-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 2k
docs: type generation for graphql servers #4376
New issue
Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.
By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.
Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account
Open
sarahxsanders
wants to merge
12
commits into
graphql:16.x.x
Choose a base branch
from
sarahxsanders:type-generation
base: 16.x.x
Could not load branches
Branch not found: {{ refName }}
Loading
Could not load tags
Nothing to show
Loading
Are you sure you want to change the base?
Some commits from the old base branch may be removed from the timeline,
and old review comments may become outdated.
Open
Changes from 1 commit
Commits
Show all changes
12 commits
Select commit
Hold shift + click to select a range
b3b489f
add guide for graphQL server type generation
sarahxsanders e157546
feedback
sarahxsanders d0cdf3a
fix spellcheck
sarahxsanders 9450057
Merge branch '16.x.x' into type-generation
sarahxsanders a2175c3
feedback from Eddy
sarahxsanders 8983716
Update website/pages/docs/type-generation.mdx
sarahxsanders b7eb06c
Update website/pages/docs/type-generation.mdx
sarahxsanders 0f50ddb
Update website/pages/docs/type-generation.mdx
sarahxsanders 866ff83
Update website/pages/docs/type-generation.mdx
sarahxsanders b691052
spellcheck
sarahxsanders c11f237
add install steps
sarahxsanders 93ac2b2
Merge branch '16.x.x' into type-generation
sarahxsanders File filter
Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
There are no files selected for viewing
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
---|---|---|
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@ | ||
--- | ||
title: Type Generation for GraphQL Servers | ||
sidebarTitle: Type Generation | ||
--- | ||
|
||
# Type Generation for GraphQL Servers | ||
|
||
Writing a GraphQL server in JavaScript or TypeScript often involves managing complex | ||
types. As your API grows, keeping these types accurate and aligned with your schema | ||
becomes increasingly difficult. | ||
|
||
Type generation tools automate this process. Instead of manually defining or maintaining | ||
TypeScript types for your schema and operations, these tools can generate them for you. | ||
This improves safety, reduces bugs, and makes development easier to scale. | ||
|
||
This guide walks through common type generation workflows for projects using | ||
`graphql-js`, including when and how to use them effectively. | ||
|
||
## Why use type generation? | ||
|
||
Type generation improves reliability and developer experience across the development | ||
lifecycle. It's especially valuable when: | ||
|
||
- You want strong type safety across your server logic | ||
- Your schema is defined separately in SDL files | ||
- Your API surface is large, rapidly evolving, or used by multiple teams | ||
- You rely on TypeScript for editor tooling, autocomplete, or static analysis | ||
|
||
By generating types directly from your schema, you can avoid drift between schema | ||
definitions and implementation logic. | ||
|
||
## Code-first development | ||
|
||
In a code-first workflow, the schema is constructed entirely in JavaScript or TypeScript | ||
using `graphql-js` constructors like `GraphQLObjectType`, `GraphQLSchema`, and others. | ||
This approach is flexible and lets you build your schema programmatically using native | ||
language features. | ||
|
||
If you're using this approach with TypeScript, you already get some built-in type safety | ||
with the types exposed by `graphql-js`. For example, TypeScript can help ensure your resolver | ||
functions return values that match their expected shapes. | ||
|
||
However, code-first development has tradeoffs: | ||
|
||
- You won't get automatic type definitions for your resolvers unless you generate | ||
them manually or infer them through wrappers. | ||
- Schema documentation, testing, and tool compatibility may require you to export | ||
the schema to SDL first. | ||
|
||
You can still use type generation tools like GraphQL Code Generator in a code-first setup. | ||
You just need to convert your schema into SDL. | ||
|
||
To export your schema: | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
import { printSchema } from 'graphql'; | ||
import { schema } from './schema'; | ||
import { writeFileSync } from 'fs'; | ||
|
||
writeFileSync('./schema.graphql', printSchema(schema)); | ||
``` | ||
|
||
Once you've written the SDL, you can treat the project like a schema-first project | ||
for type generation. | ||
|
||
## Schema-first development | ||
|
||
In a schema-first workflow, your GraphQL schema is written in SDL, for example, `.graphql` | ||
or `.gql` files. This serves as the source of truth for your server. This approach | ||
emphasizes clarity because your schema is defined independently from your business logic. | ||
|
||
Schema-first development pairs well with type generation because the schema is | ||
serializable and can be directly used by tools like GraphQL Code Generator. | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
||
With a schema-first workflow, you can: | ||
|
||
- Generate resolver type definitions that match your schema | ||
- Generate operation types for client queries, integration tests, or internal tooling | ||
- Detect breaking changes and unused types through schema diffing tools | ||
|
||
## Generating resolver types | ||
|
||
GraphQL Code Generator can generate resolver scaffolding based on your schema. These | ||
types help you implement resolvers with full type safety, including parent types, | ||
argument shapes, return values, and context. | ||
|
||
Example `codegen.ts` config: | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
import type { CodegenConfig } from '@graphql-codegen/cli'; | ||
|
||
const config: CodegenConfig = { | ||
schema: './schema.graphql', | ||
generates: { | ||
'./src/generated/resolvers-types.ts': { | ||
plugins: ['typescript', 'typescript-resolvers'], | ||
}, | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
}, | ||
}; | ||
export default config; | ||
``` | ||
|
||
To run the generator: | ||
|
||
```bash | ||
npx graphql-codegen | ||
``` | ||
|
||
This creates a set of resolver types like: | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
export type QueryResolvers<ContextType = any> = { | ||
user?: Resolver<User, any, ContextType, RequireFields<QueryUserArgs, 'id'>>; | ||
}; | ||
``` | ||
|
||
These types ensure that the `user` resolver expects an `id` argument and returns a | ||
`User`, giving you confidence and autocomplete while implementing your server logic. | ||
|
||
## Using generated types in your server | ||
|
||
Once generated, you can use these types directly in your resolver map: | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
import { QueryResolvers } from './generated/resolvers-types'; | ||
|
||
export const queryResolvers: QueryResolvers = { | ||
user: (parent, args, context) => { | ||
return context.db.getUser(args.id); | ||
}, | ||
}; | ||
``` | ||
|
||
You can also extract shared `ContextType` and `Resolver` | ||
utility types from the generated file and apply them across your codebase. | ||
|
||
## Generating operation types | ||
|
||
In addition to resolver types, you can generate types for GraphQL operations such | ||
as queries, mutations, and fragments. This is especially useful for shared integration tests | ||
or client logic that needs to match the schema precisely. | ||
|
||
Suppose you have a query in `./src/operations/getUser.graphql`: | ||
|
||
```graphql | ||
query GetUser($id: ID!) { | ||
user(id: $id) { | ||
id | ||
name | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
|
||
Update your codegen config: | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
const config = { | ||
schema: './schema.graphql', | ||
documents: './src/operations/**/*.graphql', | ||
generates: { | ||
'./src/generated/operations.ts': { | ||
plugins: ['typescript', 'typescript-operations'], | ||
}, | ||
}, | ||
}; | ||
``` | ||
|
||
This produces types like `GetUserQuery` and `GetUserQueryVariables`, which you can | ||
import into your client code or test files. | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
||
## Typing resolvers manually | ||
|
||
If you aren't ready to introduce type generation, you can still get partial type safety | ||
using `graphql-js` built-in types. | ||
|
||
```ts | ||
sarahxsanders marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
import { GraphQLFieldResolver } from 'graphql'; | ||
|
||
const myResolver: GraphQLFieldResolver<MyParent, MyContext> = ( | ||
parent, | ||
args, | ||
context, | ||
info | ||
) => { | ||
// ... | ||
}; | ||
``` | ||
|
||
This pattern may be enough for small projects or static schemas, but it | ||
can be hard to maintain and scale without automation. | ||
|
||
## Best practices for CI and maintenance | ||
|
||
To keep your type generation reliable and consistent: | ||
|
||
- Check in generated files to version control so teammates and CI systems don't produce | ||
divergent results. | ||
- Run type generation in CI to ensure types stay in sync with schema changes. | ||
- Use schema diffing tools like `graphql-inspector` to catch breaking changes before | ||
they're merged. | ||
- Automate regeneration with pre-commit hooks, GitHub Actions, or lint-staged workflows. |
Oops, something went wrong.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
Uh oh!
There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.