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  5. GraphQL vs Graphene vs Prisma

GraphQL vs Graphene vs Prisma

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

GraphQL
GraphQL
Stacks34.9K
Followers28.1K
Votes309
Graphene
Graphene
Stacks96
Followers142
Votes1
GitHub Stars8.2K
Forks819
Prisma
Prisma
Stacks1.3K
Followers974
Votes55
GitHub Stars44.2K
Forks1.9K

GraphQL vs Graphene vs Prisma: What are the differences?

# Introduction

Key differences between GraphQL, Graphene, and Prisma are outlined below:

1. **Definition**: GraphQL is a query language for APIs, providing a more efficient alternative to REST. Graphene is a Python library for building GraphQL APIs, offering a simple and flexible way to define schema and resolve queries. Prisma is a modern database toolkit that simplifies database workflows and provides a type-safe and auto-generated query builder.

2. **Usage**: GraphQL is used to define the schema and query the data from various sources, such as databases and APIs. Graphene is used to integrate GraphQL into Python applications, creating a bridge between the API and the data source. Prisma is used as the ORM layer between the application and the database, handling queries and interactions with the database.

3. **Customization**: With GraphQL, developers can define custom types, queries, and mutations based on their specific needs. Graphene allows developers to customize the schema, resolvers, and data retrieval process to match the requirements of the application. Prisma offers data modeling, schema migrations, and data validations for customizing the database structure and interactions.

4. **Scalability**: GraphQL provides a scalable approach by allowing clients to request only the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching issues. Graphene offers scalability through asynchronous execution, batching, and caching mechanisms to optimize query performance. Prisma enables horizontal and vertical scaling through efficient query optimization and database connection pooling.

5. **Community Support**: GraphQL has a robust community support with various tools, libraries, and resources available for developers. Graphene has an active community contributing to the improvement, documentation, and extensions of the library. Prisma also has a growing community providing feedback, feature requests, and contributions to the toolkit.

6. **Performance**: GraphQL optimizes performance by allowing clients to request multiple resources in a single query, reducing network latency and improving data fetching efficiency. Graphene emphasizes performance tuning through query optimizations, lazy loading, and data caching strategies. Prisma enhances performance by generating optimized database queries, utilizing indexes, and implementing data aggregation techniques for efficient data retrieval.

In Summary, the key differences between GraphQL, Graphene, and Prisma lie in their definitions, usage, customization options, scalability approaches, community support, and performance optimization strategies.

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Advice on GraphQL, Graphene, Prisma

Raj
Raj

CTO & Founder at Novvum

Oct 5, 2020

Review

Hey Brian, it's hard to pick a best tool for any situation, however, there are tools that offer advantages dependent on use case.

Server Side

If you're looking to quickly generate a GraphQL API, you can use a Graphql As A Service like FaunaDB, Slash Graphql, or 8base.

If you want something more advanced on the server side: Prisma with Postgres, Nexus, & Apollo Server (js) is a great stack to try out. Examples here

Check out TypeORM and TypeGraphQL too

If you're have some existing data on Postgres, PostGraphile or Hasura are your best bet!

If you are using a lot of AWS services, check out Amplify and AppSync. Tutorial here

On the client side:

Check out Gatsby! Graphql is already configured and used to query static or remote information at build time. It's a great way to get your feet wet!

Apollo Client is often the choice for more advanced use cases. But URLQL and gqless are some pretty good alternatives too!

Hope this helps! 👍

295 views295
Comments
Raj
Raj

Oct 10, 2020

Review

It purely depends on your app needs. Does it need to be scalable, do you have lots of features, OR it is a simple project with very simple needs - many of those parameters clarify which technologies will fit.

If you are looking for a quick solution, that reduces lot of development time, take a look at postgraphile (https://www.graphile.org/postgraphile/). You have to just define the schema and you get the entire graph-ql apis built for you and you can just focus on your frontend.

On frontend, React is good, but also need to remember that it is popular because it introduced one way data writes and in-built virtual dom + diffing to determine which dom to modify. Though personally I liked it, am recently more inclined to Svelte because its lightweightedness and absence of virtual dom and its simplicity compared to the huge ecosystem that React has surrounded itself with.

In all situations, frameworks keep changing over time. What is best today is not considered even good few years from now. What is important is to have the logic in a separate, clean manner void of too many framework related dependencies - that way you can switch one framework with another very easily.

3.76k views3.76k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

GraphQL
GraphQL
Graphene
Graphene
Prisma
Prisma

GraphQL is a data query language and runtime designed and used at Facebook to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps since 2012.

Graphene is a Python library for building GraphQL schemas/types fast and easily.

Prisma is an open-source database toolkit. It replaces traditional ORMs and makes database access easy with an auto-generated query builder for TypeScript & Node.js.

Hierarchical;Product-centric;Client-specified queries;Backwards Compatible;Structured, Arbitrary Code;Application-Layer Protocol;Strongly-typed;Introspective
Easy to use: Graphene helps you use GraphQL in Python without effort.;Relay: Graphene has builtin support for Relay;Django: Automatic Django model mapping to Graphene Types. Check a fully working Django implementation
Auto-generated and type-safe query builder for Node.js & TypeScript; Declarative data modeling & migration system; GUI to view and edit data in your database; Single source of truth for database and application models; Auto-completion in code editors instead of needing to look up documentation; Less boilerplate so developers can focus on the important parts of their app; Queries not classes to avoid complex model objects;
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
8.2K
GitHub Stars
44.2K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
819
GitHub Forks
1.9K
Stacks
34.9K
Stacks
96
Stacks
1.3K
Followers
28.1K
Followers
142
Followers
974
Votes
309
Votes
1
Votes
55
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 75
    Schemas defined by the requests made by the user
  • 63
    Will replace RESTful interfaces
  • 62
    The future of API's
  • 49
    The future of databases
  • 12
    Self-documenting
Cons
  • 4
    Hard to migrate from GraphQL to another technology
  • 4
    More code to type.
  • 2
    Takes longer to build compared to schemaless.
  • 1
    Works just like any other API at runtime
  • 1
    No support for caching
Pros
  • 0
    Will replace RESTful interfaces
  • 0
    The future of API's
Pros
  • 12
    Type-safe database access
  • 10
    Open Source
  • 8
    Auto-generated query builder
  • 6
    Increases confidence during development
  • 6
    Supports multible database systems
Cons
  • 2
    Doesn't support downward/back migrations
  • 1
    Do not support JSONB
  • 1
    Mutation of JSON is really confusing
  • 1
    Do not support JSONB
  • 1
    Doesn't support JSONB
Integrations
No integrations available
Django
Django
Python
Python
Relay Framework
Relay Framework
TypeScript
TypeScript
Node.js
Node.js
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
Serverless
Serverless
Apollo
Apollo
SQLite
SQLite
MongoDB
MongoDB
MariaDB
MariaDB
MySQL
MySQL

What are some alternatives to GraphQL, Graphene, Prisma?

Sequelize

Sequelize

Sequelize is a promise-based ORM for Node.js and io.js. It supports the dialects PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite and MSSQL and features solid transaction support, relations, read replication and more.

PostGraphile

PostGraphile

Execute one command (or mount one Node.js middleware) and get an instant high-performance GraphQL API for your PostgreSQL database

OData

OData

It is an ISO/IEC approved, OASIS standard that defines a set of best practices for building and consuming RESTful APIs. It helps you focus on your business logic while building RESTful APIs without having to worry about the various approaches to define request and response headers, status codes, HTTP methods, URL conventions, media types, payload formats, query options, etc.

Hibernate

Hibernate

Hibernate is a suite of open source projects around domain models. The flagship project is Hibernate ORM, the Object Relational Mapper.

Doctrine 2

Doctrine 2

Doctrine 2 sits on top of a powerful database abstraction layer (DBAL). One of its key features is the option to write database queries in a proprietary object oriented SQL dialect called Doctrine Query Language (DQL), inspired by Hibernates HQL.

MikroORM

MikroORM

TypeScript ORM for Node.js based on Data Mapper, Unit of Work and Identity Map patterns. Supports MongoDB, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite databases.

Entity Framework

Entity Framework

It is an object-relational mapper that enables .NET developers to work with relational data using domain-specific objects. It eliminates the need for most of the data-access code that developers usually need to write.

peewee

peewee

A small, expressive orm, written in python (2.6+, 3.2+), with built-in support for sqlite, mysql and postgresql and special extensions like hstore.

MyBatis

MyBatis

It is a first class persistence framework with support for custom SQL, stored procedures and advanced mappings. It eliminates almost all of the JDBC code and manual setting of parameters and retrieval of results. It can use simple XML or Annotations for configuration and map primitives, Map interfaces and Java POJOs (Plain Old Java Objects) to database records.

Entity Framework Core

Entity Framework Core

It is a lightweight, extensible, open source and cross-platform version of the popular Entity Framework data access technology. It can serve as an object-relational mapper (O/RM), enabling .NET developers to work with a database using .NET objects, and eliminating the need for most of the data-access code they usually need to write.

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