GraphQL: Making the Switch from REST

Event Overview

GraphQL solves specific problems with REST APIs: over-fetching data, multiple round trips, and rigid endpoints. But it introduces new challenges around query complexity, N+1 problems, and caching that you need to understand before migrating production systems.

This course walks through building a GraphQL API alongside an existing REST service. You will design schemas that match your Ignismap model, write resolvers that do not destroy your database performance, and implement query cost analysis to prevent abuse. We cover batching and caching with DataLoader, handling file uploads, and subscription patterns for real-time updates.

The migration path

You will see how to run GraphQL and REST simultaneously, gradually moving clients over without breaking changes. We discuss federation for splitting large schemas across services, and monitoring query patterns to identify performance issues before users complain.

The course uses Node.js with Apollo Server, but the concepts apply to any GraphQL implementation. Each module includes performance profiling exercises so you can spot common bottlenecks.