How to Use GraphQL

Quiltt uses GraphQL as the primary API interface for customer data. If you are new to GraphQL, we recommend trying out the introductory materials at GraphQL.org.

AnchorAbout GraphQL

GraphQL is a modern and flexible API spec that allows the requesting client to design the response to suit their needs. Rather than having to page through many REST responses containing data that you don’t need, you can craft a concise and specific request that is guaranteed to return only the details you do need.

Compounding this flexibility is the option to pack multiple queries and mutations into a single call to apply and retrieve changes all at once. Additionally, you can also batch requests using tools like Apollo Client, which will, for example, automatically roll up different requests from various components of your React.js app.

AnchorAuthenticating

Using the GraphQL endpoint requires a User Session Token, sent in the Authorization HTTP header of your request:

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Authorization: Bearer {{USER_SESION_TOKEN}}

Once you’ve obtained the token, you can perform various queries and mutations related to the user.

AnchorSample Query: `profile`

In this example, we will define a query to get the user’s basic profile details, and send it to our /graphql endpoint.

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query GetProfile {
  profile {
    email
    id
    name
    phone
  }
}

Request

Response

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HTTP/1.1 200 OK

{
  "data": {
    "profile": {
      "email": "example@quiltt.io",
      "id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
      "name": null,
      "phone": null
    }
  }
}

Note that the response data object always mirrors the structure of the query.

AnchorSample Mutation: `profileUpdate`

To update the user’s profile, we can send a mutation like this:

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mutation UpdateName($name: String) {
  profileUpdate(input: { name: $name }) {
    success
    record {
      id
      name
    }
    errors {
      message
      path
    }
  }
}

Request

Response

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HTTP/1.1 200 OK

{
  "data": {
    "profileUpdate": {
      "success": true,
      "record": {
        "id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
        "name": "Quiltty"
      },
      "errors": null
    }
  }
}

Each mutation response can return a success status (true|false), along with a record and errors objects, based on the fields specified in your request.

AnchorLibraries

The examples requests above were made as classic HTTP requests. However, there is a wealth of open-source clients and libraries provided by the GraphQL community, as well as extensions from Quiltt that seamlessly plug-in to your client-side or server-side framework of choice.

For example, here’s the profile query example, using React Hooks with Apollo Client, as found in our react starter template:

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import * as React from 'react'
import { gql, useQuery } from '@apollo/client'

const GET_PROFILE = gql`
  query {
    profile {
      email
      id
      name
      phone
    }
  }
`

const Profile: React.VFC = () => {
  const { loading, data } = useQuery(GET_PROFILE);

  if (loading) return <p>Loading...</p>

  return <p>Welcome back {data.profile.name}!</p>
}

Note: By fetching the profile id we enable Apollo’s caching layer to update automatically and keep the latest data in sync across various components.

Since GraphQL is strongly typed and self-documenting, the best way to explore our schema is with QuilttGraphiQL, our interactive API Explorer. Contact team@quiltt.io to request access.