Top Android GraphQL Libraries

Top Android GraphQL Libraries.

GraphQL is a query language for APIs and a runtime for executing those queries with existing data. It provides a more efficient and flexible alternative to traditional REST APIs, allowing clients to request only the data they need in a single request. In the Android ecosystem, there are several libraries available that make it easier to work with GraphQL. In this tutorial, we will explore some of the top Android GraphQL libraries, their features, installation process, and code usage examples.

1. Apollo Android

Features:

• Gradle plugin that generates Java/Kotlin models from GraphQL schema
• Automatic network caching and offline support
• Supports subscriptions and real-time updates
• Integration with popular Android libraries like RxJava, Coroutines, and LiveData

Installation:

Add the following dependencies to your project's build.gradle file:

     dependencies {
         implementation 'com.apollographql.apollo:apollo-runtime:x.x.x'
         implementation 'com.apollographql.apollo:apollo-android-support:x.x.x'
     }

Usage Example:

     val apolloClient = ApolloClient.builder()
         .serverUrl("https://api.example.com/graphql")
         .build()

     apolloClient.query(GetUserQuery(userId))
         .enqueue(object : ApolloCall.Callback<GetUserQuery.Data>() {
             override fun onResponse(response: Response<GetUserQuery.Data>) {
                 val user = response.data?.user
                 // Process user data
             }

             override fun onFailure(e: ApolloException) {
                 // Handle error
             }
         })

• GitHub Repository: Apollo Android

GraphQL-Android

Features:

• Lightweight and easy-to-use GraphQL client
• Supports query, mutation, and subscription operations
• Built-in support for token-based authentication
• Automatic JSON serialization and deserialization

Installation:

Add the following dependency to your project's build.gradle file:

     dependencies {
         implementation 'com.graphql-java:graphql-java:14.0'
     }

Usage Example:

     GraphQLClient client = new GraphQLClient("https://api.example.com/graphql");

     GraphQLRequest request = new GraphQLRequest.Builder()
         .operationName("GetUser")
         .query("query GetUser($id: ID!) { user(id: $id) { name } }")
         .variable("id", userId)
         .build();

     client.executeAsync(request, new GraphQLResponseListener() {
         @Override
         public void onResponse(GraphQLResponse response) {
             User user = response.getData().get("user");
             // Process user data
         }

         @Override
         public void onFailure(GraphQLResponseError error) {
             // Handle error
         }
     });

• GitHub Repository: GraphQL-Android

3. Apollo-Android-Kotlin

Features:

• Kotlin-specific extension library for Apollo Android
• Provides idiomatic Kotlin APIs for GraphQL queries
• Integration with Kotlin coroutines for asynchronous programming
• Supports automatic conversion of GraphQL responses to Kotlin data classes

Installation:

Add the following dependencies to your project's build.gradle file:

     dependencies {
         implementation 'com.apollographql.apollo:apollo-runtime:x.x.x'
         implementation 'com.apollographql.apollo:apollo-android-support:x.x.x'
         implementation 'com.apollographql.apollo:apollo-coroutines-support:x.x.x'
     }

Usage Example:

     val apolloClient = ApolloClient.builder()
         .serverUrl("https://api.example.com/graphql")
         .build()

     val response = apolloClient.query(GetUserQuery(userId)).await()
     val user = response.data?.user
     // Process user data

• GitHub Repository: Apollo-Android-Kotlin

Additional Libraries:

• Sangria-Android: A GraphQL client library for Android with support for Apollo Android annotations. GitHub Repository
• Relay: A comprehensive GraphQL client framework for building scalable and efficient apps. GitHub Repository

In this tutorial, we explored some of the top Android GraphQL libraries and their features. We learned how to install and use Apollo Android, GraphQL-Android, and Apollo-Android-Kotlin to interact with GraphQL APIs. Additionally, we mentioned a few other notable libraries like Sangria-Android and Relay. With these libraries, developers can easily integrate GraphQL into their Android applications and benefit from its efficient and flexible data fetching capabilities.