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Learn useful terminology and concepts related to using the Scope AR GraphQL API.

For more information, visit https://graphql.org/.

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In this article

Table of Contents

About GraphQL

The GraphQL data query language is:

  • A specification. The spec determines the validity of the schema on the API server. The schema determines the validity of client calls.

  • Strongly typed. The schema defines an API's type system and all object relationships. See “Reference Docs”.

  • Introspective. A client can query the schema for details about the schema.

  • Hierarchical. The shape of a GraphQL call mirrors the shape of the JSON data it returns. Nested fields let you query for and receive only the data you specify in a single round trip.

  • An application layer. GraphQL is not a storage model or a database query language. The graph refers to graph structures defined in the schema, where nodes define objects and edges define relationships between objects. The API traverses and returns application data based on the schema definitions, independent of how the data is stored. See “Using Global Node IDs”.

Why Scope is using GraphQL

Scope chose GraphQL for our API v3 because it offers significantly more flexibility for our integrators. The ability to define precisely the data you want—and only the data you want—is a powerful advantage over the REST API v2 endpoints.

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GraphQL lets you replace multiple REST requests with a single call to fetch the data you specify and all data in the system is available to you.

GraphQL Terminology

The Scope GraphQL API represents an architectural and conceptual shift from the Scope REST APIs.

You will likely encounter some new terminology in the GraphQL API reference docs.

Schema

A schema defines a GraphQL API's type system and resides on the GraphQL API server. It describes the complete set of possible data that a client can access, including:

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For more information, see "Discovering the Scope GraphQL API" and reference docs. For other information, such as authentication and rate limit details, check out the guides.

Note that you may need to rely on both the docs and the real-time schema validation to successfully call the GraphQL API.

Field

A field is a unit of data you can retrieve from an object. As the official GraphQL docs say: "The GraphQL query language is basically about selecting fields on objects."

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This means that if you try to return a field that is not a scalar, schema validation will throw an error. You must add nested subfields until all fields return scalars.

Argument

An argument is a set of key-value pairs attached to a specific field. Some fields require an argument. Mutations require an input object as an argument.

Implementation

A GraphQL schema may use the term implements to define how an object inherits from an interface.

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  • Each object lists the interface(s) from which it inherits under Implements.

  • Each interface lists the objects that inherit from it under Implementations.

Connection

Connections let you query related objects as part of the same call. With connections, you can use a single GraphQL call where you would have to use multiple calls to a REST API.

It's helpful to picture a graph: dots connected by lines. The dots are nodes, the lines are edges. A connection defines a relationship between nodes.

Edge

Edges represent connections between nodes. When you query a connection, you traverse its edges to get to its nodes. Every edges field has a node field and a cursor field. Cursors are used for pagination.

Node

Node is a generic term for an object. You can look up a node directly, or you can access related nodes via a connection. If you specify a node that does not return a scalar, you must include subfields until all fields return scalars.

Discovering the data the API can provide

One way to see what is available from the GraphQL API is to use the GraphQL API reference docs.

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In addition to manually executing introspection queries, most GraphQL client tools include features that can help you navigate the schema in real time as you design queries and mutations. The image below shows one such tool, GraphiQL, with auto-completion (left panel) and embedded documentation (right panel). See “Exploring The Graph”.

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Resource limitations

The Scope GraphQL API has limitations in place to protect against excessive or abusive calls to Scope's servers.

Node limit

To pass schema validation, all GraphQL API v3 calls must meet these standards:

  • Clients must supply a first or last argument on any connection.

  • Values of first and last must be within 1-100.

  • Individual calls cannot request more than 500,000 total nodes.

Calculating nodes in a call

These two examples show how to calculate the total nodes in a call.

  1. Simple query:

    Code Block
    query {
  organization {
    members(first: 50) {
      edges {
        user:node {
          name

          licences(first: 10) {
            totalCount
            edges {
              license:node {
                product
                state
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

    Calculation:

    Code Block
    50         = 50 users
 +
50 x 10    = 500 user licences

           = 550 total nodes

  2. Complex query:

    Code Block
    query {
  organization {
    members(first: 50) {
      edges {
        user:node {
          name

          groups(first: 20) {
            edges {
              group:node {
                name

                members(first: 10) {
                  edges {
                    member:node {
                      name
                    }
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
      }
    }

    scenarios(first: 10) {
      edges {
        scenario:node {
          name
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

    Calculation:

    Code Block
    50            = 50 members (users)
 +
50 x 20       = 1,000 groups
 +
50 x 20 x 10  = 10,000 group members (users)
 +
10             = 10 scenarios

               = 10,010 total nodes

Rate limit

The GraphQL API v3 limit is different from the REST API v3's rate limits.

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Note: The current formula and rate limit are subject to change as we observe how developers use the GraphQL API v3.

Returning a call's rate limit status

With the REST API v2, you can check the rate limit status by inspecting the returned HTTP headers.

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  • The limit field returns the maximum number of points the client is permitted to consume in a 60-minute window.

  • The cost field returns the point cost for the current call that counts against the rate limit.

  • The remaining field returns the number of points remaining in the current rate limit window.)

  • The resetAt field returns the time at which the current rate limit window resets in UTC epoch seconds.

Calculating a rate limit score before running the call

Querying the rateLimit object returns a call's score, but running the call counts against the limit. To avoid this dilemma, you can calculate the score of a call before you run it. The following calculation works out to roughly the same cost that rateLimit { cost } returns.

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Dividing by 100 and rounding up gives us the final score of the query: 21

Further reading

See “Reference Docs” to view reference documentation and learn about the data types available in the GraphQL API public schema. 

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