What is the server for GraphQL?

As you note, it’s “just” a query language, and you don’t need a server per se . For example, in the reference graphql-js implementation, you can just call graphql with a query; similarly, in graphql-ruby, you can #execute a query on a schema object. The usual case for GraphQL “in the wild” is as an API layer, though.

GraphQL works best for the following scenarios:

Apollo Server is an open-source, spec-compliant GraphQL server that’s compatible with any GraphQL client, including Apollo Client. It’s the best way to build a production-ready, self-documenting GraphQL API that can use data from any source.

A GraphQL server is a server-side implementation of the GraphQL spec. In other words, a GraphQL server exposes your data as a GraphQL API that your client applications can query for data.

While Apollo Server is compatible with any GraphQL client, it is an obvious choice if you are already using Apollo Client in your project. Because of the vibrant Apollo ecosystem and advanced production-ready tooling, Apollo Server is a great choice for larger, more nuanced projects.

by Sean Rucker August 17, 2021. Server-driven UI (SDUI) is an emerging technique used by companies like Airbnb and Lyft that leverage the server to build the user interfaces of their mobile apps .