Introduction

Want to take your GraphQL API to the next level? Then you're in the right place!

If you've built products and experiences using GraphQL, then you know just how powerful it can be! You've tasted that satisfaction of querying for exactly what you need and getting that data back in the shape you asked for. Plus, the ability to mix and blend multiple data sources and services all under a single endpoint is simply #ChefsKiss!

So what's next? We might feel that hunger to grow and evolve our API. We want to serve up a richer experience, which means adding more ingredients: more data sources, more services, more features, more capabilities. So how do we protect our API and facilitate its growth in a way that sets us up for success?

Enter Apollo GraphOS.

Apollo GraphOS is a complete cloud platform for building, managing, and scaling your GraphQL API. GraphOS provides a set of tools and services so that developers can focus on building better apps, faster.

Learner pre-requisites

We assume that you have a basic level of understanding of GraphQL and how to write a GraphQL query. Check out our Lift-off series if you need a refresher. You don't need to know any particular programming language for this tutorial.

Series overview

In this introductory series, we're sinking our teeth into the world of Apollo GraphOS. Here's what to expect in each course:

• Basics: how to get started with GraphOS using an existing GraphQL API. That's the course you're in now!
• Safe API delivery: how to ship supergraph changes using safe schema delivery
• Growing your API: how to add new capabilities and data to your supergraph
• Securing your API (coming soon): how to implement authentication and authorization in a supergraph
• Improving your API performance (coming soon): how to use caching and queries to make your supergraph faster

Along the way, we'll learn about the components of what's called a supergraph, also known as a federated GraphQL architecture. And we have lots of hands-on opportunities ahead: we'll build queries with the Explorer IDE, analyze our metrics, and configure a cloud router.

Up next

Let's get to know our API!