Apollo-link-firebase

apollo-link-firebase provides you a simple way to query Firebase in graphQL with Apollo-client without building a graphQL server

Currently, we support features below:

1. Query: All sorting and filtering methods on document are supported.
2. Mutation: deal with set, update, remove methods with graphQL mutation.
3. Realtime Subscription: Listen to your Firebase events using graphQL Subscription.
4. Data Join: Retrieve your data from different paths using one graphQL.

Contents

• Installation
• Quickstart
• Retrieve Object Data
• Work With Lists of Data
• Mutation
• Subscription
• Example

Installation

yarn add apollo-link-firebase

Quickstart

// rtdb stands for realtime database
import {createRtdbLink} from 'apollo-link-firebase';
import * as firebase from 'firebase';

// initialize firebase
firebase.initializeApp({
  // configs
});

// create Realtime Database link
const rtdbLink = createRtdbLink({
  database: firebase.database()
});

const client = new ApolloClient({
  link: rtdbLink,
  cache: new InMemoryCache(),
});

// A simple query to retrieve data from 
// firebase.database().ref("/profile/me")
// @rtdbQuery stands for Realtime Database Query
const query = gql`
  query myProfile {
    me @rtdbQuery(ref: "/profile/me") {
      name
    }
  }
`;

// Invoke the query and log the person's name
client.query({ query }).then(response => {
  console.log(response.data.name);
});

Retrieve Object Data

Return with __typename

In Apollo client, InMemoryCache use __typename and id to save your data in store.

Using @key directive, you can speficy which field you want to return with the key of snapshot

const query = gql`
  query myProfile {
    me @rtdbQuery(ref: "/profile/me", type: "Profile") {
      id @key
      name
    }
  }
`;

Response

{
  __typename: "Profile",
  id: "me",
  name: "wwwy3y3"
}

Work with Lists of Data

For example, your data in Firebase could be like

{
  users: {
    id1: {
      name: "alovelace",
      birth: 1815
    },
    id2: {
      name: "ghopper",
      birth: 1906
    }
  }
}

Basic Query

We can query all users, and use @array directive to parse data to array

const query = gql`
  query getUsers {
    users @rtdbQuery(ref: "/users", type: "Users") @array {
      id @key
      name
    }
  }
`;

Response

[{
  __typename: "Users",
  id: "id1",
  name: "alovelace",
  birth: 1815
}, {
  __typename: "Users",
  id: "id2",
  name: "ghopper",
  birth: 1906
}]

Advance Query

In firebase client js sdk, We can get data by using sorting and filtering API

We provide corresponding API in @rtdbQuery directive arguments. In the following example, we query lists of data using orderByChild("birth") and limitToFirst(1)

const query = gql`
  query getUsers {
    users @rtdbQuery(ref: "/users", orderByChild: "birth", limitToFirst: 1, type: "Users") {
      name
    }
  }
`;

Response

[{
  __typename: "Users",
  id: "id1",
  name: "alovelace",
  birth: 1815
}]

rtdbQuery Directive Arguments

• ref: string
• orderByChild: string
• orderByKey: boolean. e,g orderByKey: true
• orderByValue: boolean
• startAt: any
• endAt: any
• equalTo: any
• limitToFirst: number
• limitToLast: number

More Examples

• Basic API Usage (orderBy*, limitTo*...)
• Advanced API Usage (nested array, data join...)

Mutation

We only take payload from input key from the recommendations in this article

const mutation = gql`
  fragment Input on firebase {
    string: String
    number: Number
  }

  mutation($ref: string, $input: Input!) {
    updateArticle(input: $input) @rtdbUpdate(ref: $ref, type: "Article") {
      id @key
      string
      number
    }
  }
`;

We support four directives for mutation

• @rtdbUpdate: Firebase update
• @rtdbSet: Firebase set
• @rtdbRemove: Firebase remove
• @rtdbPush: Push new element under ref, sugar api for firebase push and set

Examples

@rtdbRemove

const mutation = gql`
  mutation($ref: string) {
    remove @rtdbRemove(ref: $ref)
  }
`;

@rtdbPush and @pushKey

const mutation = gql`
  fragment ProfileInput on firebase {
    string: String
    number: Number
  }

  mutation($ref: string, $input: ProfileInput!) {
    pushdata(input: $input) @rtdbPush(ref: $ref) {
      id @pushKey
      string
      number
    }
  }
`;

// variables
const variables = {
  ref: "/users",
  input: {
    string: "string",
    number: 1
  }
}

// response
{
  id: "-KjCIvxsKueb3Hf2LIOp",
  string: "string",
  number: 1
}

Subscription

We support four events in Firebase, more on Firebase document

You can use all the query api supported in @rtdbQuery, more advanced query examples in wiki

Usage

const subQuery = gql`
  subscription {
    newComment @rtdbSub(ref: "/comments", event: "value") {
      id @key
      content
    }
  }
`;

Directives

• value: @rtdbSub(ref: string, event: "value")
• child_added: @rtdbSub(ref: string, event: "child_added")
• child_changed: @rtdbSub(ref: string, event: "child_changed")
• child_removed: @rtdbSub(ref: string, event: "child_removed")

Example

Simple Todo React Application

Here's a simple React + apollo-link-firebase todo app

Roadmap

• support firebase transaction
• support firestore
• support authenticate mutation
• support storage mutation

Contribution

Contributions are welcome and extremely helpful 🙌

Feel free to join our gitter channel to discuss with us!