Introduction to GraphQL

GraphQL is a query language that allows you to retrieve exactly what you need from your data, making interactions more efficient. By utilising GraphQL to define the structure of the response, we can reduce over-fetching and under-fetching of data compared to other REST APIs.

It is possible to run Raphtory graphs in GraphQL. The GraphQL IDE is run on the GraphQL server itself (e.g. http://localhost:1736/) and you will immediately be able to write GraphQL queries on the IDE.

Alternatively, you can write all your GraphQL queries exclusively in Python, which is still connected to the GraphQL server (e.g. http://localhost:1736/). With this, you will be able to easily update, send and receive Raphtory graphs from the server.

In the following tutorials, we will guide you through how to run your own GraphQL server so that you can write your own GraphQL queries for your data.