Integrating WebSockets with GraphQL Subscriptions

Learn how to enhance your real-time applications by combining WebSockets with GraphQL Subscriptions

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Real-time data is becoming increasingly important as more web and mobile apps require instant updates and notifications. Combining WebSockets and GraphQL Subscriptions can help you build efficient and scalable real-time applications.

This guide will walk you through integrating WebSockets with GraphQL Subscriptions using an example implementation. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create engaging user experiences that keep users informed of critical events as they happen.

Prerequisites

To follow this tutorial, make sure you have Node.js installed on your machine. Familiarity with JavaScript, Express, GraphQL, and basic knowledge of WebSocket protocols are assumed. If you need to brush up on any of these topics, check out the official documentation or other online resources before proceeding.

Project Setup

1. Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

mkdir graphql-websocket && cd $_

2. Initialize a new npm package:

npm init -y