Leverage the power of GraphQL APIs and get only the data you need, how you need it

GraphQL is a powerful data query and manipulation language for application programming interfaces (APIs) that lets users specify exactly what data they’re looking for (unlike REST API requests that would call each relevant endpoint separately and fetch the complete dataset) and makes it easier to aggregate data from several sources.

GraphQL is language-agnostic, hence it can be used with any backend framework or programming language. It is essentially an extension to a backend service that enables developers to interact with the database and request data in a certain manner.

About GraphQL integration connector

This is a custom connector that allows you to query any REST API that support GraphQL and receive only the very specific data you need from it – fast and without even the slightest waste of resources. It was created specifically for the elastic.io platform and ships pre-configured with all of the other connectors.

The GraphQL connector has currently only the action functionality. This means that you will be able to select it only after having at least one connector already set up in your flow.

There are two types of actions available – making a raw request and a configured request. We will go over them very briefly down below; alternatively, you can find more information on them and the GraphQL connector in general by following the Documentation link above.

Due to the proprietary license of our GraphQL integration connector, you are not permitted to modify it. You’re more than welcome to contact our pre-sales team, though, at ps[@]elastic.io to discuss the specifics of your integrations if you require additional connector functions.

PLEASE NOTE: To use the GraphQL connector in your flows, you must first create an account on the elastic.io platform. You can sign up for a free 14-day trial of elastic.io here if you’re new to the platform.

How to add and use GraphQL connector on elastic.io

Step 1
In your Dashboard or Flows section of the platform, click on “Add new Flow” and first, select the system of records that you would like to connect to the GraphQL connector.

Once you’ve done this, you can select the GraphQL connector.

Step 2
After that, you can select between making a Raw Request, which means executing a provided raw GraphQL request string, and making a Configured Request, which means executing a custom GraphQL request for a chosen service. In the case of the latter, you can additionally choose the Query Type – query to just fetch data or mutation to modify server-side data – and Object Type which you want to fetch or modify.

Step 3
As a next step, you will be required to add new credentials. For that, you’ll need to provide the respective endpoint to the GraphQL API you’re going to work with. Usually, the documentation of the respective applications gives you that information. For example, the GraphQL API endpoint for Shopify, which can be found here, is this: https://{store_name}.myshopify.com/admin/api/2022-04/graphql.json

In addition to that, if the respective API has an authentication mechanism, you can add verify your account at this step as well with either the Basic Auth (username and password) or API Key Auth (header key and header value).

For more details on how to work with the GraphQL component, please check the dedication Documentation page following the link above.