Kewei Qu, Curtis Li, Benjie Gillam, Martin Bonnin

Imagining GraphQL 2.0: Choices in a Hypothetical Reboot

September 9, 4:00 – 4:40 PM

IJzaal - 5th Floor

GraphQL Working Group

Session description

This discussion embarks on a thought experiment to redesign GraphQL from the ground up. We will explore the choices that might be made if we could start over, free from the constraints of existing implementations. The session focuses on key areas where the current GraphQL specification has faced challenges and sparked debate within the community. Discussions will cover:

Union Types: Exploring alternative approaches to improve flexibility and usability.
Schema-Defined Nullability: Rethinking how nullability is handled to enhance clarity and consistency.
Error Handling: Proposing new strategies for more robust and intuitive error management.

Through collaborative discussions and interactive exercises, participants will contribute insights and ideas, shaping a theoretical vision of what GraphQL 2.0 could look like. This thought exercise is designed to challenge assumptions and inspire innovative solutions. The session will conclude with a focus on the practicalities of evolving GraphQL towards a 2.0 version in the real world, exploring how to address these design challenges while considering migration paths and maintaining backward compatibility.

Session speakers

Kewei Qu

Meta, Senior Staff Software Engineer at Meta

AI / LLMsreturning speaker

TBD

Curtis Li

Meta Platforms, Software Engineer

Supporting GraphQL for mobile at Meta

Benjie Gillam

Graphile, GraphQL TSC Member

returning speaker

A self-described "community-funded open source maintainer," Benjie dedicates much of his time to open source, made possible by the support of appreciative and forward-thinking individuals and organizations. He can often be found helping contributors advance their proposals, and has been instrumental in many key GraphQL advancements and initiatives. As a member of the GraphQL Technical Steering Committee (TSC), Benjie is proud to help guide GraphQL into the future.

Martin Bonnin

Apollo, Mobile Engineer

Frontend

Martin is a maintainer of Apollo Kotlin. He has been writing Android applications since Cupcake and fell in love with Kotlin in 2017. Martin loves naming things and the sound of his laptop fan compiling all these type-safe programs. When not busy rewriting all his bash scripts in Kotlin, Martin loves to hike the Pyrénées or play a good game of Hearthstone.

Get your ticket

Join three transformative days of expert insights and innovation to shape the next decade of APIs!

Get tickets

COMMUNITYDEVELOPER EXPERIENCEAPIsTOOLS & LIBRARIESCOMMUNITYDEVELOPER EXPERIENCEAPIsTOOLS & LIBRARIES

OPEN SOURCEFEDERATIONECOSYSTEMSTRACING & OBSERVABILITYOPEN SOURCEFEDERATIONECOSYSTEMSTRACING & OBSERVABILITY

BEST PRACTICESWORKSHOPSSCHEMASSECURITYBEST PRACTICESWORKSHOPSSCHEMASSECURITY