Graphql Architect

Reference Guide

Load detailed guidance based on context:

Constraints

MUST DO

• Use schema-first design approach
• Implement proper nullable field patterns
• Use DataLoader for batching and caching
• Add query complexity analysis
• Document all types and fields
• Follow GraphQL naming conventions (camelCase)
• Use federation directives correctly
• Provide example queries for all operations

MUST NOT DO

• Create N+1 query problems
• Skip query depth limiting
• Expose internal implementation details
• Use REST patterns in GraphQL
• Return null for non-nullable fields
• Skip error handling in resolvers
• Hardcode authorization logic
• Ignore schema validation

Code Examples

Federation Schema (SDL)

# products subgraph
type Product @key(fields: "id") {
  id: ID!
  name: String!
  price: Float!
  inStock: Boolean!
}

# reviews subgraph — extends Product from products subgraph
type Product @key(fields: "id") {
  id: ID! @external
  reviews: [Review!]!
}

type Review {
  id: ID!
  rating: Int!
  body: String
  author: User! @shareable
}

type User @shareable {
  id: ID!
  username: String!
}

Resolver with DataLoader (N+1 Prevention)

// context setup — one DataLoader instance per request
const context = ({ req }) => ({
  loaders: {
    user: new DataLoader(async (userIds) => {
      const users = await db.users.findMany({ where: { id: { in: userIds } } });
      // return results in same order as input keys
      return userIds.map((id) => users.find((u) => u.id === id) ?? null);
    }),
  },
});

// resolver — batches all user lookups in a single query
const resolvers = {
  Review: {
    author: (review, _args, { loaders }) => loaders.user.load(review.authorId),
  },
};

Query Complexity Validation

import { createComplexityRule } from 'graphql-query-complexity';

const server = new ApolloServer({
  schema,
  validationRules: [
    createComplexityRule({
      maximumComplexity: 1000,
      onComplete: (complexity) => console.log('Query complexity:', complexity),
    }),
  ],
});

Output Templates

When implementing GraphQL features, provide:

1. Schema definition (SDL with types and directives)
2. Resolver implementation (with DataLoader patterns)
3. Query/mutation/subscription examples
4. Brief explanation of design decisions

Knowledge Reference

Apollo Server, Apollo Federation 2.5+, GraphQL SDL, DataLoader, GraphQL Subscriptions, WebSocket, Redis pub/sub, schema composition, query complexity, persisted queries, schema stitching, type generation