Overview

application/graphql is the (informal, partially standardized) media type for sending a GraphQL query document as the request body. GraphQL APIs typically POST a query to a single endpoint and receive JSON results.

Details

There are two approaches in practice. (1) Carry the query in an application/json body as `{"query":"...","variables":{...}}` (by far the most common). (2) Send the raw query string as the whole body with application/graphql (limited, since it cannot carry variables). Most servers (Apollo, GraphQL-Yoga) support (1) by default and accept (2) optionally.

The recent GraphQL over HTTP spec defines a new response type, `application/graphql-response+json`, to distinguish protocol-level errors from execution errors via status codes. Responses are always JSON containing data and errors, and because GraphQL can express partial success, a 200 response may still contain errors.

Syntax

e.g. Content-Type: application/graphql

File extensions

Notes

• An application/graphql body cannot carry variables; when you need variables, use application/json with the query/variables structure.
• GraphQL tends to signal errors through the response body's errors array rather than HTTP status, so clients must inspect errors even on a 200.
• With a single endpoint, unbounded query depth/complexity invites DoS — enforce depth and complexity limits.

Related types

Related headers