In this guide, we will build from scratch an API with GraphQL, Node JS, Express, and MongoDB. So, let’s start by answering an important question: what is GraphQL?

Sorry for the interrupt!

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• What is GraphQL?
• Setting up the GraphQL API
• GraphQL Schema
• Creating Mongoose Models
• GraphQl resolver
• Create the server and an endpoint
• Connect the API to MongoDB
• Test the API with GraphiQL

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is a query language created by Facebook. It’s an alternative to the REST approach. So, if you come from the REST world, just keep in mind that GraphQL works differently. It has one single endpoint for all kinds of requests, and the method has to be a post request. GraphQL works with types and fields, and it’s really powerful since it provides all or just the needed data.

Send a GraphQL query to your API and get exactly what you need, nothing more and nothing less.

We will see it in action later, but for now, let’s plan our API.

Setting up the GraphQL API

For the API, we will have the possibility to create articles and store them in MongoDB. And also be able to fetch them back.

To do so, we have to create a new project by running the following command in the terminal.

    yarn init

In this tutorial, I will use yarn, you can use npm if you want too. It’s really up to you

Next, structure your project as follow:

├── node_modules
├── graphql
|  ├── resolvers
|  |  └── index.js
|  └── schema
|     └── index.js
├── models
|  └── article.js
├── app.js
├── nodemon.json
├── package.json
└── yarn.lock

As you can see, we have a graphql folder that keeps the schema and the resolvers of the API.

Next, we have a models folder which holds what an article should looks like and last but not the least, a nodemon.json file to hold our environment variables and the entry point of the server app.js.

We have a couple of libraries to install, so I will keep things simple and install the needed one as we progress.

Now, let’s run the following commands on the terminal to install express and nodemon.

    yarn add express

Next, add nodemon as a development dependency.

    yarn add nodemon -D

With that, we can now add a start script on the package.json file to be able as you might guess start the server.

#mongodb #node js #express