Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Newsletter Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
timer SALE ENDS IN
0 Days
:
00 Hours
:
00 Minutes
:
00 Seconds
Hands-On Full-Stack Web Development with GraphQL and React
Hands-On Full-Stack Web Development with GraphQL and React

Hands-On Full-Stack Web Development with GraphQL and React: Build scalable full-stack applications while learning to solve complex problems with GraphQL

eBook
$24.99 $35.99
Paperback
$48.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Redeem a companion digital copy on all Print orders
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Product feature icon AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Hands-On Full-Stack Web Development with GraphQL and React

Setting up GraphQL with Express.js

The basic setup and prototype for our front end are now complete. Going further, we need to get our GraphQL server running to begin implementing the back end. Apollo and Express.js are going to build the basis for our back end.

This chapter explains the installation process for Express.js, as well as the configuration of our GraphQL endpoint. We will quickly go through all the essential features of Express.js and the debugging tools for our back end.

This chapter covers the following points:

  • Express.js installation and explanation
  • Routing in Express.js
  • Middleware in Express.js
  • Binding Apollo Server to a GraphQL endpoint
  • Serving static assets with Express.js
  • Back end debugging and logging

Node.js and Express.js

One primary goal of this book is to set up a GraphQL API, which is then consumed by our React front end. To accept network requests (especially GraphQL requests), we are going to set up a Node.js web server.

The most significant competitors in the Node.js web server area are Express.js, Koa, and Hapi. In this book, we are going to use Express.js. Most tutorials and articles about Apollo rely on it.

Express.js is also the most used Node.js web server out there and explains itself as a Node.js web framework, offering all the main features needed to build web applications.

Installing Express.js is pretty easy. We can use npm in the same way as in the first chapter:

npm install --save express

This command adds the latest version of Express to package.json.

In the first chapter, we created all JavaScript files directly in the src/client folder. Now, let&apos...

Routing in Express.js

Understanding routing is essential to extend our back end code. We are going to play through some simple routing examples.

In general, routing stands for how an application responds to specific endpoints and methods.

In Express.js, one path can respond to different HTTP methods and can have multiple handler functions. These handler functions are executed one by one in the order they were specified in the code. A path can be a simple string, but also a complex regular expression or pattern.

When using multiple handler functions—either provided as an array or multiple parameters—be sure to pass next to every callback function. When you call next, you hand over the execution from one callback function to the next function in the row. Those functions can also be middleware. We'll cover this in the next section.

Here is a simple example. Replace...

Using Express.js middleware

Express.js provides great ways to write efficient back ends without duplicating code.

Every middleware function receives a request, a response, and next. It needs to run next to pass control further to the next handler function. Otherwise, you will receive a timeout. Middleware allows us to pre- or post-process the request or response object, execute custom code, and much more. We previously covered a simple example of handling requests in Express.js.

Express.js can have multiple routes for the same path and HTTP method. The middleware can decide which function should be executed.

The following code is an easy example showing what can generally be accomplished with Express.js:

  1. The root path '/' is used to catch any request.
app.get('/', function (req, res, next) {
  1. We randomly generate a number with Math.random between 1 and 10...

Combining Express.js with Apollo

First things first; we need to install the Apollo and GraphQL dependencies:

npm install --save apollo-server-express graphql graphql-tools

Apollo offers an Express.js-specific package that integrates itself into the web server. There is also a standalone version without Express.js. Apollo allows you to use the available Express.js middleware. In some scenarios, you may need to offer non-GraphQL routes to proprietary clients who do not implement GraphQL or are not able to understand JSON responses. There are still reasons to offer some fallbacks to GraphQL. In those cases, you can rely on Express.js, since you are already using it.

Create a separate folder for services. A service can be GraphQL or other routes:

mkdir src/server/services/
mkdir src/server/services/graphql

Our GraphQL service must handle multiple things for initialization. Let&apos...

Back end debugging and logging

There are two things that are very important here: the first is that we need to implement logging for our back end in case we receive errors from our users, and the second is that we need to look into Postman to debug our GraphQL API efficiently.

So, let's get started with logging.

Logging in Node.js

The most popular logging package for Node.js is called winston. Configure winston by following the steps below:

  1. Install winston with npm:
npm install --save winston
  1. We create a new folder for all of the helper functions of the back end:
mkdir src/server/helpers
  1. Then, insert a logger.js file in the new folder with the following content:
import winston from 'winston';

let transports...

Summary

At this point, we have set up our Node.js server with Express.js and bound Apollo Server to respond to requests on a GraphQL endpoint. We are able to handle queries, return fake data, and mutate that data with GraphQL mutations.

Furthermore, we can log every process in our Node.js server. Debugging an application with Postman leads to a well-tested API, which can be used later in our front end.

In the next chapter, we will learn how to persist data in a SQL server. We will also implement models for our GraphQL types and cover migrations for our database. We need to replace our current resolver functions with queries via Sequelize.

There is a lot to do here, so read on for more.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • Build full stack applications with modern APIs using GraphQL and Apollo
  • Integrate Apollo into React and build frontend components using GraphQL
  • Implement a self-updating notification pop-up with a unique GraphQL feature called Subscriptions

Description

React, one of the most widely used JavaScript frameworks, allows developers to build fast and scalable front end applications for any use case. GraphQL is the modern way of querying an API. It represents an alternative to REST and is the next evolution in web development. Combining these two revolutionary technologies will give you a future-proof and scalable stack you can start building your business around. This book will guide you in implementing applications by using React, Apollo, Node.js and SQL. We'll focus on solving complex problems with GraphQL, such as abstracting multi-table database architectures and handling image uploads. Our client, and server will be powered by Apollo. Finally we will go ahead and build a complete Graphbook. While building the app, we'll cover the tricky parts of connecting React to the back end, and maintaining and synchronizing state. We'll learn all about querying data and authenticating users. We'll write test cases to verify the front end and back end functionality for our application and cover deployment. By the end of the book, you will be proficient in using GraphQL and React for your full-stack development requirements.

Who is this book for?

The book is for web developers who want to enhance their skills and build complete full stack applications using industry standards. Familiarity with JavaScript, React, and GraphQL is expected to get the most from this book.

What you will learn

  • Resolve data from multi-table database and system architectures
  • Build a GraphQL API by implementing models and schemas with Apollo and Sequelize
  • Set up an Apollo Client and build front end components using React
  • Use Mocha to test your full-stack application
  • Write complex React components and share data across them
  • Deploy your application using Docker
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Ecuador

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$19.95

Premium delivery 3 - 6 business days

$40.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jan 31, 2019
Length: 460 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789134520
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Redeem a companion digital copy on all Print orders
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Product feature icon AI Assistant (beta) to help accelerate your learning
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Ecuador

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$19.95

Premium delivery 3 - 6 business days

$40.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Jan 31, 2019
Length: 460 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789134520
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 136.97
Learn React with TypeScript 3
$48.99
React Native Cookbook
$38.99
Hands-On Full-Stack Web Development with GraphQL and React
$48.99
Total $ 136.97 Stars icon

Table of Contents

14 Chapters
Preparing Your Development Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Setting up GraphQL with Express.js Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Connecting to The Database Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Integrating React into the Back end with Apollo Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Reusable React Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Authentication with Apollo and React Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Handling Image Uploads Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Routing in React Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Implementing Server-Side Rendering Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Real-Time Subscriptions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Writing Tests Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Optimizing GraphQL with Apollo Engine Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Continuous Deployment with CircleCI and Heroku Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
(2 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 50%
3 star 0%
2 star 50%
1 star 0%
Shaz S Apr 22, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Has all the reference info I need and is easy to read.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
dharrison_ch Jul 21, 2021
Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 2
I bought this book, I have to say, by mistake. I didn’t notice before clicking “buy” that it was published by Pakt. In my view, one of the important design features of a text like this is to be able to dip in on a topic. The design of this book doesn’t allow for this.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the digital copy I get with my Print order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

When you buy any Print edition of our Books, you can redeem (for free) the eBook edition of the Print Book you’ve purchased. This gives you instant access to your book when you make an order via PDF, EPUB or our online Reader experience.

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela