Preface

Specifying the structure of web backends has always been an integral part of most software projects. However, it can often be a challenge, due to the numerous technologies available for specification. As a result, the software industry is constantly searching for the ideal solution.

I have been interested in specifying software products from the very beginning of my career when I was a VFX developer. I developed plugins for a popular 3D software, and I frequently received requests to create small web-based apps that would enhance a company’s workflow. I would ask myself the question, “Wouldn’t it be sufficient to just specify the data structure that holds business data and generate everything else out of it?”

In this regard, GraphQL emerges as a highly promising candidate. It offers a compelling alternative that addresses the complexities faced by developers, providing a clear and concise approach to backend specification – not only because it is a good language to specify structures and systems, but also because it’s already widely adopted and developers have already accepted it.

The goal of this book is for you to learn GraphQL and full stack development based on the GraphQL schema. Within this book, you will learn how to create transformer libraries, use AI to generate GraphQL schema and docs, build a frontend communication layer for GraphQL, and build great schema-first backends.