Apollo Server is a community-maintained open-source GraphQL server. It works with all Node.js HTTP server frameworks: Express, Connect, HAPI and Koa.

Apollo Server is built with the following principles in mind:

• By the community, for the community: Apollo Server's development is driven by the needs of developers
• Simplicity: by keeping things simple, Apollo Server is easier to use, easier to contribute to, and more secure
• Performance: Apollo Server is well-tested and production-ready - no modifications needed

Anyone is welcome to contribute to Apollo Server, just read CONTRIBUTING.md, take a look at the roadmap and make your first PR!

Apollo Server is super-easy to set up. Just npm-install apollo-server, write a GraphQL schema, and then use one of the following snippets to get started. For more info, read the Apollo Server docs.

If you want to build your GraphQL server using TypeScript, Apollo Server is the project for you.

npm install apollo-server
typings i -SG dt~express dt~express-serve-static-core dt~serve-static dt~mime dt~hapi dt~cookies dt~koa

For using the project in JavaScript, just run npm install --save apollo-server and you're good to go!

import express from 'express';
import { apolloExpress } from 'apollo-server';

const myGraphQLSchema = // ... define or import your schema here!
const PORT = 3000;

var app = express();

app.use('/graphql', bodyParser.json(), apolloExpress({ schema: myGraphQLSchema }));

app.listen(PORT);

import connect from 'connect';
import { apolloConnect } from 'apollo-server';

const PORT = 3000;

var app = connect();

app.use('/graphql', bodyParser.json(), apolloConnect({ schema: myGraphQLSchema }));

app.listen(PORT);

import hapi from 'hapi';
import { ApolloHAPI } from 'apollo-server';

const server = new hapi.Server();

const HOST = 'localhost';
const PORT = 3000;

server.connection({
    host: HOST,
    port: PORT,
});

server.register({
    register: new ApolloHAPI(),
    options: { schema: myGraphQLSchema },
    routes: { prefix: '/graphql' },
});

server.start((err) => {
    if (err) {
        throw err;
    }
    console.log(`Server running at: ${server.info.uri}`);
});

import koa from 'koa';
import koaRouter from 'koa-router';
import { apolloKoa } from 'apollo-server';

const app = new koa();
const router = new koaRouter();
const PORT = 3000;

app.use(koaBody());

router.post('/graphql', apolloKoa({ schema: myGraphQLSchema }));
app.use(router.routes());
app.use(router.allowedMethods());
app.listen(PORT);

Apollo Server can be configured with an options object with the the following fields:

• schema: the GraphQLSchema to be used
• context: the context value passed to resolvers during GraphQL execution
• rootValue: the value passed to the first resolve function
• formatError: a function to apply to every error before sending the response to clients
• validationRules: additional GraphQL validation rules to be applied to client-specified queries
• formatParams: a function applied for each query in a batch to format parameters before execution
• formatResponse: a function applied to each response after execution

All options except for schema are optional.

The formatParams function can be used in combination with the OperationStore to enable whitelisting.

const store = new OperationStore(Schema);
store.put('query testquery{ testString }');
apolloOptions = {
    schema: Schema,
    formatParams(params) {
        params['query'] = store.get(params.operationName);
        return params;
    },
};

Apollo Server and express-graphql are more or less the same thing (GraphQL middleware for Node.js), but there are a few key differences:

• express-graphql works with Express and Connect, Apollo Server supports Express, Connect, HAPI and Koa.
• express-graphql's main goal is to be a minimal reference implementation, whereas Apollo Server's goal is to be a complete production-ready GraphQL server.
• Compared to express-graphql, Apollo Server has a simpler interface and supports exactly one way of passing queries.
• Apollo Server separates serving GraphiQL (GraphQL UI) from responding to GraphQL requests.
• express-graphql contains code for parsing HTTP request bodies, Apollo Server leaves that to standard packages like body-parser.
• Includes an OperationStore to easily manage whitelisting
• Built with TypeScript

Despite express-graphql being a reference implementation, Apollo Server is actually easier to understand and more modular than express-graphql.

That said, Apollo Server is heavily inspired by express-graphql (it's the reference implementation after all). Rather than seeing the two as competing alternatives, we think that they both have separate roles in the GraphQL ecosystem: express-graphql is a reference implementation, and Apollo Server is a GraphQL server to be used in production and evolve quickly with the needs of the community. Over time, express-graphql can adopt those features of Apollo Server that have proven their worth and become established more widely.