GraphQL Schema Generator

Schema Design

e.g., User, Product, Post

- Include standard Create/Update/Delete operations with Input types and Payloads.

Data & Security

- Scaffold role-based authorization directly in the schema with USER, ADMIN, GUEST roles.

Advanced Features

- Scaffold real-time websocket subscription endpoints for live updates.
- Outputs example queries, mutations, and API documentation.
schema.graphql
1"""
2An ISO 8601-encoded datetime string.
3"""
4scalar DateTime
5
6"""
7A unique identifier.
8"""
9scalar JSON
10
11
12"""
13Directive to enforce role-based access control on fields and types.
14"""
15directive @auth(requires: Role = USER) on OBJECT | FIELD_DEFINITION
16
17"""
18Available roles for authorization.
19"""
20enum Role {
21 """Full system access"""
22 ADMIN
23 """Standard user access"""
24 USER
25 """Read-only access"""
26 GUEST
27}
28
29
30"""
31Information about pagination in a connection.
32"""
33type PageInfo {
34 """Whether there are more items after this page."""
35 hasNextPage: Boolean!
36 """Whether there are more items before this page."""
37 hasPreviousPage: Boolean!
38 """Cursor pointing to the first item in the page."""
39 startCursor: String
40 """Cursor pointing to the last item in the page."""
41 endCursor: String
42}
43
44"""
45Standard error payload for mutations.
46"""
47type UserError {
48 """Human-readable error message."""
49 message: String!
50 """Which input field caused the error, if applicable."""
51 field: [String!]
52}
53
54"""
55The primary User entity.
56"""
57type User {
58 """Unique identifier for the User."""
59 id: ID!
60 """Full name of the User."""
61 name: String!
62 """Email address of the User.""" @auth(requires: ADMIN)
63 """Role assigned to the User."""
64 role: UserRole!
65 """When the User was created."""
66 createdAt: DateTime!
67 """When the User was last updated."""
68 updatedAt: DateTime!
69}
70
71"""
72Role options for User.
73"""
74enum UserRole {
75 ADMIN
76 USER
77 VIEWER
78}
79
80"""
81A connection to a list of users.
82"""
83type UserConnection {
84 """List of edges containing user nodes."""
85 edges: [UserEdge!]!
86 """Pagination information."""
87 pageInfo: PageInfo!
88 """Total number of users matching the query."""
89 totalCount: Int!
90}
91
92"""
93An edge in a User connection.
94"""
95type UserEdge {
96 """The cursor for this edge."""
97 cursor: String!
98 """The User node."""
99 node: User
100}
101
102type Query {
103 """
104 Fetch a single User by ID.
105 """
106 user(id: ID!): User @auth(requires: USER)
107
108 """
109 Fetch a paginated list of users using cursor-based pagination.
110 """
111 users(
112 """Number of items to return."""
113 first: Int
114 """Cursor to start after."""
115 after: String
116 """Number of items from the end."""
117 last: Int
118 """Cursor to end before."""
119 before: String
120 """Filter by role."""
121 role: UserRole
122 """Search by name or email."""
123 search: String
124 ): UserConnection! @auth(requires: USER)
125}
126
127input CreateUserInput {
128 """Full name of the User."""
129 name: String!
130 """Email address of the User."""
131 email: String!
132 """Role to assign (defaults to USER)."""
133 role: UserRole
134}
135
136input UpdateUserInput {
137 """Updated name."""
138 name: String
139 """Updated email."""
140 email: String
141 """Updated role."""
142 role: UserRole
143}
144
145"""
146Payload returned by user mutations.
147"""
148type UserPayload {
149 """The affected User, or null if the operation failed."""
150 user: User
151 """Any validation or business logic errors."""
152 userErrors: [UserError!]!
153}
154
155type Mutation {
156 """
157 Create a new User.
158 """
159 userCreate(input: CreateUserInput!): UserPayload! @auth(requires: ADMIN)
160
161 """
162 Update an existing User.
163 """
164 userUpdate(id: ID!, input: UpdateUserInput!): UserPayload! @auth(requires: USER)
165
166 """
167 Delete a User.
168 """
169 userDelete(id: ID!): UserPayload! @auth(requires: ADMIN)
170}

Overview

GraphQL Schema (SDL) Generator

The GraphQL Schema Generator helps developers scaffold robust, production-ready GraphQL Schema Definition Language (SDL) files with proper types, queries, mutations, and security directives.

Whether you are building a standalone Apollo Server, a Yoga/Envelop API, or an Apollo Federation Subgraph, starting with correct schema structures (like Relay-style connections and Input payloads) saves hours of refactoring later. The generator also produces example queries, mutations, and comprehensive API documentation.

Best Practices

  • Always use Relay Cursor Connections for paginating lists. Offset pagination degrades in performance and can cause data duplication if items are inserted during pagination.
  • Use explicit `Input` objects for Mutation arguments (e.g., input: CreateUserInput!) instead of passing scalar arguments directly. This allows you to add arguments in the future without breaking the API.
  • Ensure Mutations return a Payload object containing both the affected entity and an array of `UserErrors` for graceful frontend error handling.

Common Mistakes

  • Securing data inside resolvers instead of using schema directives like @auth. Schema directives make your security model explicitly visible and self-documenting.
  • Exposing the internal database `ID` directly without considering globally unique IDs (e.g., base64 encoding the type and ID).
  • Creating deeply nested types without configuring Query Depth Limits or Query Complexity Limits on the server, opening the API up to Denial of Service attacks.

Security Recommendations

  • Implement query depth limiting (recommended: max depth 10) and query complexity analysis to prevent GraphQL-specific denial of service attacks.
  • Use DataLoader for N+1 query prevention when resolving relational data. Without DataLoader, a query for 100 users with their posts could trigger 101 database queries.
  • Always authenticate the initial HTTP request before processing GraphQL queries. Use JWT tokens or session cookies validated in your GraphQL server context.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Offset and Cursor pagination in GraphQL?
Offset pagination uses page numbers (limit/offset) which is simple but can skip or duplicate items when data changes. Cursor-based pagination (Relay Connections) uses opaque cursors pointing to specific items, providing consistent results even when data is modified between requests.
How do I implement GraphQL subscriptions?
GraphQL subscriptions use WebSockets for real-time communication. With Apollo Server, use graphql-ws package. With Yoga, subscriptions are built-in. The generated schema includes subscription type definitions that you can wire up to your event system.
What is Apollo Federation?
Apollo Federation allows you to split a large GraphQL schema across multiple services (subgraphs). Each service owns a portion of the schema, and an Apollo Gateway composes them into a unified supergraph for clients. The @key, @shareable, and @external directives enable entity resolution across services.

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