Custom scalars

The GraphQL specification includes default scalar types Int, Float, String, Boolean, and ID. Although these scalars cover the majority of use cases, some applications need to support other atomic data types (such as Date) or add validation to an existing type. To enable this, you can define custom scalar types.

Defining a custom scalar

To define a custom scalar, add it to your schema like so:

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scalar MyCustomScalar

You can now use MyCustomScalar in your schema anywhere you can use a default scalar (e.g., as the type of an object field, input type field, or argument).

Including scalar specification

Updated in the October 2021 version of the GraphQL spec, you can include a @specifiedBy directive as metadata for schema consumers to understand what format the scalar is using. This directive does not provide automatic validation, but can provide useful context for humans reading the schema.

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scalar MyCustomScalar @specifiedBy(url: "https://specs.example.com/rfc111")

However, Apollo Server still needs to know how to interact with and generate values of this new scalar type.

Defining custom scalar logic

After you define a custom scalar type, you need to define how Apollo Server interacts with it. In particular, you need to define:

How the scalar's value is represented in your backend
- This is often the representation used by the driver for your backing data store.
How the value's back-end representation is serialized to a JSON-compatible type
How the JSON-compatible representation is deserialized to the back-end representation

You define these interactions in an instance of the GraphQLScalarType class.

For more information about the graphql library's type system, see the official documentation.

Example: The `Date` scalar

ⓘ NOTE

The code blocks below use TypeScript by default. You can use the dropdown menu above each code block to switch to JavaScript.

If you're using JavaScript, use .js and .jsx file extensions wherever .ts and .tsx appear.

The following GraphQLScalarType object defines interactions for a custom scalar that represents a date (this is one of the most commonly implemented custom scalars). It assumes that our backend represents a date with the Date JavaScript object.

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import { GraphQLScalarType, Kind } from 'graphql';
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const dateScalar = new GraphQLScalarType({
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  name: 'Date',
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  description: 'Date custom scalar type',
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  serialize(value) {
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    if (value instanceof Date) {
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      return value.getTime(); // Convert outgoing Date to integer for JSON
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    }
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    throw Error('GraphQL Date Scalar serializer expected a `Date` object');
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  },
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  parseValue(value) {
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    if (typeof value === 'number') {
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      return new Date(value); // Convert incoming integer to Date
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    }
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    throw new Error('GraphQL Date Scalar parser expected a `number`');
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  },
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  parseLiteral(ast) {
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    if (ast.kind === Kind.INT) {
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      // Convert hard-coded AST string to integer and then to Date
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      return new Date(parseInt(ast.value, 10));
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    }
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    // Invalid hard-coded value (not an integer)
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    return null;
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  },
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});

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import { GraphQLScalarType, Kind } from 'graphql';
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const dateScalar = new GraphQLScalarType({
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  name: 'Date',
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  description: 'Date custom scalar type',
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  serialize(value) {
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    if (value instanceof Date) {
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      return value.getTime(); // Convert outgoing Date to integer for JSON
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    }
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    throw Error('GraphQL Date Scalar serializer expected a `Date` object');
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  },
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  parseValue(value) {
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    if (typeof value === 'number') {
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      return new Date(value); // Convert incoming integer to Date
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    }
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    throw new Error('GraphQL Date Scalar parser expected a `number`');
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  },
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  parseLiteral(ast) {
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    if (ast.kind === Kind.INT) {
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      // Convert hard-coded AST string to integer and then to Date
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      return new Date(parseInt(ast.value, 10));
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    }
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    // Invalid hard-coded value (not an integer)
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    return null;
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  },
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});

This initialization defines the following methods:

serialize
parseValue
parseLiteral

Together, these methods describe how Apollo Server interacts with the scalar in every scenario.

`serialize`

The serialize method converts the scalar's back-end representation to a JSON-compatible format so Apollo Server can include it in an operation response.

In the example above, the Date scalar is represented on the backend by the Date JavaScript object. When we send a Date scalar in a GraphQL response, we serialize it as the integer value returned by the getTime function of a JavaScript Date object.

Note that Apollo Client cannot automatically interpret custom scalars (see issue), so your client must define custom logic to deserialize this value as needed.

`parseValue`

The parseValue method converts the scalar's JSON value to its back-end representation before it's added to a resolver's args.

Apollo Server calls this method when the scalar is provided by a client as a GraphQL variable for an argument. (When a scalar is provided as a hard-coded argument in the operation string, parseLiteral is called instead.)

`parseLiteral`

When an incoming query string includes the scalar as a hard-coded argument value, that value is part of the query document's abstract syntax tree (AST). Apollo Server calls the parseLiteral method to convert the value's AST representation to the scalar's back-end representation.

In the example above, parseLiteral converts the AST value from a string to an integer, and then converts from integer to Date to match the result of parseValue.

Providing custom scalars to Apollo Server

ⓘ NOTE

In the examples below, we use top-level await calls to start our server asynchronously. If you'd like to see how we set this up, check out the Getting Started guide for details.

After you define your GraphQLScalarType instance, you include it in the same resolver map that contains resolvers for your schema's other types and fields:

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import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
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import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
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import { GraphQLScalarType, Kind } from 'graphql';
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const typeDefs = `#graphql
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/* highlight-line */  scalar Date
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  type Event {
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    id: ID!
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    date: Date!
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  }
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  type Query {
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    events: [Event!]
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  }
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`;
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const dateScalar = new GraphQLScalarType({
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  // See definition above
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});
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const resolvers = {
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  Date: dateScalar,
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  // ...other resolver definitions...
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};
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const server = new ApolloServer({
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  typeDefs,
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  resolvers,
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});
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const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server);
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console.log(`🚀 Server listening at: ${url}`);

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import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
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import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
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import { GraphQLScalarType } from 'graphql';
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const typeDefs = `#graphql
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/* highlight-line */  scalar Date
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  type Event {
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    id: ID!
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    date: Date!
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  }
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  type Query {
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    events: [Event!]
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  }
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`;
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const dateScalar = new GraphQLScalarType({
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  // See definition above
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});
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 const resolvers = {
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   Date: dateScalar,
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   // ...other resolver definitions...
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};
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const server = new ApolloServer({
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  typeDefs,
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  resolvers,
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});
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const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server);
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console.log(`🚀 Server listening at: ${url}`);

Example: Restricting integers to odd values

In this example, we create a custom scalar called Odd that can only contain odd integers:

index.ts

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import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
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import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
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import { GraphQLScalarType, Kind, GraphQLError } from 'graphql';
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// Basic schema
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const typeDefs = `#graphql
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  scalar Odd
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  type Query {
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    # Echoes the provided odd integer
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    echoOdd(odd: Odd!): Odd!
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  }
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`;
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// Validation function for checking "oddness"
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function oddValue(value: number) {
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  if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isInteger(value) && value % 2 !== 0) {
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    return value;
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  }
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  throw new GraphQLError('Provided value is not an odd integer', {
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    extensions: { code: 'BAD_USER_INPUT' },
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  });
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}
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const resolvers = {
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  Odd: new GraphQLScalarType({
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    name: 'Odd',
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    description: 'Odd custom scalar type',
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    parseValue: oddValue,
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    serialize: oddValue,
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    parseLiteral(ast) {
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      if (ast.kind === Kind.INT) {
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        return oddValue(parseInt(ast.value, 10));
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      }
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      throw new GraphQLError('Provided value is not an odd integer', {
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        extensions: { code: 'BAD_USER_INPUT' },
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      });
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    },
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  }),
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  Query: {
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    echoOdd(_, { odd }) {
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      return odd;
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    },
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  },
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};
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const server = new ApolloServer({
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  typeDefs,
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  resolvers,
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});
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const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server);
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console.log(`🚀 Server listening at: ${url}`);

index.js

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import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
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import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
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import { GraphQLScalarType, Kind, GraphQLError } from 'graphql';
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// Basic schema
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const typeDefs = `#graphql
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  scalar Odd
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  type Query {
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    # Echoes the provided odd integer
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    echoOdd(odd: Odd!): Odd!
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  }
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`;
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// Validation function for checking "oddness"
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function oddValue(value) {
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  if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isInteger(value) && value % 2 !== 0) {
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    return value;
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  }
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  throw new GraphQLError('Provided value is not an odd integer', {
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    extensions: { code: 'BAD_USER_INPUT' },
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  });
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}
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const resolvers = {
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  Odd: new GraphQLScalarType({
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    name: 'Odd',
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    description: 'Odd custom scalar type',
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    parseValue: oddValue,
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    serialize: oddValue,
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    parseLiteral(ast) {
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      if (ast.kind === Kind.INT) {
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        return oddValue(parseInt(ast.value, 10));
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      }
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      throw new GraphQLError('Provided value is not an odd integer', {
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        extensions: { code: 'BAD_USER_INPUT' },
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      });
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    },
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  }),
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  Query: {
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    echoOdd(_, { odd }) {
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      return odd;
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    },
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  },
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};
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const server = new ApolloServer({
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  typeDefs,
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  resolvers,
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});
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const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server);
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console.log(`🚀 Server listening at: ${url}`);

Importing a third-party custom scalar

If another library defines a custom scalar, you can import it and use it just like any other symbol.

For example, the graphql-type-json package defines the GraphQLJSON object, which is an instance of GraphQLScalarType. You can use this object to define a JSON scalar that accepts any value that is valid JSON.

First, install the library:

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$ npm install graphql-type-json

Then import the GraphQLJSON object and add it to the resolver map as usual:

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import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
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import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
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import GraphQLJSON from 'graphql-type-json';
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const typeDefs = `#graphql
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  scalar JSON
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  type MyObject {
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    myField: JSON
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  }
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  type Query {
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    objects: [MyObject]
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  }
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`;
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const resolvers = {
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  JSON: GraphQLJSON,
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  // ...other resolvers...
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};
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const server = new ApolloServer({
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  typeDefs,
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  resolvers,
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});
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const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server);
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console.log(`🚀 Server listening at: ${url}`);

Unions and interfaces

Directives