GraphQL is now used by over 17,000 companies, making it a great option for modern API development.
When software interacts with other software, application programming interfaces (APIs) are the vessels through which software understands not only how to interact with other software but also based on which protocols, using what conventions, relying on what data formats, and other similar inquiries.
All of these functionalities make APIs critical for scaling software projects.
To write these queries, developers need more than just a run-of-the-mill programming language. They need a tool specifically designed to write API queries. They need something like GraphQL.
At Trio, we not only deliver top-tier content and insights in software development but also offer South American developers outsourcing. Explore our talented Argentinean developers, Mexican developers, and Brazilian developers to elevate your projects today.
Are you ready to start your development project?
We have the developers you need to take your development project in the right direction.
Companies are proven to grow their business faster with Trio.
What Is GraphQL?
GraphQL Overview
GraphQL is an open-source, cross-platform, strongly typed query language for APIs as well as a runtime environment for realizing said queries with existing data (it returns JSON data.)
Facebook developed GraphQL for internal use in 2012 before it became publicly available in 2015.
How GraphQL Works
With GraphQL, developers have access to a syntax that can describe how to ask for data. GraphQL developers can specify the data they need using a type system and collect that data from multiple sources.
Queries made by GraphQL are sent as strings to be interpreted and fulfilled by the server. The server then returns JSON to the client. JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a format for storing and transporting data.
Using GraphQL, developers can define the shape of the query, and the server will return results with a mirrored structure. This prevents excessive amounts of data from being returned.
GraphQL servers support numerous languages, including Haskell, JavaScript, Python, Perl, Ruby, Java, C++, C$, Rust, Go, Scala, Elixir, Erlang, PHP, Clojure, and R.
To better understand GraphQL, let’s compare it with REST to show the differences in fetching data.
| GraphQL | REST | |
| Data Fetching | Allows multiple resources to be fetched in a single request. | Multiple responses require multiple requests. |
| Over-fetching | Avoided by allowing you to specify the fields needed. | You often get more than you need. |
| Under-fetching | None, if you request everything needed. | May require multiple requests to prevent. |
| API Design | This is avoided by allowing you to specify the fields needed. | Multiple endpoints for the different resources. |
| Flexibility | High. | Low. |
| Performance | It may require multiple requests to prevent. | Faster, but requests are simple. |
| Tool Ecosystem | It may require a lot of optimization. | This is avoided by allowing you to specify the fields needed. |
What Is a GraphQL Developer?
Who Are GraphQL Developers?
As GraphQL is for writing API queries, GraphQL developers are not limited to that role. GraphQL developers can be JavaScript developers, Go developers, Ruby developers, or any kind of developer who works with software APIs.
Most, if not all, developers fit those criteria.
Key Responsibilities
GraphQL is best understood as a specification for programming languages that any developer can employ to build a flexible API layer.
However, API developers, in general, must see to your business’s vision of how your software will thrive in the API economy.
This means that the GraphQL developer’s key roles include using APIs, along with tools like Apollo or Relay, to promote business growth through technology.
To do this, they need to make sure that they are making the project as efficient as possible by optimizing data fetching and reducing over-fetching and under-fetching issues. They can do this by designing precise queries.
GraphQL’s schema-driven development also allows teams to collaborate better by defining data models upfront.
Why Use GraphQL?
Of course, the plainest reason for using GraphQL is if you need to write API queries so your software can interact with other software. But out of all the options available to users that can accomplish the same task, why use GraphQL?
There are three main reasons:
- Aggregates data in a single query
- Prevents over-fetching and under-fetching
- Simplifies API requests with a declarative approach
GraphQL is often used as an alternative to REST. Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style that provides standards for creating web services. Web services that use REST are called RESTful.
Many of the problems developers experience with REST are resolved with GraphQL. For example, GraphQL can aggregate data for the client in a single query, whereas REST is much more chatty and requires much more input to get the same result.
As compared to REST, GraphQL also allows for a much cleaner organization when it comes to returning specific data. The query structure is arguably more intuitive and easier to understand, too.
Because GraphQL is a declarative data fetching specification, there is no over or under-fetching. GraphQL gets just what you need.
Medium.com used GraphQL to handle complex content delivery on their content platform. Practically, this resulted in improved API performance, a reduction in redundant network requests, and an overall increase in user experience.
Overall, GraphQL is a good resource for writing queries if you want to avoid waterfall network requests and need to save time.
Advantages of Using GraphQL
For developers who use it, GraphQL brings many advantages that can ultimately lead to a more productive business model. Check out some of the advantages of GraphQL below.
Simple
Data retrieval using GraphQL is intentionally simple. Data is collected under a common endpoint or call relevant to the data type, eliminating ad hoc endpoints and roundtrip object retrievals.
Since data is defined on the server with a graph-based scheme, data can be delivered as a package rather than through multiple calls. Ultimately, this boosts efficiency by eliminating ad hoc endpoints and roundtrip retrievals.
Stable
Data can also be manipulated on the back end without changing how the client functions. The structure of the request is dictated by the server and not the client. This isn’t possible in traditional server-client relationships where changing how the database works results in a broken application.
Lightweight and Efficient
GraphQL is a specification, meaning that the overhead involved in using the tool is notably low. Other tools in the API markets are often too invested in REST architecture for developer teams to easily adopt.
There is only a single endpoint, even when fetching data from multiple sources with a single query. This results in faster, more targeted queries.
Organized
The majority of the time, an API on GraphSQL can be organized into a well-structured graph schema. Because of this syntax, errors and inefficiencies are mitigated, especially where data must be translated from the server to other GraphQL-compliant applications.
Companies That Use GraphQL
There are multiple different companies that make use of GraphQL. These can include tech giants (like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and media platforms (like Medium.com, The New York Times, and even WordPress.)
- Facebook: Uses GraphQL to handle complex queries like those in their news feed and messenger apps.
- Instagram: Uses GraphQL to optimize API requests, which allows content to load quickly.
- Twitter: Uses the framework to improve user experience by minimizing server load.
- Medium.com: Streamlines content by using GraphQL for customized recommendations.
- The New York Times: Manages content distribution for efficient UX.
- WordPress: Uses GraphQL to manage APIs for its headless CMS solutions.
Reasons to Hire a GraphQL Developer
While the advantages of using GraphQL may seem perplexing for someone unfamiliar with developing software and writing API queries, this is frankly more cause to hire a GraphQL developer.
APIs are crucial to making sure your software works on a variety of platforms, and they’re not something you can simply avoid working with. You have a couple of options when it comes to writing API queries, but GraphQL has proven to be a remarkably efficient choice for any who decides to use it.
GraphQK developers improve both API efficiency and scalability. It also fits into microservices, making it critical for modern app development.
This means that GraphQL developers are in great demand.
Hire a GraphQL Developer
It’s hard to decipher whether REST or GraphQL is more popular at the moment, but they are both doing very well in the market, so well as to say that finding a GraphQL developer should not be particularly difficult.
Hiring GraphQL developers should start by looking for developers who are proficient with the primary language(s) of your tech stack for your next software project. Then, these candidates will be evaluated to measure their competency by using GraphQL.
How do you hire a GraphQL developer?
For those who wish to take the high road and hire GraphQL developers on their own, we’re here to help.
Hiring a developer on your own is a very focused and hands-on process that requires considerable knowledge about software development in general.
Here are the steps you’d need to go about:
- Define API requirements and project goals.
- Shortlist developers with experience in GraphQL and your tech stack.
- Conduct technical interviews with API-related assessments.
There are many places you could look for developers, but if you have no idea where to start, platforms like Toptal and Upwork are quite popular. However, if you do not have the technical abilities to follow the steps above, you may run into an issue.
The last thing you want to do is trust your hiring process to someone with no technical ability. If you are a non-technical manager looking to learn a thing or two, we have a great resource here for you to learn more about the hiring process in detail.
Otherwise, we’d recommend you contact Trio for consulting and developer allocation. We understand exactly what to look for beyond their basic coding abilities. A good example is the importance of evaluating GraphQL schema design skills, which someone non-technical might not even know exists.
What should you look for in a GraphQL developer?
You should look for the following skills and abilities in competent GraphQL developers:
- Professional background in front-end software development
- Experience with relevant frameworks like React, Vue.js, and more.
- Familiarity with tools like Apollo, Relay, and GraphiQL.
- Prior experience writing API queries using REST, GraphQL, or another modern query language
- Sufficient practice formatting graph schemas in GraphSQL.
How much do developers cost in the U.S.?
GraphQL developers tend to be developers in general. ZipRecruiter data reports that software developers make between $42,500 and $155,500 a year, averaging $110,412.
That said, there are API developers who are specifically hired to work with API designs. These developers make $124,567 annually on average. Salaries, on the whole, for API developers can range between $22,000 and $162,000.
A lot of where they fall in this range is highly dependent on the experience level of the developers, as well as any additional skills that they might have.
How much do developers cost in South America?
Due to economic differences between the United States and South America as a whole, the cost of offshoring software development is significantly lower than hiring full-time with U.S. talent.
For senior GraphQL developers in South America, the average salary is currently around $100,000, whereas a mid-level developer’s salary is around $76,000.
How much do developers cost in Ukraine / Eastern Europe?
Eastern Europe shares very similar rates to South America, again due to the economic differences. When looking at salaries in Eastern Europe, data shows that a Senior GraphQL Developer costs around $100,000 on average.
This means that you could make use of incredible cost savings when offshoring. However, those benefits are almost overshadowed by the access to skilled, global talent that will allow you to overcome availability issues caused by increased demand.
Subscribe to learn more about Hiring
Hourly Rates for Developers
Another way to look at developer costs is through hourly rates. While salaries are good to understand for hiring developers for full-time and long-term, you might just need a developer for a period of 3-6 months or 6-12 months. In these types of situations, it’s best to calculate your costs based on the hourly rates of a developer.
Along with short-term projects, hourly might be the better hiring model for you if you are working on an MVP that isn’t profiting yet.
Below is a table that lists the various hourly rates of developers in different locations based on their job titles.
So, based on these prices, if you’re hiring a single junior developer for a six-week project at forty hours a week, you could be paying as little as $4,800!
Why Hire a GraphQL Developer?
Skilled GraphQL developers can enhance software performance and user experience!
Trio GraphQL developers are pre-vetted, interviewed, and then trained further to become true software professionals capable of adapting to situations that are both within and outside of the scope of their general expertise.
At Trio, we hold our developers to a higher standard. Much like how elite special forces units recruit only the best from the main branches of the military, we recruit developers who either show amazing potential or demonstrate exceptional skill. We then take their talents and sharpen them even further.
Another benefit of hiring a Trio developer is that you won’t incur the costs of hiring, which can add up to around 30% of a developer’s salary on average, as well as overhead costs associated with full-time employment.
By working with Trio, you can enjoy a highly experienced full-time developer for a fraction of the cost, along with the added project management assistance.
To learn more, tell us about your project, and we’ll get you started.
Ready to build efficient APIs? Hire pre-vetted GraphQL developers from Trio to optimize your API and accelerate your project timeline.
