10 Using GraphQL APIs with Apollo client

This chapter covers

Using Apollo Client in plain JavaScript and React
Understanding Apollo’s links and cache
Using Apollo’s hook functions for queries and mutations
Managing local app state with Apollo
Implementing and using GraphQL subscriptions over WebSockets

Shortly after GraphQL implementations started getting attention on GitHub, another class of GraphQL libraries began to attract notice as well: client libraries.

GraphQL client libraries are designed to manage communications between frontend applications and backend GraphQL services. A client library abstracts the tasks of asking a GraphQL service for data, instructing it to do mutations, and making its data responses available to the view layer of a frontend application.

Just as a GraphQL service can be thought of as an agent that does all the communication with your databases, a GraphQL client can be thought of as an agent that does all the communication with your GraphQL services.

Many GraphQL client libraries also have server components to enrich the server experience and support common frontend application requirements like caching, paginating through lists, and using real-time data.

10.1 Using Apollo Client with JavaScript

10.1.1 Making a query request

10.1.2 Making a mutation request

10.2 Using Apollo Client with React

10.2.1 Using the query and mutate methods directly

10.2.2 Including authentication headers

10.2.3 Using Apollo hook functions

10.2.4 Using the automatic cache

10.2.5 Manually updating the cache

10.2.6 Performing operations conditionally

10.3 Managing local app state

10.4 Implementing and using GraphQL subscriptions

10.4.1 Polling and refetching

10.4.2 Implementing subscriptions

10.4.3 Apollo Server

10.4.4 Using subscriptions in UIs

Summary

Wrapping up