong>That’s all for now folks!</strong></p>



<p>We’re very happy to be bringing this to you today. It’s the culmination of a couple of years of dreaming within the Apollo zoom tunnels, now turned into reality. We’d love to see what you do with Sandbox and where you take your graphs. ❤️</p>



<p>Tweet at us and share what you build! 🐦</p>



<p>As always, happy querying 👋 </p>


How to use Apollo Sandbox on your localhost


<p><strong>Embed private graphs, use embeds to invite new users, and use improved Apollo Client Dev Tools.</strong></p>



<p>Explorer is an incredible GraphQL IDE that makes it quick and easy to browse schemas and run operations against them. It’s so awesome, that our community asked us to make it embeddable so that it could be used anywhere – and last year, <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcement/platform/embed-apollo-explorer-anywhere/">we did just that</a>! But at the time, you could only embed public graph variants. Now, we are happy to announce that you can embed Explorer on <strong>any website</strong> with <strong>any graph variant</strong> – even private variants!&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can provide the experience of Explorer on any of your internal or external documentation, dev portals, and websites to onboard new consumers to your graphs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#embedding-the-explorer-graphql-ide" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="embedding-the-explorer-graphql-ide"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Embedding the Explorer GraphQL IDE</strong></h2>



<p>To embed Explorer for a specific graph, first open Explorer for that graph in Apollo Studio. Click on the chevron next to the share icon in the editor pane and select “Share as embed”. This will open a modal that gives you a few different options for embedding.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="235" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-1024x235.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14019" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-1024x235.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-300x69.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-768x176.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-1536x352.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-1200x275.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1-1980x454.png 1980w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image1.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>💡Embedded Explorer uses the graph ref from Apollo Studio. Since your graph is registered in Studio, embedded Explorer is always kept up to date with the schema changes in Studio. You can take your schema anywhere by embedding Explorer while Studio’s registry acts as its single source of truth behind the scenes. How neat is that?!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#how-does-embedded-explorer-work-for-private-graph-variants" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="how-does-embedded-explorer-work-for-private-graph-variants"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>How does embedded Explorer work for private graph variants?</h3>



<p>If the graph variant you want to embed isn’t public (meaning it’s gated behind Studio authentication), then the embedded Explorer will request the visitor to authorize access before proceeding.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1425" height="861" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image2.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-14021"/></figure>



<p>If the visitor has never interacted with Apollo Studio before &#8211; no problem! They can sign up and be invited from the embed itself.</p>



<p>If your Studio org is using SSO, users are invited with the role that is default selected for your org.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Otherwise, while copying the embed code from the modal in Apollo Studio, admins can configure whether they would like to invite visitors to the organization and select the role to invite with.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1431" height="791" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/image3.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-14023"/></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#share-operation-collections-with-embedded-explorer" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="share-operation-collections-with-embedded-explorer"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Share operation collections with embedded Explorer</h3>



<p>As the person embedding Explorer, graph producers can <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcement/platform/save-and-share-your-graphql-operations-in-apollo-explorer/">share collections of example operations</a> to get their consumers started. Any collection in the “Shared” workspace will be available as default once the embedded Explorer is made available. Visitors can also create their personal collections by signing in.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#improved-explorer-in-apollo-client-dev-tools" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="improved-explorer-in-apollo-client-dev-tools"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Improved Explorer in Apollo Client Dev Tools</strong></h2>



<p>With this release, we have also improved the Apollo Client Dev Tools by enabling it to securely pull in a graph ref from Apollo Studio if it is unable to introspect the graph from the browser.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="500" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/dev-tools-embed.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-14025"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#start-embedding-your-graphs-with-explorer-today" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="start-embedding-your-graphs-with-explorer-today"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Start embedding your graphs with Explorer today!</strong></h2>



<p>Sharing graphs with a broader audience using Apollo Explorer’s amazing experience could not get any easier. <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/sandbox/explorer?endpoint=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.spacex.land%2Fgraphql%2F&amp;explorerURLState=N4IgJg9gxgrgtgUwHYBcQC4QEcYIE4CeABADICGMSUAFggM5HAA6SRRANhVbQ862xy40A%2BgQRk8LAUTgBLOnVkQkwpGURSiAXxZaQAGhAA3CbLIAjdvQwgQWoA">Head over to Apollo Studio</a> and get started! For detailed instructions on embedding Explorer, check out the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/embed-explorer/">docs</a>. As always, we love hearing from you, so if you have any feedback, please drop a post on the <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-studio-community/issues">Apollo Studio GitHub Community</a>!</p>



<p><strong>⚠️  Note</strong>: Make sure you are on the latest version of the UI. Click on the bell icon at the top right corner of Studio and if you see “Update available, click to relaunch” at the bottom left of the modal then click that to get the latest version.</p>


Improved embedding for Apollo Explorer!


<p>We recently introduced Preflight Scripts to Explorer! With preflight scripts you can automatically run any custom authentication before your GraphQL operation is executed. Preflight scripts are especially useful for managing authentication flows like OAuth by refreshing an access token, for example. Let’s take a look.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#setting-up-your-preflight-script" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="setting-up-your-preflight-script"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Setting up your preflight script</h2>



<p>For a graph and variant you want to create a script for, scroll down to find the “Preflight script” section in Apollo Studio Explorer Settings. You will only be able to set up a script if you have the role of Contributor or Admin for this particular graph.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1002" height="276" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/image2.png" alt="Add a preflight script" class="wp-image-11856" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/image2.png 1002w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/image2-300x83.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/image2-768x212.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1002px) 100vw, 1002px" /></figure>



<p>Clicking on the “Add script” button will open up the preflight script editor panel. In the editor you’ll find some code snippets to help you get started. You can simply click on the plus icon for adding snippets and start writing your preflight script.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1184" height="623" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/image1.gif" alt="Edit your preflight script" class="wp-image-11858"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#test-and-publish-your-script" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="test-and-publish-your-script"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Test and publish your script</h2>



<p>As you develop your script in the script editor panel, you can click “Test script” to test its execution. Console messages are printed in the Console output panel. Setting any <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/connecting-authenticating/#environment-variables">environment variables</a> in the above dialog will also be reflected in Explorer. Once you are ready, click Save and the script will be available to all team members executing operations against this graph variant in Explorer.</p>



<p>Below is an example of a preflight script that refreshes access tokens after a specific period of time. </p>



<p>⚠️ <strong>Note:</strong> This script exactly as is will not work since it is using a dummy OAuth server.</p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>if (new Date().getTime() &gt; explorer.environment.get(&quot;token_expires_at&quot;)) {
  const { access_token, expires_at, refresh_token } = await explorer.fetch(
      &quot;https://example.com/token&quot;,
      {
        method: &quot;POST&quot;,
        header: {
            &quot;Content-Type&quot;: &quot;application/json&quot;,
            //...
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
            refreshToken: explorer.environment.get(&quot;refresh_token&quot;),
        }),
      },
    )
    .then((response) =&gt; response.json());

  explorer.environment.set(&quot;token&quot;, access_token);
  explorer.environment.set(&quot;refresh_token&quot;, refresh_token);
  explorer.environment.set(&quot;token_expires_at&quot;, expires_at);
}</code></pre>



<p>Additionally, we will need to perform the following steps:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Authenticate server outside of Apollo Studio to retrieve token, refresh_token and token_expires_at.</li><li>Add these values as environment variables in Explorer.</li><li>Now, with the preflight script running, when the token expires the script will automatically refresh the token and there is no need to manually authenticate again.</li></ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#write-your-preflight-script-today" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="write-your-preflight-script-today"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Write your preflight script today!</h2>



<p>Head over to Apollo Studio Explorer and write your preflight script to make authentication before operations are executed easy for your consumers! Learn more <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/connecting-authenticating/#preflight-scripts">here</a> and as always, we love hearing from you, so if you have any feedback, please drop a post on the <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-studio-community/issues">Apollo Studio GitHub Community</a>!</p>


Automatically Authenticate with Preflight Scripts in Apollo Studio Explorer

Announcing apollo-rs, new GraphQL tools in Rust

apollo-rs: spec-compliant GraphQL tools in Rust


<p>Ever faced the conundrum of how to share your GraphQL schema with users outside of your organization, perhaps with partner or vendor developers? If so, Apollo now has a simple solution for you! We recently launched the ability to make graphs in Apollo Studio publicly visible so that you share your graph with anyone, even those without a Studio login.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#how-to-share-graphs-outside-of-your-apollo-organization" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="how-to-share-graphs-outside-of-your-apollo-organization"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>How to share graphs outside of your Apollo organization</h2>



<p>Making your graph publicly visible is as easy as flipping a switch. Simply navigate to the Settings page for your graph in Apollo Studio and under the Access tab, set <em>a variant of your choosing as “public.” </em>That particular variant of your graph is now publicly visible in Apollo Studio!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="409" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-1024x409.png" alt="" class="wp-image-9554" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-1024x409.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-300x120.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-768x307.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-1536x614.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-1200x480.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch-1980x791.png 1980w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/public-switch.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Toggle a variant to public in Graph Settings → Access</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#whats-visible-when-a-graph-is-public" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="whats-visible-when-a-graph-is-public"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>What’s visible when a graph is public?</h2>



<p>When a variant of a graph is set to public, anyone can navigate to the public Studio URL for that variant and access the README, schema reference, changelog, and Explorer (this is equivalent to <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcement/platform/sharing-your-graph-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier-announcing-unlimited-consumer-seats/">Consumer-level access</a>). You can preview how the public view will appear to external users by clicking the <code>Public ↗︎</code> icon in the top nav.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1426" height="805" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/preview-public-view.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-9558"/></figure>



<p>You can share the public link with any user, even outside of the Studio organization to explore and consume your graph!</p>



<p><strong>⚠️ Note:</strong> When a specific graph variant is marked as “public”, any unauthenticated user on the internet with the link to the public variant can access its schema. However, accessing endpoint to query data could require authentication depending on the GraphQL endpoint configuration.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1424" height="853" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/copy-public-url.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-9561"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#give-all-developers-a-great-ux-for-your-graph" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="give-all-developers-a-great-ux-for-your-graph"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Give all developers a great UX for your graph</h2>



<p>You may be wondering, “GraphQL already has introspection, why shouldn’t I just use that?”&nbsp;Well, in addition to the many <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/graphql/security/why-you-should-disable-graphql-introspection-in-production/">security considerations</a> that make disabling introspection in production a good idea, there are also many UX benefits that you miss out on with introspection alone.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#a-better-onboarding-experience-for-new-developers" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="a-better-onboarding-experience-for-new-developers"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>A better onboarding experience for new developers</strong></h3>



<p>By making your graph public in Apollo Studio, every developer automatically gets access to the README, schema docs, changelog, and Explorer, all in one central location. No more building custom documentation portals and changelogs that have to be manually updated.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#be-specific-about-what-you-share-externally" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="be-specific-about-what-you-share-externally"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Be specific about what you share externally</strong></h3>



<p>A key problem with introspection is that it makes your entire graph visible, including things like experimental fields that you may not want external developers to use yet. With Apollo Studio, you can make an approved, production variant public and keep private, pre-production variants to create and test new fields. In the near future, we’ll be adding more features to make sharing even more customizable!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#share-your-graphs-today" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="share-your-graphs-today"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Share your graphs today!</h2>



<p>Excited? We hope so! Sharing graphs with a broader audience could not get any easier. And don’t forget to update the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcement/platform/create-a-readme-to-onboard-developers-to-the-graph/">README</a> of your graph before sharing. <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/sandbox/explorer?endpoint=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.spacex.land%2Fgraphql%2F&amp;explorerURLState=N4IgJg9gxgrgtgUwHYBcQC4QEcYIE4CeABADICGMSUAFggM5HAA6SRRANhVbQ862xy40A%2BgQRk8LAUTgBLOnVkQkwpGURSiAXxZaQAGhAA3CbLIAjdvQwgQWoA">Head over to Studio</a> and get wider adoption of your graph today! And as always, we love hearing from you, so if you have any feedback, please drop a post on the <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-studio-community/issues">Apollo Studio GitHub Community</a>!</p>


Make your GraphQL schema publicly visible without introspection


<p>I&#8217;ve been helping companies develop their graph using Apollo Federation for over two years now, and it&#8217;s amazing to see all the different applications they&#8217;ve enabled. </p>



<p>In developing one graph, companies often struggle to define a process for effectively governing changes to the federated schema. Some companies use a Google doc, while others use a blank piece of paper to plan out a new schema change. Regardless, there is always <em>some</em> medium used as a &#8220;template&#8221; for the desired governance process. In my experience, these primitive mediums always come with unnecessary challenges, whether it&#8217;s an electronic document that doesn&#8217;t have the context to the subgraph schemas or a monorepo that requires starting up all other services to plan a schema change.</p>



<p>We need a better way to design schema changes in a federated GraphQL architecture — one where we can <strong>understand our graphs composition at design time instead of the implementation phase</strong>. You shouldn&#8217;t have to write any code when planning a schema design; you should change be able to change the schema directly.</p>



<p>For this reason, we built Apollo Workbench: a better way to design your federated graph — whether you have an existing graph (monolith, BFF, schema stitched), you&#8217;re migrating to Apollo Federation, or you&#8217;re just getting started.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-8078" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-1024x576.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-300x169.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-768x432.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-1536x864.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM-1200x675.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-19-at-10.23.50-AM.png 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Apollo Workbench is a tool built from experience working with our customers as they needed help designing their graphs. It dramatically reduces the feedback loop time when planning our changes to your graph. Specifically, Workbench helps you build faster with:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Composition Errors &#8211; For checking your design as you go</li><li>Query Explain &#8211; Understanding how a query will execute based on its generated query plan</li><li>Mocking your designs &#8211; This considerably improves the DX for client developers by enabling them to build directly against a locally mocked federated graph in development instead of having to spin up all the backing services or point to a production endpoint</li></ul>



<p>Let’s take a closer look at each.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#composition-errors-checking-your-design" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="composition-errors-checking-your-design"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Composition Errors &#8211; Checking your design</h2>



<p>While working with companies on building their graph, the most common problem I saw was teams designing a schema change that led to some composition errors. After planning the design change in some electronic document, everyone would agree on the changes so the work would begin. Teams would implement the changes, but when the developer starts up the <code>ApolloGateway</code> instance, it wouldn&#8217;t be uncommon to find that it doesn&#8217;t start and that it has composition errors:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="310" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-1024x310.png" alt="carbon (3).png" class="wp-image-8062" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-1024x310.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-300x91.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-768x233.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-1536x465.png 1536w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-1200x363.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3-1980x599.png 1980w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-3.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Other teams plan their design changes around a monorepo structure. The benefit here is that they could merely start everything and understand composition errors upfront, thereby improving the feedback loop. The challenge here arises when creating a new subgraph with a lot of <em>copypasta</em> throughout the project.</p>



<p>Today, Apollo Workbench enables you to work with your subgraph schemas directly, with any composition errors displayed prominently in the VS Code Problems Panel:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="575" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4-1024x575.png" alt="Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 9.51.01 AM.png" class="wp-image-8064" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4-1024x575.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4-300x169.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4-768x432.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4-1200x674.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-4.png 1276w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>This is great because now we can understand our design&#8217;s overall composition without starting anything up or writing any code. It also enables more people to be involved in the process since you&#8217;re just working with the schema directly. There is also IntelliSense for a composed graph where available types to extend are displayed (along with the owning service).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="575" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5-1024x575.png" alt="Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 10.21.08 AM.png" class="wp-image-8066" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5-1024x575.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5-300x169.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5-768x432.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5-1200x674.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-5.png 1276w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Suppose you&#8217;re using Apollo Studio and have integrated with the schema registry using Rover. In that case, you can log in to Apollo Workbench with <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/user-settings">your user API key from your Personal Settings in Apollo Studio</a>. Then you can create designs from your graphs in Apollo Studio:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1000" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/out-2.gif" alt="Logging into workbench" class="wp-image-8087"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#query-explain" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="query-explain"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Query <code>EXPLAIN</code></h2>



<p>One of Apollo Federation&#8217;s significant benefits is understanding precisely how any given GraphQL operation will execute across your graph. This understanding comes in the form of a query plan generated for each unique operation. I like to think of the query plan as <code>EXPLAIN</code> for GraphQL queries. As teams design changes to their graph, they may need to contextualize a change to a GraphQL operation; this could be from a new set of functionality or a schema change that impacts operations currently running in Production.</p>



<p>With Apollo Workbench, you can add an operation to any design and view the query plan for any composing design:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1000" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/out-3.gif" alt="" class="wp-image-8089"/></figure>



<p>Query <code>EXPLAIN</code> provides us with instant feedback on how a design might impact some existing operations. We all want performant queries, right? When you&#8217;re tweaking a design, it&#8217;s a great idea to start by looking at the query plan first and understanding how it changes with the tweaks you make.</p>



<p>If you&#8217;re using Apollo Studio and logged into Apollo Workbench, you can also click on a graph to load the operations from that graph variant. Then you can pull that operation into your design and see how it would execute:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1000" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/out-4.gif" alt="Apollo Workbench Operations with Apollo Studio" class="wp-image-8095"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#mocking-your-design" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="mocking-your-design"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Mocking your design</h2>



<p>Once you&#8217;ve created a design and you&#8217;re ready for the next steps, what do you do? A lot of companies explore some strategies around mocking to enable teams to develop independently. Client teams typically have some tooling to generate types, and they&#8217;ll want to do that for the new schema without waiting for the server team to spin something up. Apollo Workbench provides a simple mocking engine that will generate a mocked graph for any design you create.</p>



<p>Press the play button, and a mocked server will run locally for each subgraph and the graph router (<code>ApolloGateway</code> instance). The router will default to port <code>4000</code>, and the subgraphs will start by default on port <code>4001</code> and increment from there:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1000" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/out-5.gif" alt="Apollo Workbench Mocks" class="wp-image-8097"/></figure>



<p><em>Hint: there are settings available in the extension to change what port you want the mocks to run on:</em></p>



<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>&quot;apollo-workbench.gatewayPort&quot;: 5000,&lt;br&gt;&quot;apollo-workbench.startingServerPort&quot;: 5001</code></pre>



<p>With Apollo Workbench, anyone can run a design with mocked data locally. The extension also has <code>faker</code> integrated into it, and you can write your own custom mocks:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="641" src="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10-1024x641.png" alt="Apollo Workbench Custom Mocks" class="wp-image-8076" srcset="https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10-1024x641.png 1024w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10-300x188.png 300w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10-768x481.png 768w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10-1200x751.png 1200w, https://wp.apollographql.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-10.png 1276w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Note: a workbench file contains everything in the design, including the code snippet for your custom mocks. <code>eval</code> is used for the <code>JavaScript</code> that you write and a project is managed in the extensions global storage which provides you with feedback if you have errors.</em><br><br>Now you have all the tools you need to plan your graph designs with a complete understanding of what will execute without any code. Apollo Workbench provides insight into the graph and enables you to work only with the subgraph schemas to understand extension points, composition errors, and query execution plans. Once you’re complete with a design, you can mock it locally and use <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/sandbox/explorer">Apollo Sandbox</a> to explore your graph.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#getting-started" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="getting-started"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Getting started</h2>



<p>To get started with Apollo Workbench for your next graph design, <a href="https://apollographql.github.io/apollo-workbench-vscode/">check out the official docs for installation instructions.</a></p>



<p>Workbench works best when you can design all your changes from one centralized schema registry. If you haven’t already, I recommend you <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/signup">sign up for an account with Apollo Studio</a> and <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/schema/cli-registration/">push your subgraph schemas into the registry</a> with Rover. Oh yeah and don’t forget, the schema registry is free on our community tier forever.</p>



<p>Happy coding!</p>


Apollo Workbench: A Better Way to Design Federated Graphs


<p>It’s been two years since we launched Apollo Federation. What started as a spec has blossomed into a community of developers who share a desire to bring the joy of GraphQL to more teams at their company. Over 12 community projects in 9 languages—along with multiple database vendors—have implemented federation as the industry standard for composing graphs together.</p>



<p>Today, we’re excited to announce some exciting new (free!) Apollo tools to help you and your teammates use federation to its fullest:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Improvements in </strong><a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/signup?referrer=blog"><strong>Apollo Studio</strong></a> around navigation and management of federated graphs</li>



<li><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/"><strong>Rover</strong></a>, our new open-source Rust CLI for interacting with graphs and schemas</li>



<li><strong><a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-workbench-vscode">Workbench</a></strong>, an open-source VS Code extension for designing and growing your federated schemas</li>
</ul>



<p>Tune in to the <a href="https://summit.graphql.com/">GraphQL Summit</a> keynote tomorrow, <strong>7 April at 9:00 AM PT</strong>, to see demos of these tools, plus plenty more exciting news from Apollo!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#first-what-is-federation" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="first-what-is-federation"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>First, what </strong><strong><em>is</em></strong><strong> federation?</strong></h2>



<p>Federation is an architecture for <strong>composing</strong> two or more graphs (called <strong>subgraphs</strong>) into a single data graph (called a <strong>supergraph</strong>). A supergraph’s schema is made up of all the composed subgraph schemas, plus some metadata. Subgraph and supergraph schemas all adhere to the GraphQL spec, so they’re all valid GraphQL documents.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/quickstart">Getting started with federation</a> doesn’t require any changes to your subgraphs. Once you’ve composed two subgraphs together, you can even extend your types across subgraphs.</p>



<p>Unlike schema stitching, which relies on imperative, manual code to connect graphs, federation is declarative. Federation’s declarative composition model produces a single, static artifact representing your supergraph. This artifact can power helpful workflows like validating breaking changes while you develop your subgraph.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#developing-a-federated-graph" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="developing-a-federated-graph"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Developing a federated graph</strong></h2>



<p>Whether you’re working with 2 subgraphs or 50 subgraphs, you need a source of truth to coordinate changes to the supergraph. That’s where the Apollo registry comes in! By pushing each subgraph schema to the registry during CI/CD, you can ensure that your editor, graph browser, and terminal are always synced to the most up-to-date supergraph.</p>



<p>There are three stages in the federation development lifecycle: design, implementation, and consumption. We want each of these stages to be as delightful and fast as possible, so we’ve invested in tooling to help you every step of the way.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#implementing-a-federated-graph-with-rover" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="implementing-a-federated-graph-with-rover"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Implementing a federated graph with Rover</strong></h3>



<p><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/">Rover</a> is our new CLI for interacting with graphs and the Apollo Studio registry. It’s also our <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/rover">first open-source project written in Rust</a> 🦀, which we’re excited to build more with in the future.</p>



<p>What’s the difference between Rover and its predecessor, the Apollo CLI? For starters, Rover is built as a single static binary. Unlike the current Apollo CLI written in TypeScript, this means you can run Rover in any language server, CI/CD pipeline, or DevOps environment.</p>



<p>With Rover, you can <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/supergraphs/">build your first federated graph</a> by running <code>rover supergraph compose</code> in your terminal, passing in a config file listing where to find your running subgraphs. Then, you can pipe the resulting schema into another command, print it to a local <code>.graphql</code> file, or <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/quickstart">pass it to <code>@apollo/gateway</code></a> (this feature is experimental). Running composition locally shortens the feedback loop between making subgraph changes and seeing how they impact the supergraph, which speeds up implementation considerably.</p>



<p>You can <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/subgraphs/#publishing-a-subgraph-schema-to-apollo-studio">publish your subgraph to the Apollo registry</a> by running <code>rover subgraph publish</code> in your CI/CD pipeline. Before you <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/subgraphs/#publishing-a-subgraph-schema-to-apollo-studio">publish subgraph schema changes</a>, you can even validate<a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/schema-checks/"> </a>them with <code>rover subgraph check</code> to confirm that you aren&#8217;t introducing breaking changes to your application clients (this requires an Apollo Studio Team plan).</p>



<p>Rover is still in public preview, so these features are constantly evolving. We appreciate any help testing it out, as well as your <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/rover">feedback in GitHub issues</a>!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#free-apollo-studio-features-for-browsing-and-testing-federated-graphs" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="free-apollo-studio-features-for-browsing-and-testing-federated-graphs"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Free Apollo Studio features for browsing and testing federated graphs</strong></h3>



<p>Once your federated graph grows beyond 2 subgraphs, it’s difficult to know which subgraph is responsible for each type or field. Figuring out who to contact if there’s an issue with a subgraph is also challenging, especially when we’re all working remotely.</p>



<p>Knowing what’s in your graph and who built it makes your graph more discoverable and prevents duplication of work. We’re all about saving you time and reducing code, so we built federation awareness into <a href="https://studio.apollographql.com/signup?referrer=blog">Apollo Studio</a>.</p>



<p>To take advantage of these new features, push your federated graph to the registry with Rover or the Apollo CLI. Then, you can <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/federated-graphs/#adding-the-contact-directive-to-your-subgraph">optionally integrate the <code>@contact</code> directive</a> to assign an owner for each subgraph.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bjRPqePfLYE5xbM9lHTPKq4MhqnSQZLti4MPMXFdSd5Qsjy_jvq4BhF7O8qh5ntCA3XriTClvlORqURTtLbmUCFjoMNaR_bNKmgDtgKLNeHADBct61wpkhlYw76xy7JAJl3zh1m" alt="image.png"/></figure>



<p>We’ve also improved the <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/studio/explorer/">Apollo Studio Explorer</a>, which is the only federation-aware GraphQL IDE for development and production graphs. In the Explorer, you can inspect query plans to learn how your supergraph fetches data. Turn on hints to see which subgraph each field comes from as you’re building your query.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/wlTS3dWBlWGBZ5vV64xQVqx-ZmPrLVI8AVaWbhdnNmtlOF2wyT-wBO14q06on9DdQnYPFLvmCVIHZoOK-ukzkbKJpkgQKQi3co1efWwWIKFl7GUaI7O2ewki9vcNESFn5C37WbRn" alt="image.png"/></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#designing-a-federated-graph-with-workbench" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="designing-a-federated-graph-with-workbench"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Designing a federated graph with Workbench</strong></h3>



<p>Once you’ve successfully composed two subgraphs, you can start thinking about extending their types and linking fields between them. <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-workbench-vscode">Our new VS Code extension Workbench</a> can help you design a federated graph from the comfort of your editor without changing code or running servers.</p>



<p>Our Solutions team built Workbench after learning from our enterprise customers that they started designing their schemas on whiteboards, in shared documents, or even on blank sheets of paper. Those representations can quickly get out of date when a subgraph changes, so we decided to build an experience around the Apollo registry that syncs your editor to your graph. Workbench runs composition in your editor, so you can preview how subgraph changes will affect your supergraph without running any servers.</p>



<p>Workbench is still experimental, but <a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-workbench-vscode">we’d love to hear your feedback</a>. Let us know how we can improve how you design your schema.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#get-started-with-federation-%f0%9f%9a%80" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="get-started-with-federation-%f0%9f%9a%80"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Get started with federation! 🚀</strong></h2>



<p>From design to implementation to consumption, we hope that Apollo Studio, Rover, and Workbench will make your entire GraphQL federation experience delightful. For demos of these tools, <a href="https://summit.graphql.com/">tune into the GraphQL Summit keynote</a> tomorrow, 7 April at 9:00 AM PT. If you’d like to dive in yourself, we’ve put together a <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/quickstart/">new federation tutorial</a> to help you along your journey.</p>



<p>Even if you’re not ready to start federating, we encourage you to <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/graphs/#publishing-a-schema-to-apollo-studio">push your graph to the Apollo registry</a> (it’s free!) so you can take advantage of the Apollo Studio Explorer and Rover. Using the registry as your source of truth will allow you to turn off introspection in production, which is important for maintaining the security and privacy of your graph.</p>



<p>Happy federating!</p>


Federation query plan in the Apollo Studio Explorer

Powerful new GraphQL tools for Apollo Federation


<p>Building software for the internet in 2021 is hard. It’s no longer just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We now have to deliver our products beyond just websites to mobile, voice, in-store, chat, TV, and more—while integrating data from many services and delivering on time. One of the biggest things that slow down developers is waiting to align work with other teams. It is common to get blocked while waiting to coordinate or waiting for their backlog to free up.<br><br></p>



<p>We launched Apollo because we believe GraphQL transforms how product engineering teams build new experiences by unblocking teams and allowing them to work in parallel. Front-end teams can build new experiences faster by directly querying the graph and not waiting for new REST endpoints to be built. As each new capability is added to the graph, it&#8217;s available for all other teams to take advantage of it.</p>



<p>As we worked with early GraphQL adopters, we realized they needed a solution that could serve the needs of engineering organizations that were running at scale. They wanted the power of a single endpoint coupled with the flexibility of distributed ownership. So in 2019, we launched <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/apollo-federation-f260cf525d21/">Apollo Federation</a> and Apollo Gateway, a Federation-compatible graph router, to help teams use GraphQL in distributed architectures. With Federation, each service or domain team can own their part of the graph schema, known as the subgraph, while building a unified common graph for their developers.</p>



<p><br><br>Next, we launched Apollo’s <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/announcing-managed-federation-265c9f0bc88e/)">Managed Federation,</a> a hosted solution for scaling changes to your federated graph pipelines across many teams. Managed federation helps you reliably deploy schema changes to your Apollo Gateway, including checks for composition integrity. It prevents shipping breaking change by using your live traffic as an automated test suite. We’re thrilled by the growth and acceptance of Managed Federation by hundreds of the world’s most innovative companies. Apollo customers now run more than 2 billion queries a day through Apollo federated data graphs, representing a 400% annual growth.</p>



<p><br><br>Equally validating is the industry adoption of the Federation Specification. In addition to Apollo’s Server, there are now more than a dozen <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/other-servers/" target="_blank">GraphQL servers</a> that support federation. Netflix open-sourced their <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://netflix.github.io/dgs/" target="_blank">DGS</a> GraphQL Server that was built for SpringBoot and they are<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.infoq.com/presentations/netflix-api-graphql-federation/" target="_blank"> betting their entire graph strategy</a> on Federation. Companies including <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://medium.com/adobetech/graphql-making-sense-of-enterprise-microservices-for-the-ui-46fc8f5a5301" target="_blank">Adobe</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://medium.com/walmartglobaltech/federated-graphql-walmart-bfc85c2553de" target="_blank">Walmart</a>, and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/9-lessons-from-a-year-of-apollo-federation/" target="_blank">StockX</a> are all choosing Federation. Database vendors are also adopting Apollo Federation as a graph integration strategy. The latest to join is DataStax whose engineers are adding Apollo Federation to the open-source data gateway <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stargate.io/" target="_blank">Stargate</a>, delivering Federation-ready GraphQL APIs to access Apache Cassandra™ stored data.</p>



<p><br><br>The most important signal that Federation is solving real-world problems are the stories we’re hearing from our customers:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#fast-moving-startups-powering-their-product-development-with-federation" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="fast-moving-startups-powering-their-product-development-with-federation"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Fast-moving startups powering their product development with Federation</strong></h2>



<p><a href="http://modernhealth.com">Modern Health</a>, a startup founded in 2017, chose Apollo Federation to help power their service-oriented architecture strategy and fulfill their mission of democratizing access to mental health.</p>



<p><br><br><em>&#8220;We chose Apollo so we can continue to focus on our company mission &#8211; destigmatizing and making mental health more accessible for employees across the world. Apollo’s Federation empowers our engineering teams to work independently while collaborating on a rapidly growing graph that is becoming central to how we deliver industry-leading products and features to our growing global customer base.&#8221;</em>&#8211; Nick DiRienzo, Software Engineer, Modern Health</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="#looking-to-the-future" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="looking-to-the-future"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><br><strong>Looking to the future</strong></h2>



<p>We’re excited that Federation has become the industry-standard choice for distributed GraphQL and today our teams are announcing several new integrated Federation tools including composition validation and webhooks in Apollo Studio as well as:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong><a href="https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-workbench-vscode">Workbench</a></strong> is a VS Code plugin that helps developers collaborate on schema design in a federated graph</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.apollographql.com/docs/rover/">Rover CLI</a></strong> is a new tool to access all the power of Federation from the command-line and integrates well in all languages and CI environments.</li></ul>



<p>You can learn more about these tools <a href="https://www.apollographql.com/blog/powerful-new-graphql-tools-for-apollo-federation">here</a> and at <a href="https://summit.graphql.com/">GraphQL Summit Worldwide</a> on April 7th where we will be talking about some of the new enhancements to our platform, and <a href="https://summit.graphql.com/webinars/graphql-summit-scale-presented-by-apollo/">GraphQL Summit Scale </a>on April 8th where we will talk about the technical, cultural and organizational best practices for scaling GraphQL.<br></p>


Tooling

The Future of MCP is GraphQL

Enforce Flexible Governance in GraphOS using Custom Checks

Fun with AI – Generating GraphQL Schemas in Discord

Announcing the Apollo Kotlin plugin for Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA

Announcing the end-of-life schedule for Apollo CLI service commands

New Apollo Federation spec compliance tools for GraphQL Server maintainers

Continuously improve your graph with field-level usage and health metrics from Apollo Studio.

Past posts

How to use Apollo Sandbox on your localhost

Improved embedding for Apollo Explorer!

Automatically Authenticate with Preflight Scripts in Apollo Studio Explorer

apollo-rs: spec-compliant GraphQL tools in Rust

Make your GraphQL schema publicly visible without introspection

Apollo Workbench: A Better Way to Design Federated Graphs

Tooling

The Future of MCP is GraphQL

Enforce Flexible Governance in GraphOS using Custom Checks

Fun with AI – Generating GraphQL Schemas in Discord

Announcing the Apollo Kotlin plugin for Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA

Announcing the end-of-life schedule for Apollo CLI service commands

New Apollo Federation spec compliance tools for GraphQL Server maintainers

Continuously improve your graph with field-level usage and health metrics from Apollo Studio.

Past posts

How to use Apollo Sandbox on your localhost

Improved embedding for Apollo Explorer!

Automatically Authenticate with Preflight Scripts in Apollo Studio Explorer

apollo-rs: spec-compliant GraphQL tools in Rust

Make your GraphQL schema publicly visible without introspection

Apollo Workbench: A Better Way to Design Federated Graphs

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