How to Integrate GraphQL with React Apps? Supercharge Your Business Project

Blog Synopsis:  React is reflecting its presence with the leading industry giants namely Facebook and Netflix. Getting the technical advantage of such a great solution would be rewarding in the long run. However, APIs and third-party components are also key players. You can consider utilizing GraphQL in your React.js projects. Glide through the article to know why it’s beneficial and how to integrate GraphQL with React apps! 

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Developing your business application is more than just a task. You put your blood and sweat in it. So, the final product must be compelling enough. With React development services, your project can effectively deliver eye-catching products to grab customers. However, you have to manage the optimal setup of APIs and other tools. You can integrate a GraphQL API with your React.js application for smooth client interaction. It’s a scalable query language API. 

Do you know? GraphQL and React have a similar foundation base to Facebook. So, the question of reliability and secure development is quite fixed with that. Moreover, begin by brushing your knowledge of both technologies to get better insights.  

GraphQL – A Data-Centric API Language

GraphQL is an excellent query language and robust server-side runtime APIs for applications. It is a data query and manipulation programming solution. Integrating GraphQL enables your application to smoothly manage client requests while narrowing down the particular data requirement. Moreover, its functionality to fetch data from diverse sources for single clients is exceptional. 

In addition to that, GraphQL is an open-source language. It supports your applications in managing client queries with existing data. With reading, mutating, fetching, and subscribing to the real-time changes in data. Furthermore, the GraphQL servers are excelled with the following programming languages;

• Java
• JavaScript
• Ruby
• Scala
• C#
• Python, etc. 

So, GraphQL has been a reliable solution that works on specific client queries. It won’t focus on more or less and just stick to the exact query. Accordingly, it offers a unified graph for every single query. 

Also, it is not bound to any predefined database. Because many people need clarification about GraphQL as it has a specific database for fetching. All-in-all it’s a great tech stack for your full-stack web app development with new-age features. 

React – A Reliable JavaScript Library 

Now, React is a popular technology for web application development. It is a library used for making market-driven competitive industry products. Over the years, it has evolved and amplified for diverse industrial applications. 

With its native UI features, you can create PWA using React. It is the recent trend in the web development market. Being a reliable open-source JS library, it is highly used for single-page applications. Also, React has been a great component of various full-stack technologies (MERN stack). Additionally, the application demands reliable API integration for effective client-server communication. GraphQL can fill that gap effortlessly for the React app. Let’s know why GraphQL with React.    

Why use GraphQL with React?

There are different reasons or you can say benefits of using React with GraphQL. This combination of thriving API architecture and a celebrated JS library will deliver scalable and stunning final products. In addition to that, the performance and quality factor will be successfully accomplished for your project. Here are some of the major reasons that focus on why you should be utilizing GraphQL in your React.js projects.

• Powerful Data Fetching

The data-fetching feature of GraphQL focuses on the specified data-driven for the query. It means your React application can manage the client-server interaction with accurate data. Kudos to the query optimization functionality of GraphQL, it handles the API endpoints precisely. Accordingly, it limits unnecessary data from the server and offers enhanced performance.

• Type Safety & Validation 

Make your React app project shine through by integrating GraphQL as a strong typing-safe solution. Its built-in validation and effective typing system ensure it informs the client and server about the data schema. As a result, it prevents errors and manages the sync data in handling the API request. Furthermore, it allows for data-driven issues and eliminates runtime mistakes. 

• Decreased Overloading

The GraphQL reduces the server overloading with data. It will enable clients to portray the accurate structure of the query. Without any over and under-fetching, your React application will be furnished with proficient network usage. So, the GraphQL API architecture ensures accuracy during the data transfer between client and server.

• Schema Stitching

The schema stitching feature of GraphQL makes the React project uplift the request with a unified schema. It’s the process of creating a single GraphQL schema out of the numerous APIs. Being a React.JS application, GraphQL can smoothly compile with JavaScript programming for API development.  

• Easy Configuration 

The easy and streamlined configuration process. You can integrate GraphQL with React using the Apollo Client tool. Its functionality of seamless caching and query batching makes GraphQL handle data for applications. It gives developer-friendly solutions to any project. Thus, the GraphQL API has been an ideal pick for React JS development.

Although the debate between GraphQL vs Rest is always constant. But for the React JS app, GraphQL outshines Rest. Before diving into the steps of integrating React with GraphQL, you should get a glimpse of the required components. Moreover, these are some major needs in GraphQL clients for React projects.

Necessary Components to Set Up GraphQL in a React App 

Apart from React and GraphQL, there are other dependencies you need to follow. So, the following components will trail your project to the modern-age React app with GraphQL integration. 

1. NPM – Standard package manager for NodeJs
2. Visual Studio Code – To write, build, and debug codes
3. Apollo Client – GraphQL tool used to configure React Application

Above are the proper elements for integrating GraphQL APIs in React projects. You can now proceed to the process of coding. Even though you can undertake it by yourself, hiring React developers would be advisable. Because they can troubleshoot any error without adverse impact. Anyway, here you go with the steps.

Steps to Integrate GraphQL with React Apps? 

From installation to integrating a GraphQL API with a React.js application, the following steps will get you covered with the proper process. 

1) Setting up React Project

First comes first, you have to begin with the following command to make a simple React application. Ensure to run with proper configurations for React. 

npx create-react-app my-graphql-app

Next, you have to move to the project folder as given:

cd my-graphql-app

As you have done with that now, immediately run your React app at  http://localhost:3000 with the following command.

npm start

2) Install & Initialize Apollo Client

The second step would be to get GraphQL to work for your React app. It requires you to install the helping hand tool i.e., Apollo Client.

npm install @apollo/client graphql

3) Configure Apollo Client 

With the robust functionality of the Apollo client, integrating graphQL with the React application becomes smoother. However, you have to configure the Apollo Client by signifying the endpoints as mentioned below.

// src/index.js

import { ApolloClient, InMemoryCache, ApolloProvider } from '@apollo/client';

const client = new ApolloClient({
  uri: 'https://your-graphql-api-endpoint.com/graphql', // Replace with your GraphQL API endpoint
  cache: new InMemoryCache()
});
ReactDOM.render(
  <ApolloProvider client={client}>
    <App />
  </ApolloProvider>,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

Thus, the code will format Apollo Client for GraphQL with API endpoints to cache it. Using the ApolloProvider component to cover the application with the GraphQL feature for the entire app components. Moreover, the Apollo Client is steadily ready to fetch and manage the data in the React application.

4) Build GraphQL Queries  

In this step, you have to create the GraphQL queries with the gql tags. It will be done as a precise request for a particular information or query. Here is an example of how to write a query to fetch the data.

// src/queries.js

import { gql } from '@apollo/client';

export const GET_USERS = gql`
  query {
    users {
      id
      name
      email
    // Add other fields you need
    }
  }
`;

In the above codes, the gpl function is basically imported from the @apollo/client package. So, it will define the queries for mutation and subscription. With the Apollo client, the function is parsed to the GraphQL query. Also, remember to maintain your queries separately in files queries.js for easy access. 

5) Fetch Data in React Components

As you move to fetch data using the Apollo Client, you have to use the useQuery to fetch data. Make the react component naming UserList from the GraphQL API and follow as per the below codes.

// src/components/UserList.js

import { useQuery } from '@apollo/client';
import { GET_USERS } from '../queries';

function UserList() {
  const { loading, error, data } = useQuery(GET_USERS);
 if (loading) return <p>Loading...</p>;
  if (error) return <p>Error: {error.message}</p>;

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>User List</h2>
      <ul>
        {data.users.map(user => (
          <li key={user.id}>
            {user.name} - {user.email}
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
}

export default UserList;

6) Show Data in React App

At this stage, you import the relevant User List which utilizes GraphQL API in your React app. The below codes help to show the fetch.

// src/App.js

import React from 'react';
import UserList from './components/UserList';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>GraphQL React App</h1>
      <UserList />
    </div>
  );
}
export default App;

Verify that the app displays essential components from the GraphQL APIs. 

7) Run Your Application

Lastly, you have to run your React application with the following command in the terminal. Also, ensure to check if it smoothly fetches and displays the data from GraphQL.

npm start

Contact ReactJS Experts To Scale Your Project 

As you get a clear overview of the GraphQL integration for React applications, you need to further move to practical implementation. The back of the dedicated development team will give your project a competitive edge. Moreover, the steps of integrating GraphQL in the React app are complex. Thus, you can connect with our React professionals for your project. Being the leading full-stack development company we have expertise in various technologies with experience in numerous business projects. Get the instant outlook for your project now! 

FAQs

1) Is GraphQL good for React? 

Absolutely! Integrating GraphQL APIs with the React application delivers specific data. It narrows down the client request to the focused data from the server. So, by preventing irrelevant data processing, it offers high-end performance to React apps.

2) What are the benefits of using React with GraphQL? 

With the JavaScript coding similarity for both GraphQL and ReactJS. It has a strong typing and testing solution that prevents errors effectively. Additionally, utilizing GraphQL in your React.js projects gives selected data fetching and displays without any clutter. 

3) What would be the cost to hire React JS developers? 

You can hire dedicated React JS developers for your project with decent experience and a work portfolio. Moreover, the location of developers also affects the cost. But the most affordable hourly rate would fall between $25-$39.