GraphQL is not the new kid on the block anymore. What was once a nascent and unproven technology has blossomed into a widely adopted and much-beloved solution that is mature, robust, and well-understood. At one time, it was challenging to find an API platform that supported GraphQL. Now, not only are there several platforms that support GraphQL, but many do it natively!

Below, we’ll look at some of the best API management tools, gateways, and platforms that offer GraphQL support. We’ll review these solutions and consider and see what the pros and cons of each are.

Tyk

Tyk is a robust management platform offering native GraphQL support. Tyk says that it does not use any external services or processes and, as such, aligns its current process support against the GraphQL specification at all times. This makes for a seamless integration with any GraphQL instance utilizing the current release of the specification.

Pros

• Intuitive and streamlined dashboard approach makes API management easier, especially for teams without many developers.
• Tyk offers many security features and options and has security as a chief design consideration in its documentation.

Cons

• UI-driven solutions might turn away certain developers and coding styles.
• Relatively limited customizability arising from UI-centrism.

WunderGraph

WunderGraph is a popular API lifecycle management tool specifically designed for federated GraphQL deployments. Since WunderGraph was explicitly designed for GraphQL, it is purpose-built for this use case. It’s new compared to other solutions but is widely adopted, so there’s a steady user base that delivers feedback as development continues.

Pros

• Literally built for GraphQL — it doesn’t get more native than this.
• Provides efficient and automatic caching and real-time updates.

Cons

• Because it’s GraphQL-specific, it might not be the best for mixed API environments that require something more universal.
• Comparatively newer than other options on this list, so it may not be as battle-tested as alternatives.

Hasura

Hasura is another popular platform for GraphQL API management. Its main selling point is simplifying the process of building and deploying builds, making for much faster and scalable API development.

Pros

• Simplified build and deployment processes for faster development.
• Real-time data synchronization and high performance.

Cons

• Customization can be a limiting function for highly complex environments.
• Can be too powerful for some situations — more simple GraphQL instances might find this “overkill.”

Apollo GraphQL

Apollo GraphQL bills itself as “the API platform for microservices” and offers a GraphQL platform that targets internal and organizational API use cases. This takes it even further along the API management mindset and into API ecosystem management.

Pros

• Comprehensive toolset for GraphQL implementation at the organizational level.
• Large community with a ton of tutorials and places for conversation.

Cons

• The organizational focus could be too much for a small team or product.
• Largely UI-driven and backed by a sales team selling features.

Fusio

Fusio is an open-source API management platform that offers everything from API generation to monetization and rate limiting. It does a lot well, and the fact that it’s open source is a huge benefit.

Pros

• Provides adequate support for both GraphQL and other paradigms, making it a great fit for blended environments.
• Allows for substantial customization.

Cons

• Fusio can be difficult to use sometimes as it doesn’t have a super polished UI. This might suit developer teams more, however.
• Although improving, documentation and community support are not as substantial as other offerings.

DreamFactory

DreamFactory is an API management solution that provides a comprehensive platform for automatically generating RESTful APIs. It offers GraphQL support by automatically generating GraphQL schemas from existing databases.

Pros

• Automatic generation of GraphQL endpoints from databases.
• provides strong support for database-driven APIs.

Cons

• Some configuration aspects can be complex, especially as it’s not GraphQL-native.
• Performance optimization might be needed for large-scale applications.

Kong

Kong is an API management platform that calls itself both “unified” and “modular.” Much of its functional components are optional, allowing teams to scale to their needs quite effectively.

Pros

• Highly scalable and flexible. You only use what you need to.
• Very strong customer and community support.

Cons

• Managing additional features through plugins might be a bit much for small teams.
• Requires additional support and configuration for optimal GraphQL performance, so it’s not out-of-the-box in this use case.

Azure API Management

Part of the Azure line of products from Microsoft, the API Management tool has native support for GraphQL. Being backed by Microsoft is both a pro and a con, depending on who you talk to and in what environment you operate.

Pros

• Strong integration with the Azure ecosystem.
• Robust security and monitoring features.

Cons

• Primarily tailored for Azure users, limiting its use in non-Azure environments.
• Can be costly for small teams.

Gravitee.io

Gravitee.io is an API management platform focused on event-driven formats. Beyond its management offerings, it also offers monetization and analytics systems. Using Gravitee, you could proxy your GraphQL server.

Pros

• Strong analytics and monitoring tools.
• User-friendly, quick and easy setup.

Cons

• Limited advanced features for GraphQL compared to REST tooling — some of the GraphQL capabilities are still under development.
• Community support is growing but not as extensive as other platforms.

Apigee

Apigee is an API management platform that is part of the Google family of offerings. It offers a wide range of tools and monetization systems and has seen wide adoption across medium to large businesses.

Pros

• Mature toolset development that is backed by Google and its business ecosystem.
• Strong analytics and lifecycle management tooling.

Cons

• Pricing can be complex and expensive, especially for smaller tools.
• Requires buying into the Google business model and ecosystem, which can be off-putting for some teams.

Axway

Axway is a platform focused largely on supporting API-first strategies and consumer-to-user connectivity. The management platform focuses its tooling on discoverability and monetization but offers basic management tooling outside this category for general support.

Pros

• Axway offers robust security features, which can significantly benefit teams needing higher-level GraphQL security.
• Pretty comprehensive GraphQL toolset.

Cons

• Principally focused on monetization and discoverability.
• Complex integrations can make robust feature offerings a negative as you’re unsure about the next steps.

Conclusion

While this is not an exhaustive list, it does go to show that there are plenty of options for GraphQL API management! These solutions each offer something unique, and the choice between them will largely depend on your specific requirements and your operational environment.

What do you think of this list? Did we forget any GraphQL-native API management solutions? Please let us know in the comments below!