Slash, GraphQL, facets, auth, etc

[cnchris]

I’ve been slowing getting together a server based on Dgraph for the past few months after giving up on Firebase. My data greatly benefits from a graph structure but I couldn’t make it work well in a NoSQL document store and doing it in SQL was just clunky. I haven’t check in on the latest Dgraph news in a while but I just noticed Slash, along with the auth section in the GQL docs for Master and I have question/concerns.

Obviously based on my frustrations with Firebase, I’m excited at the prospect of a managed graph database server. But since following up on the GQL progress Dgraph has been making I’m worried about fragmentation.

I see an auth section under GQL. Is this only going to be available when using GQL and not GQL+? Unless I’m missing something, Slash only seems to support GQL with no GQL+ options available. Part of my schema relies on facets because of relationship-specific data. Are facets not supported on Slash? Is auth not supported on GQL+?

Are we looking at a Dgraph future where useful features are mutually exclusive based on what language you need to speak instead of having a full feature set with one language? Are there long-term plans to merge into one primary language (like GQL+ features on GQL) so features don’t end up getting splintered between them as they are now?

[amaster507 (Anthony Master)]

@cnchris

I see an auth section under GQL. Is this only going to be available when using GQL and not GQL+?

That is correct AFAIK. The under the hood workings does processing and converts GQL to DQL (graphql±).

@cnchris

Slash only seems to support GQL with no GQL+ options available.

One of the most recent updates opened up slash to DQL, you just have to manage schema via GQL.

@cnchris

Are there long-term plans to merge into one primary language (like GQL+ features on GQL) so features don’t end up getting splintered between them as they are now?

GraphQL+- -> Spec Compliant GraphQL

What’s missing from Dgraph in the GraphQL API These are things that can be done in ±, but don’t have an equiv in our GraphQL. Order is the order you find them by scrolling through the docs. I’ve annotated with e : easy; h : hard; i : impossible; ? : needs thought. Then I expand below on what’s required. To tackle each one, we should take it, put up an RFC, and work on it as an individual feature. Query: Languages (?) Fuzzy Matching (e) uid_in (e) has (e) geo type + geo queries (near, with…

[MichelDiz]

@cnchris

I see an auth section under GQL. Is this only going to be available when using GQL and not GQL+?

Yes, Auth just works for the GraphQL feature. I think (not so sure) that it works for basic GraphQL feature (not just Slash) but Slash has other things like integrations with third-party auth too.

@cnchris

Part of my schema relies on facets because of relationship-specific data. Are facets not supported on Slash? Is auth not supported on GQL+?

Facets are not supported for now, but I think Slash already supports GraphQL+- on the schema. So you can use GraphQL+- and create your GraphQL Schema based on that. Until Facets being supported.

The Auth is another Story, I’m not 100% sure if you can use with the community version or if it is a Slash thing. I’ll ping @gja to answer this.

@cnchris

Are there long-term plans to merge into one primary language (like GQL+ features on GQL) so features don’t end up getting splintered between them as they are now?

There are plans to make our GraphQL feature compatible as possible with Dgraph features. But as we don’t control the GraphQL Foundation, we can’t dictate what it goes in or out. And personally I think it might never happen to GraphQL Specs be similar to GraphQL+-. Cuz our lang is DB towards, and GraphQL is meant to meet a large share of users and their API needs. But I think we gonna be always close to GraphQL Specs. And you can always use Custom GraphQL+- queries in the GraphQL Schema.

[gja (Tejas Dinkar)]

@amaster507

One of the most recent updates opened up slash to DQL, you just have to manage schema via GQL.

Thanks @amaster507, that is right. You can now use DQL with Slash GraphQL. We are also currently working on supporting Dgraph in flexible mode, where’s you’ll be able to set up your schema with /alter endpoint as you would on a self hosted Dgraph (currently available if you ping us directly).

There is more info about DQL/GraphQL± here: https://dgraph.io/docs/master/slash-graphql/advanced-queries/

@MichelDiz

The Auth is another Story, I’m not 100% sure if you can use with the community version or if it is a Slash thing. I’ll ping @gja to answer this.

GraphQL Auth is available to community users