How to Use GraphQL in React Native

React Native is a popular JavaScript framework for building cross-platform mobile applications. GraphQL is a powerful query language for APIs that has become increasingly popular in recent years. In this guide, we'll walk through how to use GraphQL in React Native, including how to create a React Native project, install GraphQL, integrate Apollo Client, create GraphQL queries, make GraphQL API calls, and create GraphQL mutations.

react native graphql

Prerequisites

Before getting started, you'll need to make sure you have the following installed:

Node.js
React Native
Yarn or npm

Creating a React Native Project

To create a React Native project, you can use the command react-native init followed by the name of your project. For example, if you wanted to create a project called MyProject, you would use the command react-native init MyProject.

Installing GraphQL into Your Project

To install GraphQL into your React Native project, you can use either Yarn or npm. To install GraphQL with Yarn, you can use the command yarn add graphql. To install GraphQL with npm, you can use the command npm install graphql.

Integrating Apollo Client in React Native

Apollo Client is a popular GraphQL client that can be used in React Native. To install Apollo Client with Yarn, you can use the command yarn add @apollo/client. To install Apollo Client with npm, you can use the command npm install @apollo/client.

Creating a GraphQL Query in React Native

To create a GraphQL query in React Native, you can use the gql function from the graphql-tag package. The gql function takes a string with a GraphQL query as an argument and returns an object that can be used by Apollo Client. For example, to create a query that fetches a list of posts, you could use the following code:

import { gql } from 'graphql-tag';

const GET_POSTS = gql`
  query {
    posts {
      id
      title
      content
    }
  }
`;

Making a GraphQL API Call in React Native

To make a GraphQL API call in React Native, you can use the useQuery hook from the Apollo Client package. The useQuery hook takes a GraphQL query as an argument and returns an object with the data from the API call. For example, to make a GraphQL API call with the query we created earlier, you could use the following code:

import { useQuery } from '@apollo/client';

const { data, loading, error } = useQuery(GET_POSTS);

Creating a GraphQL Mutation in React Native

To create a GraphQL mutation in React Native, you can use the gql function from the graphql-tag package. The gql function takes a string with a GraphQL mutation as an argument and returns an object that can be used by Apollo Client. For example, to create a mutation that adds a post, you could use the following code:

import { gql } from 'graphql-tag';

const ADD_POST = gql`
  mutation addPost($title: String!, $content: String!) {
    addPost(title: $title, content: $content) {
      id
      title
      content
    }
  }
`;

Making a GraphQL Mutation Call in React Native

To make a GraphQL mutation call in React Native, you can use the useMutation hook from the Apollo Client package. The useMutation hook takes a GraphQL mutation as an argument and returns an object with the data from the mutation call. For example, to make a GraphQL mutation call with the mutation we created earlier, you could use the following code:

import { useMutation } from '@apollo/client';

const [addPost, { data, loading, error }] = useMutation(ADD_POST);

addPost({ variables: { title: 'My Post', content: 'This is my post' } });

Conclusion

In this guide, we've walked through how to use GraphQL in React Native, including how to create a React Native project, install GraphQL, integrate Apollo Client, create GraphQL queries, make GraphQL API calls, and create GraphQL mutations. With this knowledge, you should now have the tools necessary to use GraphQL in your React Native projects.