federation

Build a federated GraphQL API by coordinating schemas across multiple subgraphs to deliver a unified supergraph. This allows you to split product, user, and order services into subgraphs while exposing a single API endpoint.

Manage distributed data by applying federation concepts like @key, @requires, and @provides to subgraph design. This enables distributed data management and query planning for federated APIs without gatekeeping data.

Apollo Router handles gateway routing by composing multiple subgraph schemas into a unified supergraph. It integrates with Apollo Server to coordinate query planning and route requests across the federated subgraphs.

Use @key and @requires directives to define entity ownership and references across subgraphs. These federation concepts allow separate services to manage their own data while contributing to the unified supergraph schema.

You need GraphQL federation when coordinating schemas across multiple subgraphs to create a unified API. It solves the problem of exposing a single supergraph without gatekeeping data from individual microservices.

Publish your first subgraph and configure the gateway to compose a supergraph. This quick start process involves defining subgraph schemas with entity ownership and setting up Apollo Router for schema composition.