GraphQL quick start

At the end of this guide, you will have created a simple GraphQL application that connects to the Memgraph database and executes simple queries against it.

Quickstart

We'll be using a simple Node.js application using the Neo4j GraphQL Library to connect to a running Memgraph instance and execute GraphQL queries against the database.

Necessary prerequisites that should be installed in your local environment are:

Run Memgraph

If you're new to Memgraph or you're in a developing stage, we recommend using the Memgraph Platform. Besides the database, it also includes all the tools you might need to analyze your data, such as command-line interface mgconsole, web interface Memgraph Lab and a complete set of algorithms within a MAGE library.

Ensure Docker (opens in a new tab) is running in the background. Depending on your operating system, execute the appropriate command in the console:

For Linux and macOS:

curl https://install.memgraph.com | sh

For Windows:

iwr https://windows.memgraph.com | iex

The command above will start Memgraph Platform, which includes Memgraph database, Memgraph Lab and Memgraph MAGE. Memgraph uses Bolt protocol to communicate with the client using the exposed 7687 port. Memgraph Lab is a web application you can use to visualize the data. It's accessible at http://localhost:3000 (opens in a new tab) if Memgraph Platform is running correctly. The 7444 port enables Memgraph Lab to access and preview the logs, which is why both of these ports need to be exposed.

For more information visit the getting started guide on how to run Memgraph with Docker.

Create a work directory

Next, create a directory for your project and positioning yourself in it:

mkdir graphql-example
cd graphql-example

Initialize the Node.js project

Initialize the project using the following code:

npm init es6 --yes

Setup the Neo4j GraphQL Library

Install the library and its dependencies by running the following command:

npm install @neo4j/graphql graphql neo4j-driver @apollo/server

Create the application file

The application file will be used to setup the Neo4j GraphQL Library and connect to the running Memgraph instance.

Create the file and add the content below.

touch index.js
const { Neo4jGraphQL } = require("@neo4j/graphql");
const { ApolloServer, gql } = require("apollo-server");
const neo4j = require("neo4j-driver");
 
const typeDefs = gql`
type Post {
    id: ID! @id
    content: String!
    creator: User! @relationship(type: "HAS_POST", direction: IN)
}
 
type User {
    id: ID! @id
    name: String
    posts: [Post!]! @relationship(type: "HAS_POST", direction: OUT)
}
`;
 
const driver = neo4j.driver(
    "bolt://localhost:7687",
    neo4j.auth.basic("", "")
);
 
const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
    typeDefs, driver,
    config: {
        driverConfig: {
            database: "memgraph",
        },
    }
});
 
neoSchema.getSchema().then((schema) => {
  const server = new ApolloServer({
      schema,
  });
 
  server.listen().then(({ url }) => {
      console.log(`🚀 Server ready at ${url}`);
  });
})

The example above shows that the data schema must be explicitly defined. The GraphQL server can only process queries that operate on data conforming to the specified schemas. In this example, the schema defines a graph, where the nodes labeled as User or Post may be connected with a HAS_POST relationship.

To set up a GraphQL client against a running Memgraph instance, you have to specify the GraphQL schema, set up the used drivers, and specify Memgraph as the used database. Specifying the used database is especially important because the default database name in the driverConfig is not compatible with Memgraph.

Run the application

Run the application using the following code:

node index.js

Interact with Memgraph

You are now ready to interact with Memgraph using GraphQL queries through localhost(127.0.0.1):4000.

Current limitations

Memgraph currently supports CRUD operations using GraphQL. That means that the entities inside the database can be updated and basic traversals can be done, but more complicated operations are currently not supported through GraphQL.

GraphQL APIs need to be aware of the shape of data they are working with which is abstracted into the concept of GraphQL schemas. Currently this has to be specified in the Node.js application file explicitly. In terms of a property graph, this means the labels and properties of nodes and relationships. The Neo4j GraphQL Library has support for automatic graph introspection, Memgraph currently does not support this feature.

If you encounter serialization errors while using GraphQL client, we recommend referring to our Serialization errors page for detailed guidance on troubleshooting and best practices.